Clash of Kingdoms - The Need for Deliverance | Exodus 1

n the beginning, Scripture tells us, there was tohu va-vohu—formlessness and void. Darkness covered the face of the deep, a watery abyss of chaos. But hovering over that chaos was God. And when God spoke, chaos gave way to order. Disorder became harmony. Darkness was transformed into shalom—peace, wholeness, flourishing.

God looked at this kingdom of shalom and declared, “It is good.”

Until it wasn’t.

From Shalom to Chaos

The biblical story is honest about what happens next. Sin enters the world, and shalom begins to unravel. Chaos creeps back in—first at the individual level. Cain kills Abel. Then chaos becomes communal. In Genesis 11, people build a tower to the heavens, attempting to crown themselves kings of their own reality. What begins as personal rebellion grows into a civilization-wide posture.

This is the birth of what Scripture reveals as a rival reality: the kingdom of empire.

Throughout the Bible we catch glimpses of this empire—Babylon, Rome, Egypt, and even Israel at times. But nowhere is its systemic nature clearer than in Egypt, and nowhere is its individual expression clearer than in Pharaoh.

The story of Exodus invites us to confront this kingdom of empire—and to recognize our deep need for deliverance from it.

A New King Who Did Not Know Joseph

Exodus opens with a reminder of God’s faithfulness. The family of Jacob—Abraham’s grandson—comes to Egypt through Joseph, who rose from pit to prison to palace. Rather than seeking revenge on the brothers who sold him into slavery, Joseph extends grace. He provides land, food, and security. Israel settles in Goshen, a fertile region along the Nile, and over generations they flourish.

Exodus 1:7 captures it with creation language:

“But the Israelites were fruitful, multiplied greatly, increased in numbers, and became extremely numerous, so that the land was filled with them.”

This echoes Genesis 1. God’s blessing is evident.

Then comes the turning point:

“A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.” (Exodus 1:8)

Notice what the text does not do. Pharaoh’s name is never mentioned. In a culture obsessed with immortalizing kings through statues and monuments, Scripture strips him of lasting significance. His power, we are told, is ultimately hollow.

Fear at the Core of Empire

Pharaoh looks at Israel’s flourishing and says:

“Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we are. Come, let’s deal shrewdly with them…”

At the heart of the kingdom of empire is fear.

Fear of losing power. Fear of losing control. Fear of being replaced.

When fear goes unaddressed, it produces worry—what could be described as rehearsing worst-case scenarios over and over again. Pharaoh imagines outcomes disconnected from reality: Israel joining enemies, overthrowing Egypt, abandoning the land. None of this is true, but fear rarely needs facts to thrive.

Scripture names this clearly:

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Fear does not produce love; it produces hate. Fear does not produce power; it produces the desire for power. Fear does not produce a sound mind; it produces instability and foolish assumptions.

This is how empire works.

The Characteristics of the Kingdom of Empire

Exodus 1 gives us a framework for recognizing empire—then and now. These are patterns worth paying attention to, because they are not just ancient; they are disturbingly familiar.

1. Fear That Produces Worry

Individually, empire sounds like:

• What if I lose my position?

• What if I lose influence?

• What if people find out I don’t have it all together?

Socially, it becomes:

• What if we lose supremacy?

• What if we lose privilege?

Unaddressed fear always looks for someone to blame.

2. Immoral Shrewdness

Pharaoh says, “Let us deal shrewdly with them.” Shrewdness without moral boundaries becomes exploitation. Scripture reminds us that wisdom without innocence is dangerous. Empire justifies unethical behavior in the name of survival, efficiency, or success.

3. Selfish Gain

Empire asks, What’s in it for me?

Paul counters this mentality directly:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” (Philippians 2:3)

When personal benefit becomes the ultimate lens, fear is always close behind.

4. Tearing Others Down to Build Yourself Up

Israel’s prosperity in Goshen threatened Pharaoh. So he oppressed them—forcing labor, stripping dignity, and attempting to halt their flourishing.

History repeats this pattern whenever thriving communities are destroyed because their success feels threatening. Empire cannot celebrate another’s blessing; it can only compete with it.

5. Oppression That Devalues Life

The Egyptians worked Israel ruthlessly, making life bitter. Eventually, Pharaoh commands the killing of Hebrew sons.

Ray Vander Laan offers a sobering diagnostic:

If you see a culture where life is cheap, where the sacrifice of others is acceptable in order to sustain an obsession with pleasure, entertainment, or wealth—it is empire.

Empire always makes life expendable.

God’s Quiet Resistance

In the middle of Pharaoh’s brutality, two midwives—Shiphrah and Puah—refuse to participate in death. Scripture names them. God honors them.

Pharaoh deals shrewdly out of fear. God deals kindly out of love.

This contrast reveals the deeper conflict: the kingdom of empire versus the kingdom of shalom.

More Than a Historical Exodus

Exodus is not only about getting Israel out of Egypt.

It is about getting Egypt out of Israel.

That is why the journey takes forty years. In Scripture, forty represents testing that leads to transformation. God must undo the empire mindset His people absorbed—fear, scarcity, domination—and replace it with trust, dependence, and love.

And here is the uncomfortable truth:

We have absorbed that mindset too.

A Question for Reflection

The story confronts us with a personal invitation:

Where in your life do you need deliverance from empire?

• Who are you tearing down in order to build yourself up?

• Are your decisions driven by fear of losing power or privilege?

• Do you operate out of constant worry, rehearsing worst-case scenarios?

• Whose neck is under your foot—economically, relationally, or emotionally?

Empire is not just “out there.” It is within us.

The good news is this: the God who once hovered over chaos still speaks today. And where God speaks, chaos does not get the final word.

The journey out of empire is long. It is uncomfortable. It feels like wilderness.

But it is the path that leads back to shalom.