# 63 - Egypt's Oppression - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, we experience the dramatic rise of oppression in Egypt as fear and power collide with the promise of God’s faithfulness. In this episode, we uncover how a nation’s suffering sets the stage for redemption and a journey toward deliverance.
Episode 63 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Exodus.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Psalm 59:1, "Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me."
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Show Notes:
(02:19) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(04:08) Egypt's Oppression - Cinematic Retelling
(15:21) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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<v Speaker 1>Previously on the Chosen people.
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<v Speaker 2>Lord Pharaoh, I present to you five of my brothers.
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<v Speaker 2>They represent my father's nation and their families. My eleven brothers,
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<v Speaker 2>my father, their flocks, and all they possess have come
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<v Speaker 2>from Canaan. I have them in the land of Goshen,
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<v Speaker 2>on the grassy plains outside the city. If it pleases you,
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<v Speaker 2>I will have them remain there. The people are out
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<v Speaker 2>of money.
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<v Speaker 1>The famine has stalled the economy since known who money
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<v Speaker 1>is flowing back.
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<v Speaker 2>To the people.
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<v Speaker 1>They can't afford to buy green from the storehouses.
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<v Speaker 2>Ah, I feared this would happen bartering. Bartering has dwindled
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<v Speaker 2>month after month.
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<v Speaker 1>Do we open up leasures of credit for them?
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<v Speaker 2>No, under no circumstances can we let that happen. We
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<v Speaker 2>have years of famine left. The debt would crush them.
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<v Speaker 3>If the silver runs out and they have no other
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<v Speaker 3>option but to give it away for free.
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<v Speaker 1>Joseph thought for a long long while. An idea took
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<v Speaker 1>root in his mind, but he could see where its
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<v Speaker 1>branches would lead. He had to choose between the people's
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<v Speaker 1>lives and the people's freedom.
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<v Speaker 2>People will no longer be their own, They will be pharaoh's.
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<v Speaker 1>Aren't they all ready in devotion?
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<v Speaker 2>Yes, but not in property. But I see all the options.
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<v Speaker 2>Desperate times go for desperate measures.
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<v Speaker 1>As the twelve sons of Jacob departed from this life
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<v Speaker 1>and new generations sprouted from their branches, so did the
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<v Speaker 1>line of Pharaoh. The king, who once considered Joseph a
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<v Speaker 1>brother and the Hebrews his kin passed. His son took
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<v Speaker 1>the throne, vaguely remembering the promises made to Israel. But
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<v Speaker 1>when his son came after him, the promises eroded into whispers.
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<v Speaker 1>Soon the name of Joseph was forgotten. In its place
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<v Speaker 1>the legacy of Pharaohs, the image of Ra, the might
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<v Speaker 1>of the Nile. The storehouses were replaced with monuments to
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<v Speaker 1>their greatness, and the children of Israel were no longer
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<v Speaker 1>favored in the land.
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<v Speaker 4>Egypt's quest for control ignites sa Saga of Oppression, setting
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<v Speaker 4>the stage for an enduring tale of faith and deliverance. Shallo,
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<v Speaker 4>my friends from here in the Holy Land, Welcome to
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<v Speaker 4>the Chosen People. I'm ya l Ekstein with the International
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<v Speaker 4>Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Each day we'll hear a
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<v Speaker 4>dramatic story inspired by the Bible. Stories filled with timeless
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<v Speaker 4>lessons of faith, love, and the meaning of life. Through
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<v Speaker 4>israel story, we find this truth that we are all
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<v Speaker 4>chosen first something great. If you haven't yet followed the podcast,
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<v Speaker 4>be sure to do so so now. That way you
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<v Speaker 4>never have to miss an episode, and that small step
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<v Speaker 4>helps us tremendously as we try to be discovered by
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<v Speaker 4>more people so that we can inspire them. If you're
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<v Speaker 4>interested in finding out more about the prophetic, life saving
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<v Speaker 4>work of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, you
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<v Speaker 4>can visit our website at IFCJ dot org. Let's begin
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<v Speaker 4>long ago, the children of Israel found refuge in Egypt.
