fearmongering

What have you done for me lately? That’s a phrase used in business and sports to say that we can’t rest on our past accomplishments. We have to continue to contribute.

“Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. ‘Look,’ he said to his people, ‘the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.’" Exodus 1:8-10

The new king could just as well have said “What have you done for me lately?” He didn’t care that Joseph saved Egypt from famine, he didn’t care about Joseph’s family. What he saw was a bunch of foreigners living on the best part of his land, weird people with strange rituals who were quickly becoming very numerous.

So he applied the same formula I tend to apply to people I don’t know: Different + capable = scary. Or different + not capable = contemptible. Either way, they must be a threat. We must guard ourselves against them, keep them away. Control them. And, ironically, Pharaoh made the Israelites into exactly what he saw them to be, by treating them badly.

Pharaoh did it, I do it, our politicians are doing it. And some of those other people see us the same way. To attack the one who is different is a hallmark of our brokenness.

How about a different formula? Maybe different = interesting. Maybe capable = good partner. Maybe if we see others as something helpful to us, then by treating them that way they might come to see themselves that way too.

It won’t work in every case - Satan is active, after all. I just think I’ll let God guide my behavior; if Satan gets to the other guy then too bad for him.