SATURDAY - 22ND JANUARY, 2022
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola ADEJUMO
WOULD YOU DOMINATE ME IN MY LAND? - National Stories Series 004
Exodus 1:9-10, KJV
"9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land".
Down the lane of history, humans have exhibited barbaric brutality against themselves. One of such reveals itself in racial discrimination where people are segregated against and treated so (inferiorly) on the basis of their colour. Though there is a great reawakening against it in this generation, yet I doubt whether it would be exterminated because even in countries of diverse tribes, there's tribalism and then several other divisions and caste groupings amidst all human beings - based on one reason or the other.
In today's reading, to our shock and surprise, it was a leader who ought to be an arbiter of justice who became insecure and intimidated by what another nation as he perceived was becoming in his territory. The danger is that Israel has become a mighty nation, greater than Egypt and if they're not subdued now, they'll one day join the enemy at war to fight them and by that leave the nation. This Pharaoh is not different from so many leaders who have taken annihilating steps of securing their territories against the misconceived take over of another people under the pretext of being outnumbered. If I ask any of us, "do you want to have strangers take over your land and dominate your community?" You'll obviously say "no" due to the natural feeling of jealousy in you that issues "what is mine should be mine". This is even when some other reasons are its real trigger. You might consider, a people with population may become the rulers through their influence as they'll even have the largest force. And one of the things that make nations feared nowadays is how mighty their force is. How much could they number at the sight of war. Verify, no small country ever becomes a world power. That's why we had the conglomeration of territories came together to become the United States of America. They needed the total force of all these people to intimidate and rank high. That's why it is easier for a country like Nigeria to become a world power though currently set back. It is because it has some of the ingredients for being a world power - the population and the economy.
One of the triggers that lead to why natives take heed to putting measures in place to curtail the aliens in their midst is the fear of those aliens taken or running them over. Even if it happens under the disguise of xenophobia, it is still the same. That feeling of, "how can you come to my fatherland and possess it for yourself while shifting me off" is what triggers many inhuman and inferior treatments against many expatriates. We tend to blame others for our lack of good life just like Nigerians retaliated by shouting Ghanaians out of their country under the pretext that Ghanaians (fellow Africans) made it difficult for them having enough during the oil boom that drew Ghanaians to Nigeria. This evokes the popular, "Ghana must go mantra". In this way, the Pan-africanist spirit that makes Africans Africans elsewhere on the continent was banished.
Pharaoh called his people and pointed to them a threat they were not seeing. We should be leaders that see as well but we should never be driven by insecurity, suspicion and hatred. If this Pharaoh had learnt about the deed of Joseph to his own people, he would have rather seen Israel as peace lovers. Wherever there's suspicion, strive and all sorts would soon make such its house. It is under this drive Pharaoh made slaves of the Hebrews - his benefactor. Only if he had known that Israel would never plan a take over, he wouldn't have commanded that their sons should be fed to the Nile. A subtle way of controlling Israel's population and exterminating birth rate in the future.
Today, God wants you watch inward feelings of suspicion, distrust, insecurity against another that may lead you to become a tool of craze and destruction in the devil's hands. We are in the craze to defend our integrity in this world as nations. We know. We are not saying we shouldn't watch over the citizens God made us overseers over. However, we should not reduce one to slave while we esteem one as prince when they both abide by the law. In this way, we would be hindering justice and equality that our world is preaching and has set out to achieve. Pharaoh didn't ask Israel what they were thinking towards them. He resolved they harbour evil by all indicators that favour them. He became insecure that they were becoming a minority in their own land. What should a country like France then do whose natives are minority? As long as aliens are for peace and have come to live as citizens, every good government should treat them as one.
PRAYER: Make me a leader of right intention who is only a terror to evil doers and evil works but would embrace all good works irrespective of shades and varieties.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Genesis 42:18-43:34, Matthew 13:47-14:12, Psalm 18:16-36, Proverbs 4:7-10
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