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<v Speaker 4>Their number is growing under God's blessing. Generations past and
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<v Speaker 4>a new pharaoh, one who didn't know Joseph, ascended to power.
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<v Speaker 4>In his ignorance and fear, Pharaoh saw the Israelite's prosperity
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<v Speaker 4>as a threat to his rule. Now, with the rise
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<v Speaker 4>of iron chains and oppressive decrees, the land that once
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<v Speaker 4>sheltered God's chosen people becomes a place of bondage. What
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<v Speaker 4>happens when those in power see blessing as a curse
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<v Speaker 4>and a London's as a threat. Let's dive into this
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<v Speaker 4>cinematic saga inspired by Exodus IE one to eleven.
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<v Speaker 1>Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issaca, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, gad Asher, Joseph,
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<v Speaker 1>and Benjamin. These were the sons of Israel, the heirs
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<v Speaker 1>of a covenant, forged in the fires of a divine promise.
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<v Speaker 1>They bore the legacy of their forefather, Abraham, who had
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<v Speaker 1>once been told that his progeny would outnumber the stars
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<v Speaker 1>in the heavens. Abraham believed with a faith that defied reason,
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<v Speaker 1>a belief that was as unyielding as the desert sun,
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<v Speaker 1>and so God most High blessed him and the generations
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<v Speaker 1>that came after him. For theirs was a destiny written
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<v Speaker 1>in the very stones of the u, the earth, and
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<v Speaker 1>the stars of the heavens. The land of Canaan was
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<v Speaker 1>promised to them, a land flowing with milk and honey,
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<v Speaker 1>where hills rolled like the waves of a verdant sea,
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<v Speaker 1>and plains stretched wide under the watchful eye of the Creator.
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<v Speaker 1>It was their birthright, a cradle of destiny where a
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<v Speaker 1>nation would be forged, a beacon to all other nations.
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<v Speaker 1>Abraham had wandered its breadth. Isaac had thrived in its bounty,
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<v Speaker 1>and Jacob, who was named Israel, had claimed it as
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<v Speaker 1>his inheritance. But famine drove the children of Israel to
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<v Speaker 1>seek refuge in the distant lands of Egypt. Guided by
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<v Speaker 1>the hand of their brother Joseph, a man of dreams
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<v Speaker 1>and visions, the families of Israel found sanctuary in the
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<v Speaker 1>region of Goshen. There, on the fringes of Egyptian grandeur,
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<v Speaker 1>they multiplied, sons begat sons and daughters begat dry, until
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<v Speaker 1>their numbers swelled like a river, breaking its banks. The
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<v Speaker 1>land of gosh And teemed with life, stretching ever closer
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<v Speaker 1>to the very heart of Egypt. In those days, Joseph's
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<v Speaker 1>favor was a shield around them. His name held weight
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<v Speaker 1>in the halls of Pharaoh, a legacy of salvation that
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<v Speaker 1>bound the children of Israel to the land. But time
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<v Speaker 1>is a merciless tide, and all men, even those as
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<v Speaker 1>great as Joseph, are swept away by its current. Joseph
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<v Speaker 1>was laid to rest, and the memory of his deeds
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<v Speaker 1>began to fade with him. His legacy was no more
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<v Speaker 1>than an echo in the corridors of power. Pharaoh's rose
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<v Speaker 1>and fell like the sun across the sky, each further
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<v Speaker 1>removed from Joseph's memory. Over two centuries, the story of
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<v Speaker 1>Israel's deliverance from famine was reduced to myth, overshadowed by
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<v Speaker 1>the growing might of Egypt's rulers. The legend of Pharaoh's
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<v Speaker 1>power became the story told in every corner of the land,
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<v Speaker 1>and among these rulers was Rameses, the first pharaoh of
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<v Speaker 1>his name. Egypt's ambitions grew and its influence spread like
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<v Speaker 1>the shadow of a great beast across the earth. Under
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<v Speaker 1>the iron hand of Pharaoh, the empire reached out to conquer, subdue,
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<v Speaker 1>and claim dominion over all who dared stand in its path.
