As the crisis in Egypt reached its climax this week, commentators struggled to find historical parallels, from the fall of the Berlin Wall, to Tiananmen Square, to the revolution in Iran. But one parallel that's been mostly overlooked is the remarkable similarities between current events and the story in the Book of Exodus about the confrontation between Israel and ancient Egypt.
Before we get too carried away: Drawing connections between the Bible and contemporary events can be a fool's errand, a trap or, worse, a dangerous ideological weapon. As I discovered while working on America's Prophet, my book on the influence of Moses in American history, both abolitionists and slave-holders in antebellum America tried to justify their slavery by quoting the Bible. And the slave-holders had the better case.
The Bible is not a history book, or a policy book.
But it is a remarkably insightful portrait of some enduring patterns of human behavior, including that of dictators, mobs of people abused for generations, and what happens when the two sides clash.
1. The people rarely succeed on the first try.
The Book of Exodus opens with the Israelites, having been enslaved for 430 years, straining under the yoke of the pharaoh. After being recruited by God through the burning bush, Moses -- the adoptive grandson of the pharaoh -- returns to free his people. He marches up to the pharaoh and demands, "Let my people go that they may celebrate a festival for me in the wilderness." Note that he does not demand total liberation, but a more modest request for religious freedom. He wants three days off to celebrate a festival. But the pharaoh scoffs at the request, thereby guaranteeing that when the people come back they will escalate their demands. The parallels to the current situation are unavoidable: With each passing week, the people grew more confident and slowly increased their demands.
2. The leader has henchmen.
Not only does the pharaoh reject the Israelites' demands, he takes retribution. He orders his taskmasters to withdraw the straw for making bricks, but does nothing to eliminate their quotas, "Let heavier work be laid upon the men," the pharaoh says. The result is an excuse for the pharaoh's henchman to lash out at the people. Predictably, the crisis in Egypt today also moved from early, mostly peaceful demonstrations, to an outbreak of violent repression as the regime sent security forces and machete-wielding mobs. At that point, confrontation was inevitable.
3. The people have powers, too.
Faced with resistance from their arrogant despot, Moses and the Israelites escalate their pressure by deploying a set of mass disruptions that bring the country -- and its economy -- to a halt. There are many ways of viewing the Ten Plagues -- as theological lesson, as natural disaster, as literary flourish -- but there is one undoubtable consequence: they wreak havoc on Egypt. They attack the foundation of its economy and bring the country to a standstill. The first plague, for instance, turns the Nile river to blood, attacking the core of the country's livelihood. The mass demonstrations in Tahrir square, led by soft-spoken leaders like Wael Ghonim, performed a similar action: a gradual escalation of economic pressure in a form that the regime would recognize.
4. The leader will harden his heart.
But still pharaoh resists. The Bible uses very precise language here. After the first plague: "Pharaoh's heart stiffened;" "He turned and went into the palace." After the second plague: "Pharaoh became stubborn this time also, and would not let the people go." Twenty times the Bible describes the pharaoh's heart as hardening. The message is clear: The tyrant of Egypt is callous, obdurate and fully responsible for the suffering of the people. Can anyone who watched President Mubarak's speech on Thursday -- especially after a day of news reports raising expectations of his departure -- not say that his heart appeared to have hardened?
5. The end is personal.
It's the 10th plague, in the end, that finally breaks the back of the pharaoh. "Toward midnight, I will go forth among the Egyptians, and every first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the first-born of the slave girl who is behind the millstones." There was a loud cry from Egypt, the Bible says, and finally the pharaoh relents. "Go," he tells Moses. Mubarak, in his speech, also mentioned his son, promising that they would both die on Egyptian soil. That reference suggests that accepting the end of his family's dynasty may have been hardest thing at all for him to do. Once he realized he was all alone, the final outcome was unavoidable.
6. The road ahead is long.
With all these parallels, there is one more echo of the Bible that many prove to be the most lasting. In my book Walking the Bible, I described how the Exodus has profound similarities with the Creation story. In effect, the event is Israel's re-creation: the rupture from its confined womb in Egypt, the passage through the narrow canal of the Red Sea, the arrival as a new people in Sinai. All endings are beginnings, too. And in the case of the Exodus, at least, the rebooting of the country leads to a protracted wandering in the desert full of anxiety, regret, doubt, and rebellion. That lesson from the Bible may prove to be the most enduring: While victory is sweet, the road to the Promised Land of freedom has many detours ahead.
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BBC News - Egypt protests: Hosni Mubarak refuses to step down
Egypt crisis: Hosni Mubarak refuses to quit - Telegraph
Mubarak Refuses to Step Down, Stoking Revolt's Fury and Resolve ...
