Originally Posted by
Darkcrusade
David Merrill,Not a Bible scholar by any means.I posted here as i was anticipating interesting responses.You and Motla68 do not disappoint! Thanks to you both.
It seems to me to be a subject that is not broached often enough lately.Jasher is used to give detail only and never to contradict the Scriptures.IMHO.
Not unlike many today.....
The Egyptians were smart.Notice that the Egyptians paid the Israelites wages and than later took part of it back? Some of this was probably tribute and the rest in food and other necessities which had to be bought at the king's supermarkets. The situation is reminiscent of the song about a man who ''owed his soul to the company store''. All that he made in wages went back to the company as it was the only place he could buy food and supplies and obtain credit when he ran out of wages. Moses was later able to take the slave out of Egypt but he never could take Egypt out of the slave.
The Israelites finally arrived at the position of being completely dependant upon government. (It is historically proving fact that whenever you can create a dependency,you obtain control.)Over a period of time those who didn't cooperate were probably levied an additional tribute (tax penalty) and sometimes given a few lashes for good measure or put to death as an example to others.In the 20th century we are too civilized to punish by lashes and death for civil offenses,we simply put tax protesters in prison.
The relationship between the Israelites and Pharaoh's department of human Resources,Internal Revenue Service,Transportation,and Commerce was such that just to survive the people had to cooperate (obey all the laws) or else.However, they must have been satisfied with their condition to a great extant at best, or too dependant upon the state at worst ,as there is no recorded uprising of the Israelites who were still more in number,and mightier, then the Egyptians.
THE LEVITES-----FREEMEN OF ISREAL
It stands to reason that the Levites would have been the ones to warn the people of Israel and that they ,like our brethren today,WOULD NOT HEAR. Interstingly enough ,according to the book of Jasher ,the Levities saw through the Egyptians' scam from the beginning.
But the children of Levi were not employed in the work with their brethren of Israel, from the beginning unto the day of their going forth from Egypt.
For all the children of Levi knew that the Egyptians had spoken all these words with deceit to the Israelites, therefore the children of Levi refrained from approaching to the work with their brethren.
And the Egyptians did not direct their attention to make the children of Levi work afterward, since they had not been with their brethren at the beginning, therefore the Egyptians left them alone. Jasher 65:32-34
If this is true,than for some reason, since the levites never volunteered ,they were not forced to enter the system even though the Egyptians ,by than, apparently had the power to force them into the same conditions as the rest of the tribes. The levities would probably have rebelled because they had not been gradually introduced to voluntary servitude ,whereas in the words of past
Supreme Court Justice ,Wm O. Douglas;
"those (Israelites) who already walk submissively will say there is no cause for alarm"
THE CONDITIONING TOTAL
Moses recognized that the Israelites had been conditioned unto slavery when two Israelites confronted him the day after he killed the Egyptian Taskmaster.The Israelites were as much afraid for themselves because of what Moses had done as Moses himself.So ingrained and accepted was their status of voluntary slavery that they not only feared retribution upon themselves for their own acts, but also feared retribution against themselves for the acts of others.
Forty years latter when Moses returned to Egypt and confronted Pharaoh,demandind that he release the Israelites,Pharaoh simply added to the Israelites' burdens by making them gather their own straw.The Israelites understood the message:They had better cooperate (obey all the laws) and be good slaves to the state or Pharaoh would increase their burdens. The Israelites confronted Moses saying:
Ex 5:21 And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.
The king increased the production quoteas and tribute to the p[point where no one could perform to the king's satisfaction,which gave the taskmasters the reason they needed to oppress the Israelites even unto death. So ingrained and accustomed to being good slaves (obeying the laws of Babylon) were the Israelites that when Moses tried to tell them what God said they wouldn't even listen to him.
Ex 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
TAKING THE SLAVE OUT OF EGYPT
They were more afraid of not obeying the laws of Egypt (Babylon) and the administrative bureaucrats than they had faith in the word of God. What they told Moses was ''Go away and leave us alone. It is better to serve the Egyptians than to die." We know this to be true because the Scripture records that after they left Egypt Pharaoh followed and:
Ex 14:10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
Exd 14:11 And they said unto Moses, Because [there were] no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
Exd 14:12 [Is] not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For [it had been] better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.