The Great Debate—Part 2: Slavery in Egypt

What started the great debate was the return of twelve scouts who had gone into the Promised Land ahead of the people of Israel.  Their mission had been to see what the land was like.  Upon returning, ten of the spies reported, “the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large, and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there (Sons of Anak were giants about the size of Goliath, roughly nine feet tall)…we seemed like grasshoppers” (Numbers 13:27-33).

Upon hearing this report the Israelites cried to their leaders, “Would that we died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become booty; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt” (Numbers 14:1-4).

Here, the scouts and people make a good case for going back to Egypt.  When one looks at the situation at hand it seems hopeless.  There is a really good land—but it is occupied by powerful armies.  Surely, from a military perspective, to attack these numerous giants behind strong city walls is a suicide mission.  Unless God shows up, the guaranteed outcome is to either die at the base of these city walls by enemy arrows or if lucky enough to survive the arrows to be stabbed to death by a giant waiting at the top of the walls.

Although not arriving in the Promised Land sucks it is surely better than certain death and enemies taking your wives and children as slaves.

So what direction should the Israelites head if they are not going to be able to make it to the Promised Land?  The most obvious solution is Egypt.  The slavery there was brutal but at least it was familiar.  Plus, they had always eaten as slaves and would not die by enemy arrows or swords.  Slavery might have been brutish but that is what they had known all their lives—it seems like a good solution.

In a 21^st century context going back towards Egypt still has the same appeal.  When I first became a Christian, rather than killing myself, things were still incredibly desperate.  Often I would scream at God wondering why he didn’t let me just go through with my suicide.  It was so hard to deal with academic failure, my soul mate breaking my heart, and a whole wake of debris from a lifetime of shattered dreams.  Living was so hard and death would have been so easy.

And when I started writing War For My Soul, at the same time, I was getting a B in English 1A at Pasadena City College and had just failed calculus.  Trying to write a book was equivalent to fighting giants behind city walls.  Why not just burn the outline and delete the first chapter—it certainly would have been easier.

And even now why keep going?  Why not gorge myself on TV?  Why continue trying to publish War For My Soul when I have no CV?  Why keep living at home with my parents and spending my money on seminary rather than have my own place and a more lucrative career?  Why not hook-up with beautiful girls I don’t like rather than waiting for a new soul mate?

The common sense answer is that I should watch TV, I should delete my 67,000-word manuscript, I should move out and drop out, and I should hook-up with every beautiful girl I meet.  By the world’s logic these answers all make tremendous sense.  They make the exact same sense as going back to Egypt.  The Promised Land is risky, Egypt is predictable and mediocre—why not choose that? 

Although, every time I make any decision my gut always tells me to go to Egypt, in the long run I can never settle on this direction or decisions that will take me there.  Ultimately, I don’t want the mediocrity of slavery in Egypt and am more than glad to die at the base of the enemy’s walls or parish by his sword on the ramparts.