Exodus 8:29 · World English Bible
Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you. I will pray to Yahweh that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only don’t let Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to Yahweh.”
A tyrant makes promises under pressure and breaks them the moment the pressure lifts. Pharaoh does this again and again, and the plagues escalate because each act of bad faith invites a heavier consequence.
From the Clinical Psychology reading below.
The same verse, read by one tradition.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
A tyrant makes promises under pressure and breaks them the moment the pressure lifts. Pharaoh does this again and again, and the plagues escalate because each act of bad faith invites a heavier consequence. Relief becomes an occasion for another lie.
Watch what happens to a man who bargains in deceit. The suffering that presses on him is a signal, and when the signal eases he mistakes it for permission to resume his corruption. Peace offered to such a man is squandered. If you deal falsely each time the world gives you room, the room closes, and it closes harder every time until you have none left.
Clinical Psychology lens
What did I agree to under pressure that I have been hoping no one remembers?
The one who makes easy promises is trusted by no one, and a word given lightly costs more later than it saved at the time.
What you do when the pressure lifts shows who you actually are. The crisis did not make you honest, it only made honesty convenient for a moment.
One good act pulls the next one behind it, and one bad act does the same. A lie told once makes the second lie feel ordinary.
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Clinical Psychology