Tthe characters at Exodus' beginning seem either very forgetful of, or utterly oblivious to, people in obvious positions authority. Even more interestingly, those very authorities ignore their own power, letting obvious sedition pass without word.
a. Shifra and Pua totally ignore Pharoah's orders. Their ridiculous excuse - um, if Jewish mothers birth before you arrive, how do you make a living? - is accepted without question by someone who could just as easily have these women decapitated.
b. Yocheved ignores Pharoah's orders, by both hiding her child for three months and placing it in a baby-boat.
c. Pharoah's own daughter RESCUES a FREAKING JEWISH baby! Was she unaware of her father's - the KING's! - little executive order regarding Israelite babes?! And, she manages to keep him. Imagine that conversation between Pharoah and his daughter.
d. Moshe is upset when an overlord taskmaster whips his Jewish slave . . . precisely what an overlord taskmaster is granted the authority to do! Even so, why didn't Moshe just walk up to the guy and tell him to stop. Isn't he a prince or something?
e. Moshe tries to break up a fight between two slave Jews and they start trash talking him. Wait - don't you guys know this is a member of the royal family?
f. When Moshe flees to Midyan, he finds Yithro's daughters abused by a group of shepherds. Yithro, mind you, is the Cohen of Midyan (Targum: raba d'midyan) - yet his daughters are abused so often and consistently that Yithro is actually surprised when they arrive back at a normal time from the well. Who are these shepherds? Why isn't Yithro doing anything about this?
g. Moses' entire first dialogue with God is full of seditious comments. God is ordering Moses to do something and, again and again, Moses refuses. God doesn't assert His authority, but sweetalks Moshe, until God finally just starts getting annoyed.
What's going on!
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