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<v Speaker 1>But conquest breathes enemies, and fear grows where power takes root.
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<v Speaker 1>From the heights of his palace, Rameses the First looked
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<v Speaker 1>down upon the multitudes of Israel with a heart gripped
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<v Speaker 1>by suspicion and rage. He stood upon the balcony, the
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<v Speaker 1>great expanse of Egypt unfurling before him like a scroll.
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<v Speaker 1>He looked down upon the Israelite's encampment, a sprawling sea
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<v Speaker 1>of life. Beneath his gaze. They had prospered in his
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<v Speaker 1>land grown strong under the shadow of his throne, and
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<v Speaker 1>in their strength he saw the seeds of rebellion.
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<v Speaker 5>Ah, I will not rest until Egypt reaches the feet
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<v Speaker 5>of Ra. It is my destiny, It is the destiny
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<v Speaker 5>of my sons and their sounds.
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<v Speaker 1>He gripped the stone balustrade, his knuckles white with the
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<v Speaker 1>force of his ambition. His eyes cold and calculating, turned
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<v Speaker 1>towards the land of Goshen, where the torches of Israel
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<v Speaker 1>burned like stars in a night sky. But Rameses cared
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<v Speaker 1>nothing for their light. His mind was consumed by visions
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<v Speaker 1>of his own greatness, his name etched into the very heavens.
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<v Speaker 1>He turned to his generals, who stood in silent, obedient formation.
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<v Speaker 5>These Hebrews are contributing nothing and taking everything. They grow
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<v Speaker 5>crops on my land, heard on my hills, and drink
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<v Speaker 5>from my rivers, And what do I get in return?
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<v Speaker 3>Nothing?
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<v Speaker 5>Even worse, they are so great in number that they
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<v Speaker 5>can be trusted. If our enemies choose to invade. What's
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<v Speaker 5>to stop them from joining their side? What are your commands,
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<v Speaker 5>Lord Pharaoh.
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<v Speaker 1>Ramsey's lips curled into a sneer, and in that moment,
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<v Speaker 1>something ancient and malevolent seemed to stir within him. It
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<v Speaker 1>was as if the dark heart of the Nile itself
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<v Speaker 1>had taken root in his chest. He stood taller, drawing
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<v Speaker 1>in a breath as he gave the command that would
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<v Speaker 1>seal Israel's fate.
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<v Speaker 5>Send troops to Goshen, surround them with swords, whips and spears,
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<v Speaker 5>seize their property, their weapons, and make a decree. The
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<v Speaker 5>Israelites are no longer guests in my land. From this
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<v Speaker 5>day forth, they shall be bricks laid at the foundation
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<v Speaker 5>of my empire. I am Pharaoh, the image of Rah.
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<v Speaker 5>I am the Nile, the Serpent, the King. If any
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<v Speaker 5>oppose my decree, they shall feel the scorch of my
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<v Speaker 5>burning fury. For I am the Sun, and they are
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<v Speaker 5>the fields that grow or burn at my will.
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<v Speaker 1>The soldiers marched into Goshen, their armor clinking with the
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<v Speaker 1>cold efficiency of death. They claimed the fields, drove the
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<v Speaker 1>herds into Pharaoh's bonds, and stripped the people of their tools.
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<v Speaker 1>Egyptian commanders were appointed over the Hebrews, each flanked by
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<v Speaker 1>battalions of soldiers eager to enforce their lord's decree. Panic
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<v Speaker 1>spread like wildfire, followed closely by the flames of anger
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<v Speaker 1>and rebellion.
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<v Speaker 3>What are you doing? These are our fields and flocks.
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<v Speaker 3>You are no longer guests in this land, but subjects
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<v Speaker 3>of Pharaoh. Failure to cooperate will end in death.
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<v Speaker 1>The people fought back, but their courage was no match
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<v Speaker 1>for the might of Egypt's legions. They were beaten down
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<v Speaker 1>with brutal swiftness, crashed beneath the iron fist of Pharaoh's will.
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<v Speaker 3>You are no longer shepherds or farmers. You are backs
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<v Speaker 3>and shoulders, born to bear the weight of Pharaoh's greatness.
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<v Speaker 3>Heal and mind your master, or face the lictors.
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<v Speaker 1>The air was filled with the sound of whips and chains,
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<v Speaker 1>the cries of the broken and the damned. Men were
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<v Speaker 1>torn from their homes, organized by height and strength, while
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<v Speaker 1>women were bound and taken away, some to toil as
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<v Speaker 1>weavers and cooks, others to serve as maids, or to
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<v Speaker 1>suffer even darker fates. Each group was placed under the
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<v Speaker 1>watchful eyes of taskmasters trained in the arts of pain
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<v Speaker 1>and submission. The heel of Egypt was pressed down upon
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<v Speaker 1>the necks of Israel, a weight that could not be lifted.
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<v Speaker 1>Pharaoh's will was made manifest through the cruel hands of
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<v Speaker 1>his enforces, the lash, the fists, the rod, all were
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<v Speaker 1>extensions of his desire for power, his insatiable hunger for control.
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<v Speaker 1>He demanded violence, and violence was delivered unto him.
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<v Speaker 5>You have taken from my land for too many generations.
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<v Speaker 5>Now it is time to pay back. What use.
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<v Speaker 4>Ah.
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<v Speaker 5>I shall sacrifice your blood, tears, and sweat at the
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<v Speaker 5>altar of Rah. He shall bless this nation with great
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<v Speaker 5>cities of commerce, pivom rameses, cities hewn on the backs
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<v Speaker 5>of Israelites, monuments to My eternal greatness.
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<v Speaker 1>And so the children of Israel were bound in chains,
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<v Speaker 1>their lives consumed by the relentless toil of Pharaoh's ambitions.
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<v Speaker 1>Day after day, the sun rose and set, casting its
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<v Speaker 1>unforgiving light upon a land where time itself seemed to
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<v Speaker 1>stretch into eternity. Under the lash, beneath the weight of
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<v Speaker 1>stones and mortar, the people of Israel cried out to
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<v Speaker 1>the God of their fathers.
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<v Speaker 3>Oh deliver us, rescue your more mortar, mortar, more straw.
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<v Speaker 3>Make those bricks until your hands are gone, hould those
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<v Speaker 3>stones until your backstive way.
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<v Speaker 1>Yet, for all the cruelty heaped upon them, the children
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<v Speaker 1>of Israel did not wither. The more they were oppressed,
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<v Speaker 1>the more they multiplied, their numbers, swelling like the tide
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<v Speaker 1>against the shore. Pharaoh's tyranny could not quench the blessing
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<v Speaker 1>that had been promised to them, for it is a
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<v Speaker 1>blessing from the hand of the Almighty himself. Thus began
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<v Speaker 1>the Great Struggle, a battle not of swords but of wills. Pharaoh,
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<v Speaker 1>deceived by his own pride, believed himself to be a god,
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<v Speaker 1>But he was a man at war with the True God,
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<v Speaker 1>the creator of all fame. He did not yet know
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<v Speaker 1>the name of the Lord he opposed, but he soon would,
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<v Speaker 1>And when the time came, every oppressor in Egypt would
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<v Speaker 1>tremble at the revelation that the children of Israel were
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<v Speaker 1>chosen by the One True God.
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<v Speaker 4>And so it begins. The sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob,
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<v Speaker 4>are thriving in Egypt. Their numbers grow, and God's blessing
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<v Speaker 4>is clear even in a foreign land. But then a
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<v Speaker 4>new king rises, one who knows nothing of Joseph. Fear
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<v Speaker 4>grips his heart, and that fear turns into oppression, heavy
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<v Speaker 4>and cruel, pressing down on our ancestors. This isn't merely
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<v Speaker 4>a story about slavery. It's the start of an epic
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<v Speaker 4>saga of a people seemingly crushed but destined for greatness.
