But Pharaoh shouted, “You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifices to the LORD.’ Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.” [Exodus 5.17-18]
FACT: Slavery is very basic: if a person wishes to eat, they must work.
FACT: There are a couple things Egypt is notable for throughout the Old Testament: slavery and idolatry.
The ultimate goal of all idolatry is slavery. Unironically, slavery fosters increased idolatry. Every negative aspect of slavery is the intended outcome of idolatry. Idols are the work of Satan, the deceiver, to lure people into idolatry and trap them in slavery. It should be understood that the people of Israel had not cried out to God for deliverance, but to Pharoah, resulting in the subject passage of this article.
The oppressive nature of idolatry that leads to slavery is seen in the subject passage above. Once idols have established their slave drivers, they demand "more" to prevent people from effectively worshiping God.
We must remember that "Egypt" was, at first, seen as a "better option" for Israel. It was much more convenient for Israel to move to and settle in Egypt (where the food was) than to continue the inconvenient trips back and forth just to eat. And, besides that, Joseph was in Egypt. In the emotion of being reunited with Joseph, what Jacob's family failed to realize is that, as powerful as Joseph was, he was still a slave to Pharoah. For Israel to relocate to Egypt was a willful submission to slavery - oh it was unoppressive at first and the food and fellowship were good, but, as we saw in Exodus chapter one, that would change.
Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.” [Exodus 1.8-10]
Idols are presented to us today in the exact same way. They lure us with convenience and emotion. What idols offer us today seems at first to be a much better option than current circumstances. All the while, idols are working overtime to "claim" us. But first, the "honeymoon" period... followed by oppressive slavery!
Before even giving the Ten Commandments, God revealed His intentions that Israel (His people) not have idols and the consequent slavery they bring:
“Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. [Exodus 6.6-7]
And then, when God started laying out the Ten Commandments, He used exclusive wording Israel was already familiar with:
“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. [Exodus 2.20]
What followed then was the first three Commandments forbidding polytheism by singular focus on God alone (1st Commandment), forbidding polytheism by forbidding idols (2nd Commandment), and forbidding polytheism by name "association" (misusing God's name, allowing the name of God to be associated in any way with idols - 3rd Commandment). The strict wording of the first three Commandments reveals God's absolute and unmistakable intolerance for man's trust in or allegiance to anything or anyone but Him.
“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]
God knows that every idol of man, and particularly those of his own making and ingenuity, eventually, intentionally and relentlessly enslave man. Starting with the idol of "self," progressing on to debt, insurance, medicine, technology, and eventually even the idol of religion, man demotes God from His rightful first and only place in his life rendering himself a hopeless and helpless slave to those idols.
As depicted by the Egyptian slave drivers, idols always oppressively demand "more." In contrast, God always demands "all." To bring this to date for our generation, Jesus demanded "all." His words are not allegorical:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
And, it is not at all ironic that in Jesus' demand for "all" there is freedom:
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” [John 8.31-32]
We should all survey our lives particularly noting everything that demands "more" of us. Whatever demands "more" should be highly suspect as an idol. Idols rarely, if ever, initially demand "all" as that would completely blow their cover. It starts off as, "I'll just do this one thing for "me,"" or "just so many payments of $xxx." Some even advertise, "low introductory rates!" Other "must-have" products and services without shame relentlessly and methodically raise rates. More subtly, other idols offer great convenience, but that great convenience is not quite enough when the next 'latest and greatest' comes out. "More" is the tell-tale vernacular of idolatry. As Israel found out, "more" became the demand of their slavery.
Unlike the overbearing slave drivers of Israel's inadvertent idol, Egypt, Jesus, Who demands "all," actually reveals that His "all" is less than idolatry's "more":
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. [Matthew 11.28]
The irony of all this is found in the fact that we as humans tend to want "more" and, in the pursuit of "more" unwittingly become enslaved to idols that then demand "more" of us! Ever hear the phrase, "I've got bills to pay!"?
Jesus's words indict most all:
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. [Matthew 6.24-34]
"Self," debt, insurance, medicine, technology, and sadly, religion all, in their own way, demand "more" of us. Jesus, on the other hand, demands "all." We DO have a decision to make - it can't be both ways.
Father, please continue to reveal everything in our lives that prevents us from being 100% devoted to You. So be it.
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