After a brief introduction in the first seven verses of Exodus that carries forward some themes from Genesis, the remainder of Exodus 1 is focused on detailing the progressively more severe oppression imposed by Pharaoh on God’s people. These verses typify the more general theme that there is a war raging for the souls of God’s people, but God is faithful to preserve his people to the end. In Exod 1:10, Moses relates through Pharaoh an interesting expression and perspective on this war: “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them…” (ESV). Now, the translation “shrewd” is a good one because it communicates something of the negative connotation of what Pharaoh and the Egyptians are about to do to the Hebrews, but the word underlying “shrewd” is the most common word for wisdom or intelligence. It is surprising to read that Pharaoh invites his court to deal “wisely” with the Hebrews because we are most often inclined to think of wisdom as something that builds up rather than tears down—not to mention that the beginning of true wisdom is the fear of the Lord! This reflection will explore the idea of wisdom in general as well as its specific application in Exod 1:10.
At a basic level, the idea of wisdom “represents a manner of thinking and attitude concerning life's experiences; including matters of general interest and basic morality. These concerns relate to prudence in secular affairs, skills in the arts, moral sensitivity, and experience in the ways of the Lord.” The pursuit of wisdom was not the exclusive domain of Israel, however, though the emphasis of wisdom varied between cultures. “Mesopotamian wisdom, which originated with the Sumerians, emphasized human experiences, character, and counsel regarding practical advice.” More to the point of this reflection, “Egyptian wisdom, included the concept of ma’at ("truth," "intelligence," "justice"), according to which one order existed in the whole universe.” These emphases, while not necessarily contrary to the wisdom of Israel, were still different in substance from Israel’s wisdom, even each culture shared a reasonably stable form. What set Israel’s wisdom apart from the rest was “the teaching of a personal God who is holy and just and who expects those who know him to exhibit his character in the many practical affairs of life.”[1] Here is where we see a divergence between the exercise of wisdom among the people of God and the program of “wisdom” that Pharaoh outlines in Exodus 1. Pharaoh’s wisdom is diametrically opposed to true wisdom.
How, then, should we understand the significance of Pharaoh’s exhortation to “deal shrewdly” with the Hebrews? Though it is clear that such wise dealing has nothing to do with true wisdom, there is still some work to do to understand this statement. In the first place, Moses likely placed these words in Pharaoh’s mouth as an ironic statement calculated to undermine the legitimacy of his oppressive scheme from the very beginning. An extreme interpretation of this observation could argue that the ironic use of “wisdom” is meant to teach the reader that while other peoples might speak about a pursuit of wisdom, the only correspondence between their wisdom and true wisdom is purely the form of the words. A more moderate interpretation could argue that the ironic use of “wisdom” is meant to teach the reader about the limitations of wisdom apart from its proper beginning, namely the fear of the Lord.
This more moderate interpretation preserves the idea of God’s common grace while also remaining firm on the ultimate failure of purely human wisdom. That purely human wisdom ultimately fails is reinforced in one of Isaiah’s oracles of judgment against Babylon in which he prophesies, “You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." 11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing” (Isa 47:10-11 ESV). For Pharaoh, a more immediate experience of the failure of human wisdom came to him through the Hebrew midwives’ own wise dealing with Pharaoh in Exod 1:15-22.
In the end, while we cannot deny that some usefulness can be derived from purely human wisdom, this text reminds us that the beginning of true wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and that kind of wisdom will not fail.
[1] חכם, TWOT
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