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<v Speaker 4>We can feel their suffering, the weight of their burden,
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<v Speaker 4>the sting of their oppression. Yet within that darkness there's
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<v Speaker 4>a flicker of hope. This is the dawn of God's
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<v Speaker 4>plan for the Chosen people. In today's episode, we begin
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<v Speaker 4>the second of the Five Books of Moses. In English,
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<v Speaker 4>this book it's called Exodus, but in Hebrew it's known
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<v Speaker 4>as Schmut, which literally translates to names. This is the
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<v Speaker 4>Book of Names. And this might seem like a strange
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<v Speaker 4>title for a book mainly about the collective suffering of
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<v Speaker 4>a people, But the title of Names is actually especially
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<v Speaker 4>fitting because it is precisely when we discuss the suffering
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<v Speaker 4>a large number of people that we need to remember
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<v Speaker 4>each person as an individual. Think of the weight that
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<v Speaker 4>names carry way more than a number. Imagine Auschwitz, the
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<v Speaker 4>Nazi concentration camp where over a million Jews were murdered,
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<v Speaker 4>including many of my family members. But it's neither the
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<v Speaker 4>gas chambers nor the ovens that haunt me the most.
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<v Speaker 4>It's the rooms that are filled with personal items, the shoes,
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<v Speaker 4>the hair, the eyeglasses, the suitcases marked with names. You
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<v Speaker 4>look at belongings of people who were once there, and
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<v Speaker 4>you see that they were actually real families Cohen Rosenberg,
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<v Speaker 4>Freedman Ekstein. Each name is more than just a statistic,
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<v Speaker 4>more than just a number. Each name was a person
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<v Speaker 4>with a life, with a story. When we lump victims together,
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<v Speaker 4>be it the Holocaust or Jews of Preston, Egypt, we
0:17:44 --> 0:17:51
<v Speaker 4>strip them of their humanity, We minimize their suffering in Auschwitz.
0:17:51 --> 0:17:55
<v Speaker 4>The personal items give identities to those who were murdered.
0:17:55 --> 0:17:59
<v Speaker 4>Each suitcase or shoe or baby dow screams out, remember me,
0:18:00 --> 0:18:04
<v Speaker 4>as the prophet Isaiah writes a memorial and a name.
0:18:05 --> 0:18:08
<v Speaker 4>And so maybe when we look at this book called
0:18:08 --> 0:18:14
<v Speaker 4>schmut names, it makes perfect sense. The Book of Exodus
0:18:14 --> 0:18:19
<v Speaker 4>is a story of collective suffering, but it begins with names.
0:18:19 --> 0:18:22
<v Speaker 4>This episode also makes me think of the six million
0:18:22 --> 0:18:25
<v Speaker 4>Jews killed during the Holocaust, because the Book of Exodus
0:18:25 --> 0:18:29
<v Speaker 4>begins with the first instance in history of what we
0:18:29 --> 0:18:34
<v Speaker 4>would now call state sponsored anti Semitism. In the Great Sage,
0:18:34 --> 0:18:38
<v Speaker 4>Nachmanides notes that Pharaoh's ultimate goal was not slave labor
0:18:38 --> 0:18:43
<v Speaker 4>for rather extermination of the Chosen People. But Pharaoh knew
0:18:43 --> 0:18:46
<v Speaker 4>that the Egyptian people wouldn't accept a crime as monstrous
0:18:46 --> 0:18:50
<v Speaker 4>as the mass murder of an entire nation, the Jewish nation,
0:18:50 --> 0:18:53
<v Speaker 4>at least they wouldn't accept it at first. So Pharaoh
0:18:53 --> 0:18:58
<v Speaker 4>began with slavery, backbreaking, and life taking work disguised as
0:18:58 --> 0:19:02
<v Speaker 4>labor that would also benefit his kingdom. Only later, and
0:19:02 --> 0:19:06
<v Speaker 4>only step by step, would it leads to genocide. Pharaoh's
0:19:06 --> 0:19:10
<v Speaker 4>plan was eerily similar to a more recent plan, the
0:19:10 --> 0:19:15
<v Speaker 4>Nazi's final solution to exterminate the Jewish people during the Holocaust.
