Wise or Paranoid

"Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, 'Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.' So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses." -Exodus 1.8-11

Joseph has died, as have all the people who knew him, but the children of Israel continue to multiply. The new Pharaoh sees a large group of people and immediately assumes the worst. There are more of them than us, and if a war breaks out they will join with our enemies and wipe us out. His solution, enslave them so they can't revolt. Taskmasters are appointed, and the ISraelites are put to work. And I have to wonder, was this really the best solution?

I think Pharaoh was paranoid, and in his paranoia he acted rashly. Really, the best option is to enslave a group of people? What about a peace treaty? What about some alliance where both sides benefit? But slavery is the option he comes up with. Think about what these two nations could have accomplished together as friends. But because Pharaoh saw a potential threat, he suppressed it by enslaving it.

Men, what do you do when you see a potential threat? When someone enters your company and has gifts and potential that is different than yours, what do you do? When someone joins the sports team your on and has more talent than you, what is your reaction? If some young intern, or youth pastor, shows up at your church with new ideas that shake things up (in a good way, different but good), how do you act?

Too often we become paranoid and seek to take out the threat. Too many young men have been hindered, and shut down, because older men are afraid of change, or losing their power. They slander them to damage their reputation. They hide them away and never give them a chance. They assign them impossible tasks that doom them to failure. That's the paranoid response.

The wise man sees the potential and helps to develop it. He knows that he cannot do this forever, and he knows that if he wants the work he's started to continue, the time will come when he has to hand it over. He knows that the world is changing, and though the message of the Gospel doesn't change, the means we deliver it does. He helps him develop and guides him into leadership. A wise man works with him.

When we become paranoid and work to shut down a potential threat to our position, we do a lot of damage. We hinder future leaders and we halt progress for the present. But when we act wisely, knowing that we cannot do what we do forever, and that we cannot continue to reach new heights on our own, we can accomplish great things.

Will you be wise or paranoid?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor