The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told: you are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day. The realization is a sinking one: they have appealed to Pharaoh's justice and found none. They had standing before Pharaoh that ordinary slaves did not, and they used it, and it accomplished nothing. There is a moment in every oppressive system when the legitimate channels for grievance are revealed to be theatrical — the appearance of appeal without the substance of justice. Psalm 82:2 asks: how long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? The Psalm envisions a divine court where justice is finally rendered. The foremen, having discovered that Pharaoh's court offers none, are being prepared — by their own experience of injustice — to receive the news that a different court has opened.

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