CURRENT ISSUE

PW Resource

The Road of Compassion
Based on Lesson 1

The following exerpt is from "Ancient Texts, Modern Voices," essays which offer a fresh perspective on the lessons in the 2003--2004 Horizons Bible Study, "The face is Familiar." To read the essays in their entirety, see the current issue of Horizons.

Exodus begins with the multiplication of Jacob's descendents in Egypt. Name piles upon name, then verb piles upon verb, reinforcing the family's vitality. A small clan of 70 "were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong so that the land was filled with them" (Ex. 1:7). This description closely echoes God's command to humankind at the creation: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth" (Gen. 1:28, see also 9:7). Yet the echo is even more emphatic than the original command---like the living creatures in the sea (Gen. 1:20--21), the Israelites swarm. Like their ancestors in Isaac's day, they have "become powerful" (26:16). From Israel's viewpoint, this fulfillment of the divine command to fruitfulness is nothing but good news. If Joseph, one Hebrew, could rise to such power, what will the multitudes of Israelites be able to do? The Pharaoh, forgetting the good Joseph did for Egypt, views Israel's prosperity differently. His speech builds on the narrator's descriptions of the Israelites' numbers and strength, comparing them favorably with his own people. Thus the narrator prepares readers for a wickedly funny and dramatically potent underdog story.

Patricia K. Tull is professor of Old Testament at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and author of the 2001--2002 Horizons Bible Study, Esther's Feast: A Study of the Book of Esther.

Back to top | Previous PW Resource | Next PW Resource

The Face Is Familiar: Remembering Unamed Women in Scripture