0:19:16 --> 0:19:18
<v Speaker 4>Of course, here in the Book of Exodus, God had
0:19:18 --> 0:19:21
<v Speaker 4>a plan for his people to take them out of
0:19:21 --> 0:19:25
<v Speaker 4>Egypt to freedom, to give them the Torah, to lead
0:19:25 --> 0:19:29
<v Speaker 4>them to the promised land Israel. Today, we can learn
0:19:29 --> 0:19:32
<v Speaker 4>two things from all of this. First, we must fight
0:19:32 --> 0:19:36
<v Speaker 4>anti Semitism, no matter how it is disguised. It's an
0:19:37 --> 0:19:40
<v Speaker 4>evil as old as the Bible, but one that very
0:19:40 --> 0:19:45
<v Speaker 4>much still threatens God's children today. The second thing, we
0:19:45 --> 0:19:50
<v Speaker 4>learn that God's plan will always prevail. This story of
0:19:50 --> 0:19:54
<v Speaker 4>Egyptian oppression isn't just a dark chapter in the story
0:19:54 --> 0:19:58
<v Speaker 4>of the Chosen people. It's a crucial step for something big.
0:19:58 --> 0:20:00
<v Speaker 4>When we look at these verses, we see a God
0:20:00 --> 0:20:03
<v Speaker 4>who is always faithful, a God who hears the cries
0:20:03 --> 0:20:07
<v Speaker 4>of his people and moves to redeem them. And in
0:20:07 --> 0:20:10
<v Speaker 4>the names of the Israelites under Pharaoh's yoke, we see
0:20:10 --> 0:20:14
<v Speaker 4>our own struggles and hopes. We remember that just as
0:20:14 --> 0:20:17
<v Speaker 4>God saw and responded to their plight, he sees and
0:20:17 --> 0:20:23
<v Speaker 4>responds to ours, blessing us as He always has blessed
0:20:23 --> 0:20:32
<v Speaker 4>the Chosen People. Ivare Hashem vishmerechra ya her hashempanave eleven
0:20:33 --> 0:20:38
<v Speaker 4>ye sa hashempanavelera shallon. May the Lord bless you and
0:20:38 --> 0:20:41
<v Speaker 4>keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you.
0:20:42 --> 0:20:45
<v Speaker 4>May he be gracious to you. May the Lord turn
0:20:45 --> 0:20:47
<v Speaker 4>his face towards you and give you peace.
0:20:48 --> 0:20:54
<v Speaker 1>Amen. You can listen to the Chosen People with isl
0:20:54 --> 0:20:58
<v Speaker 1>estein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Pray
0:20:58 --> 0:21:02
<v Speaker 1>dot Com app today. This prey dot Com production is
0:21:02 --> 0:21:06
<v Speaker 1>only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
0:21:06 --> 0:21:10
<v Speaker 1>Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger, and Ben Gammon are
0:21:10 --> 0:21:14
<v Speaker 1>the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,
0:21:14 --> 0:21:19
<v Speaker 1>edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
0:21:19 --> 0:21:24
<v Speaker 1>voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
0:21:24 --> 0:21:28
<v Speaker 1>Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, and the opening prayer is voiced
0:21:28 --> 0:21:32
<v Speaker 1>by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
0:21:32 --> 0:21:36
<v Speaker 1>Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
0:21:37 --> 0:21:41
<v Speaker 1>Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team
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<v Speaker 1>at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear
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<v Speaker 1>more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot com app,
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<v Speaker 1>If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, please
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<v Speaker 1>rate and leave a review,
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