WHAT WAS PHARAOH THINKING?

IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING CLOBBERED AND HAVING HIS ECONOMY RUINED , ONE WONDERS WHAT WAS PHARAOH THINKING?
IT IS EASY TO SAY THAT THIS WAS SIMILAR TO THE NAZI SYNDROME. EVEN WHILE THE
NAZIS WERE BEING CLOBBERED THEIR APPETITE FOR KILLING JEWS INCREASED. INDEED MORE DIED IN THE LAST YEAR OF THE WAR THEN AT OTHER TIMES.
HOWEVER THIS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HIS MOTIVE IN REFUSING TO LET ISRAEL GO.
FOR IN EGYPT THERE WERE MOSHE AND AARON WARNING THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT THAT EACH PLAGUE WAS COMING . THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT BELIEVED MOSHE EVEN WHILE THEY HATED ISRAEL. MANY PROTESTED PHARAOH'S INTRANSIGENCE .IT WAS
CLEAR THAT THIS COULD NOT GO ON AND THAT THE MORE THEY HELD ON THE MORE THEY WOULD SUFFER. WHAT COULD PHARAOH HAVE THOUGHT?
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A CHRISTIAN LEADER BEGAN PERSECUTING JEWS AND PREDICTING THAT DIRE CONSEQUENCES WOULD HAPPEN FROM HEAVEN IF WE WOULDN'T CONVERT? MOST WOULD NOT CONVERT BUT AS THE SUFFERING CONTINUED MANY WOULD LOSE HEART. ONLY THE LEADERS LIKE THE REBBEIM WOULD STAND FIRM PROCLAIMING THAT NO SIGN IN HEAVEN WOULD SWAY THEIR FAITH IN ONE G-D!
PHARAOH, WHILE THE TEMPORAL LEADER OF THE EMPIRE WAS ALSO ITS' CHIEF PRIEST. PHARAOH SAW IN THIS STRUGGLE THE SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL OF EGYPT. SO WHY DO WE REVILE PHARAOH? NOT BECAUSE OF HIS OBSTINANCE, FOR MANY OF US WOULD DO THE SAME.
RATHER IT WAS PHARAOH'S INHUMANITY THAT MADE HIS WAYS EVIL.WHEN A PEOPLE BECOMES WEALTHY BY BRUTALIZING OTHERS THEN THE CULTURE AND VALUES OF THAT COUNTRY ARE FLAWED.WHAT ISRAEL ASKED FOR WAS THE CONSIDERATION THAT ANY GROUP WOULD CONSIDER JUST. THAT IS TO WORSHI[P AS THEY PLEASED. FURTHERMORE THE WHOLE ENSLAVEMENT WAS NOT BASED UPON RIGHTEOUS PRINCIPLE. EVEN THE ANCIENTS HAD PRINCIPLES REGARDING OTHER PEOPLE'S LANDS AND THE TAKING OF SLAVES.THE BRUTALIZING OF ISRAEL WAS IN VIOLATION OF THE EGYPTIANS' OWN STANDARD.
THEREFORE MARTYRDOM FOR VIOLENT DOMINION OF OTHERS IS NOT MARTYRDOM ,
IT IS MEGALOMANIA! IT IS ROOTED IN THE BELIEF OF ONE'S INFAILABILITY AND MASTER'S DESTINY.PHARAOH REFUSED TO BELIEVE THAT OTHERS HAD ANY RIGHTS OTHER THAN WHAT WAS GIVEN THEM BY HIM,AS ALL PEOPLES HAD TO BE HIS SLAVES .
THIS WAS THE GLORY OF THE g-ds OF EGYPT , THAT ALL MEN KNEELED BEFORE THEIR REPRESENTATIVE ON EARTH.THIS BELIEF WHICH WENT AGAINST LOGIC AND HUMAN INTUITION WAS THE BELIEF THAT PHARAOH HELD UNTIL THE LAST MOMENTS OF HIS LIFE.HE REFUSED TO BELIEVE THAT THE ASCENDENCY OF EGYPT HAD MORE TO DO WITH THE INDUSTRIOUSNESS OF HIS PEOPLE THAN HIS FAVORED STATUS.THE WORD FOR THIS IS EGOMANIAC NOT MARTYR.
IN HIS CRAZE , PHARAOH WAS WILLING TO LET OTHERS SUFFER IN ORDER THAT HIS PERSONA REMAIN WORSHIPED. THIS IS WHY WE VILLIFY HIM. BECAUSE HE CARED MORE ABOUT HIS IMAGE THAN THE FATE OF HIS OWN PEOPLE. THIS ALSO WAS PART OF HITLER'S DOWNFALL. HIS POSITION AS FEURER WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LIVES OF HIS OWN PEOPLE . MILLIONS WHO COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED BY HIS EARLY SURRENDER DIED VIOLENTLY WITHOUT ANY COMPUNCTION. PHARAOH WAS HITLER'S PARADIGM.