The Southern Republican defiance of the science and actions to benefit the American people reminded me of the Biblical story of Moses and the Pharaoh.
As children in Sunday school many of us learn the story of the events that lead to the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt as described in Biblical book, Exodus. For hundreds of years the Hebrews were held as slaves to be used for manual labor. Their leader Moses who most of his young life had thought he was Egyptian but then by chance finds out his origins are really Hebrew. He discovers the Hebrew life of toil and worship during a temporary exile so as ordered by God when he returns he wants to convince the Pharaoh to whom he was an adopted brother to release the Hebrews from bondage.
The Pharaoh refuses and this leads to Moses and his brother Aaron working with God to give a total of ten plagues including turning the Nile to blood, diseases, insects, burning hail, etc. However Pharaoh is so stubborn that he thinks he is a god himself to whom no one can give orders despite these manifestations of God’s power that he still refuses to let the Hebrews go. Well at this point God has had enough. When Pharaoh plots to kill every first born Hebrews God turns it around so that an Angel of Death kills all the first born Egyptians. Pharaoh is convinced to let them go but decides on the advice of his scorned wife that he should chase the exiting Hebrews to kill them. In the end his army is destroyed when the waters God had opened to make a passage through the Red Sea closes on the Egyptians.
Now how is this story relevant to the Southern Republicans? Let’s think of them as being analogous to the Pharaoh. The loving God who wants to protect his people and has allowed man to have intelligence to promote their welfare is Moses. The science of medicine is gifts of the spirit promised to those baptized that help them work to improve man’s lot against disease. Just like the believers in the Bible they can be protected from a plague. Thus the scientists and doctors are God’s work. God has already sent many plagues which here can mean earlier pandemics to teach man a lesson.
But instead these Republicans think they know better than to protect their flock. Like the Pharaoh they think only of personal gain and power. Advocating against good will they intend to make political hay against the well meaning scientists and doctors. Only it backfires because these actions cause the unvaccinated and unmasked, their followers, instead to be harmed and even killed.
I pray that that this sacrifice to the false god of Trump has paid enough of a price that finally they will see they need to see the way, the exodus, to a better place is to be a believer in the gifts of the spirit God has given us to use to help each other. To act out of love for our brothers and sisters not out of selfish personal gain that hurts others. May the Holy Spirt enter them to change their hearts and stop them being hardened like the Pharaoh.
Amen