Mubarak leaves Cairo for Sinai as protests spread - Yahoo! News
Hosni Mubarak 'may step down' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English
Mubarak Refuses to Step Down, Stoking Revolt's Fury and Resolve ...
Hosni Mubarak Doesn't Resign, White House Signals Disappointment ...
Drone, Missiles, Bombs on what 5 countries, unprovoked war on 2 countries, occupation on 2 countries
No WMD, torture on steroids, injustice, and restriction of Habeas Corpus and Due process
Egypt is not our concern here folks. Think about it as you Pledge Allegiance to the Flag, and shout USA, USA, USA
"Establish Justice" and "Provide for the general welfare is the Government of my GOD. Unfortunately one has to know what this means rather than profess or interpret it into their own selfishness.
If you can move over sharing the land you must also move you Accumulate cash and cloak over too those who need it
If the soul is the only thing that matters, why worry about comforting people in their poor physical condition? Just let them hold onto their religions and their souls will be comforted after they die. And, depending on which religion, they may even be rewarded more for faithfully enduring in the physical life. So, making things hard on them in this physical life really just helps them out more in the long run :)
So governments should be structure to aid not destroy mans struggle. "establish justice" support mans quest while injustice complicates mans struggle. Society should free man from work, work, work so he has time to pursue his higher self.
Today we are face where generation after generation is becoming the Accumulation of Wealth of a few for the greater struggle of the many to survive. Living little time but to work for the few who own 90% leaving only 10% for the entire world.
Putting this into the choice for EVIL and GOOD is not hard to make a comparison of the struggle of man.
A loss to society for the genius that comes from the worker. A loss to the spirituality within each person as he struggles to have and feed his family
Moses did not invent taxes,did he? Who did? Moses commanded Tithes, all had to pay equally 10%, and those who had much, much more was required, and those who had little gave what they had also. Then all tithes, were distributed among the needy first and for the good of all the Nation, to be equally shared, provided needs for all. no wealthy tax cuts with Moses tithes. Blessings then continue to those who gave much, and then their blessings were to be a blessings to others. No rich or poor, money did not determine ones value or worth either. All were equal. Love all.
The War Of Moses, was sadly preached, being twisted, spin, for others self interest as their excuse to justify what they were doing.
Before God's people entered the Promise Land, God said I WILL remove 7 Nations before you, not man, nor by the power of man. God told Moses to send out Scouts first to spy on the Nation they were going to enter and conquer over. Scouts came back, FEARFUL, Moses, they are larger in size, then us, have a greater military of soldiers then us, they have more powerful weapons then us, etc.
God says to Moses-REDUCE your army, soldiers, scouts, what? The scouts were sent out 3 times and each time the Scouts, return, God said again --REDUCE your army even more. What? All thinking this is crazy, REDUCE our soldiers.
It was God's teaching moment, letting them all know, see, that once you enter the Promise Land, obey MY Government Laws, be faithful first to ME in all things, I will be faithful to you, and make you prosper. God was showing them all, that with God NOTHING is impossible, without God nothing is possible.
Sadly after Joshu death, they disobeyed God's government Laws, and took to what the pagans were doing around them, their traditions etc.
God said I WILL, yes not man, remove 7 Nations before you. Maybe now all 7 Nations will be removed, maybe not all where removed at that point? God told Moses tear down their pillars( meaning man Laws and mans Governments?) and smash their altars ( of false man made religions). I believe that is what God meant. Let my people go. Pharoah's Government of greed, building is many houses of wealth, off the hard labors of his own citizens. Greed creates poverity, greed creates innocent suffering, greed has destroyed more human life, then all wars since the beginning of time.
What amount to pain are YOU giving for the USA, USA, USA
What does GOD think of this, the 2 Atomic Bombs on Japan, Wounded Knee,
Where is you government in GOD's EYE. One of the Pillars I presume
Typical misrepresentation of the Bible. The quotes you give are wrong. They all say that GOD HARDENED pharaoh's heart. God had removed pharaoh's free will and was forcing him to say no.
By misquoting the text in order to give a false impression, you're analysis is not only false, but bogus.
The key phrase in Exodus was: "And God judged the gods of Egypt." The people were just pawns in a divine war.
If democracy brought peace, there would be no more wars on earth. For democracy comes also with its own set of rules, that do not serve righteousness and equality rights for all, why rich/poor, with 2% holding all the wealth of a Nation and the world?
What will be the effect of God's Government? Issiah2:4 -He shall judge between the Nations, and REBUKE many people: They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nations shall NOT lift up SWORD against Nation, neither shall they LEARN war ANYMORE. Interesting the dear Egyptian people, who were all being held and oppressed, in the millions stood as ONE, with EMPTY hands. And that Government its Leader fell, did they not?
The ones who use fear mongering to control the larger in numbers, was the one, who RAN IN FEAR, to hide.
Will there be regrets?