Joel M Bradshaw

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.–Exodus 1

The book of Genesis had a satisfying ending. The people of Israel were saved and delivered from the famine. They found a home in Egypt and an ally in Pharaoh. The villains in Joseph story owned what they could own and the victim got to show grace to the undeserving. Genesis can stand alone not only as a set of great stories, but also wonderful theology.

But life isn’t always so neat and tidy. The previous Pharaoh was Israel’s friend. But Genesis was quickly forgotten by the next Pharaoh. The new ruler didn’t know how one Hebrew man saved the breadbasket of the known world. All he saw was a quickly growing potential problem. If those Hebrews grew in number any further he might not be able to handle them. What if they were exploited by Egypt’s enemies? The Hebrew people were thus reduced to a problem needing to be solved rather than as a people with a story.

It can be very tempting to treat life like Pharaoh did. And yet his choices were disastrous. He would begin a campaign of slavery and oppression that would be remembered in annual meals thousands of years later. We can learn from Pharaoh’s overreaction, though. Here are two key principles to carry into your situations and relationships.

1. People are not problems.
2. Problems are problems.

The answer in your relationships is to listen, learn, and love. Even if that love is a love for your enemies like Jesus required (Matthew 5:44). When people are your problems then you provide an opportunity for bitterness to grow. Our stressful situations should lead us to pray and trust God rather than to emotionally overreact. I realize that the Pharaoh of Exodus 1 wouldn’t care one bit about that previous sentence. But how about you?–JMB