have you ever had a deja vu convo

Exodus hidden layers part 4

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and then they said something and you were like, wait… I feel like we talked about this before? Almost like déjà vu.

I think Scripture can feel a lot like that sometimes.

Abram (Abraham) goes down to Egypt because of a famine. What follows is a threat to the promise and confrontation. Sarai (Sarah) is taken, God intervenes, and Pharaoh lets her go.

Then you get to Exodus, and suddenly God’s people are in Egypt again.

And when that place shows up, we should be wondering this... what happened before when God's people were in Egypt?

Because that question alone can help us have an idea on what's about to go down. So I went back to Genesis while studying Exodus and I saw a big difference. And that changed everything.  

In Genesis, the diseases are compressed into a single verse. I thought uhm, what were they?

But the text doesn't say. 
No description. 
Nada my friends. 

Just that:
[But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. Genesis 12:17 NIV]

But in Exodus, the plagues are detailed one by one. The story slows down and lingers there. Yet in both stories, it involves the same kind of tension: God confronting human power.

And I remember sitting there thinking:
Wait… why do we get less details in Genesis about them?

Because in Genesis, Pharaoh responds almost immediately. Nobody has to tell him that God is at work. He recognized God's power is greater than his very quickly. He did this:

So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.” [Genesis 12:18-20 NIV]

Then he releases Sarai and sends them away with wealth.

But in Exodus, Pharaoh responds completely differently. Moses has to return over and over again. The confrontation stretches chapters because Pharaoh refuses to accept that God's power is greater than his own.

And for the longest time, I thought it was the same Pharaoh too. The same person. But as it turns out friends... the story in Genesis and Exodus are probably hundreds of years apart.

So maybe the bigger invitation is the text not telling us this outright. We're not supposed to pay attention to the Pharaoh's identity.  But really ask ourselves what did Genesis Pharaoh do that Exodus Pharaoh didn't do?

I couldn't stop thinking about that for weeks... God had a similar confrontation with Genesis Pharaoh. But that one lasted only four verses. Just wild, isn't it!? 

So when you look at both stories, it almost feels like Scripture is inviting us to look at them side by side:
same location
same title (Pharaoh)
a similar confrontation
but completely different responses.

And that’s the beauty of how the Bible is written. Sometimes stories are expanded. Sometimes they are compressed. Sometimes details are loud or quiet.

But sometimes the quietness too itself is an invitation. Because sometimes God often is saying something not only through what the text explains in detail, but also through what it compresses. 

And honestly, I just find that so beautiful, my friend.

---

Heart Call:

A while back, I was doing this course and I learned that the Pharaohs weren’t the same person among other things. Honestly, that blew my world open.

And that’s the beauty too of reading the Bible sometimes. Outside resources can help you see things you may have missed before. Not because they replace Scripture, but because they help illuminate the text even more.

Because when I started reading again this year, what excited me was seeing patterns for the first time. My hope is that this makes you more excited to read.

• Genesis 12:10–20
  Abraham goes down to Egypt because of famine. Sarai is taken into Pharaoh’s house. God afflicts Pharaoh’s house with plagues. Pharaoh confronts Abraham and sends them away with wealth.

• Exodus 1:8–14
  Israel is in Egypt under a new Pharaoh who oppresses them and fears their growth.

• Exodus 3:7–10
  God reveals to Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people in Egypt and will deliver them.

• Exodus 5:1–23
  Moses first confronts Pharaoh. Pharaoh hardens his response and increases the oppression on Israel.

• Exodus 7–12
  The plagues of Egypt unfold in detail as God confronts Pharaoh and makes His name known.

• Exodus 12:35–36
  Israel leaves Egypt with silver, gold, and possessions from the Egyptians.

• Even though they’re different people,

  why do you think Exodus Pharaoh resisted and Genesis Pharaoh didn’t?

until next time friends!

xoxo,
Lynn :)

---

Photo Credits: Brandon Atchison.