A Nation at a Crossroads: Lessons from Ancient Egypt
Parallels between the Jewish Captivity in Egypt and the Political Drama Playing out in America
Dear Harvey, I miss you very much today as I write about a parallel between your Jewish forefathers’ history and the present-day political situation. I may have told you then, when I read my Bible, I write copious amounts of notes in the margin, along with certain notations, including the phrase “Rt.” The “Rt” marking stands for “recurring theme,” which I use when I encounter a recurring biblical theme. In my letter to you today, I note the Rt “Out of Egypt,” which is perhaps the most frequently occurring theme in the Bible. I write about the parallels between the Jews’ Exodus from Egypt and our modern political times.
I look forward to talking to you about this when I join you in heaven.
Our country stands at a critical turning point, much like the Jewish people faced in ancient Egypt several millennia ago. They entered Egypt as honored guests and free people under Joseph, but over the following centuries, they were reduced to slavery. This dramatic shift began after Joseph’s generation passed, as recorded in the Book of Exodus:
“Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8, ESV)
We see unsettling parallels in recent American history. During the previous administration, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation falsely accused then-President Trump of Russian collusion—an allegation later thoroughly debunked. It proved to be a politically motivated effort by his opponents to undermine him and influence future elections.
The controversial 2020 election results, often described as following a “hockey stick” pattern in certain vote tallies, fueled widespread concerns about irregularities and potential fraud that led to President Biden’s election. Today, with Republicans holding majorities in both houses of Congress and President Trump back in office, we face another pivotal moment. Democrats have opposed commonsense voting reforms such as the SAVE Act, even likening it to Jim Crow laws—ironically, since it was Democrats who originally enacted those discriminatory measures in the post-Civil War South.
This situation echoes the biblical turning point. One day, history may record something similar: “There arose a new party that did not know the Republicans.” If election integrity erodes further or voters embrace expansive socialist policies, America risks sliding into greater dependency and loss of freedom.
Joseph’s Reforms and Their Long-Term Consequences
The seeds of Israel’s later bondage were ironically planted during the prosperous years under Joseph. In Genesis 47, during the severe famine, Joseph—second-in-command in Egypt—centralized power for Pharaoh:
“So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s.” (Genesis 47:20, ESV)
He relocated the people and instituted a 20% tax on future harvests:
“And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own… ” … So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.” (Genesis 47:24, 26, ESV)
The people even declared, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh. “ (Genesis 47:25, ESV) This created a permanent system of heavy taxation and state control over land and labor. While it stabilized Egypt in the short term, it laid the foundation for a dependent population. After Joseph’s death and the rise of the new king, the Israelites themselves—once favored—were enslaved and forced into brutal labor, likely including projects that built Egypt’s monumental structures.
God had foretold this affliction to Abraham centuries earlier:
“Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. “ (Genesis 15:13, ESV)
The Israelites endured roughly 400 years in Egypt, the latter portion in harsh slavery, until God raised up Moses to deliver them in the Exodus.
The Exodus and the Cost of Looking Back
The Exodus stands as one of the Bible’s greatest acts of deliverance and a recurring theme of God bringing His people “out of Egypt.” This theme is one of the most common in the entire Bible. Yet freedom came with a difficult season of restoration. The generation that left Egypt had been shaped by centuries of slavery. They constantly longed for the relative “luxuries” of their bondage—meat pots, bread, and cucumbers—rather than trusting God in the wilderness (see Exodus 16:3 and Numbers 11:5).
Because of their grumbling and lack of faith, God decreed that the adult generation would not enter the Promised Land:
“Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land…”“ (Numbers 14:29-30, ESV)
Only Joshua and Caleb were exceptions. The people had to wander for forty years until that generation passed away.
This backward-looking spirit recalls the tragic fate of Lot’s wife during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:
“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26, ESV)
Like her, the Exodus generation struggled to fully leave the old system behind.
Cycles of Oppression and Restoration
Israel’s story did not end with the wilderness. They entered the land, but faced repeated cycles of oppression and deliverance. In the second century BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes brutally persecuted the Jews, desecrating the temple—an event commemorated in Hanukkah. Later, Roman occupation in the first century AD brought further destruction, including the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Yet God’s promises to Abraham endured. The Jewish people experienced a remarkable partial restoration with the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948. Scripture points to an ultimate, complete restoration when they will dwell securely in the land God promised to their forefathers.
A Spiritual “Exodus” for Christians
For believers today, the Exodus serves as a powerful picture of salvation. Egypt represents bondage to sin and the world system. Our deliverance comes through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, who bore the penalty for our sins on the cross as a free gift (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Just as the Israelites passed through the Red Sea, we are united with Christ in His death and resurrection.
The journey “out of Egypt” continues as we resist the temptation to look back at the fleeting pleasures of sin and instead press forward in sanctification. Ultimately, Christians await the full restoration of all things under the perfect reign of Jesus Christ, when God’s people will inherit the earth in righteousness.
America, like ancient Israel, stands at a crossroads. The choices we make—regarding integrity in elections, the dangers of overreaching government, and the preservation of liberty—will determine whether we move toward greater freedom or deeper bondage. The biblical story offers both warning and hope: God can deliver His people from even the strongest tyrants, but lasting freedom requires leaving the old ways behind and trusting Him fully for the future.