April 7, 2024
Reading: Exodus 1
Focus: Exodus 1:8-10 – Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
Father God, open our eyes to Your word. Help us to understand what You would have us know. Teach us. Fill us with Your wisdom. We give You all the praise. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Today will be short. Exodus 1 is setting the stage for the Exodus. It tells us what had happened to the Israelites in the time since Joseph. Joseph and his brothers are gone, and the Israelites have multiplied. There came a Pharoah who knew nothing about Joseph and what he had done for Egypt. Well, it has been over three hundred years at this point when this Pharoah came to power. Some say it was Rameses II but, according to archaeologists, he lived about 150 years after the time that the Israelites left Egypt. He is suggested because of the city of Rameses that is mentioned. Unfortunately, many archaeologists do not take the clues the Bible gives us as fact. If they did, the date of the Exodus would not be in question. The Bible gives us a very clear idea of when they left Egypt. In 1 Kings 6:1, we are told that the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem was built 480 years after the Exodus. Solomon began building the temple in 966 B.C. Add 480 years to that and that gives us 1466 B.C. Although the time frame and the Pharoah of the Exodus are not all that important, what occurred in Exodus is very important.
Now we have time frame to work with. Moses was 80 years old when he led the people out of Egypt. So, Exodus begins around the time that Moses was born. Let’s assume that it is about 81 years, give or take a year or two before the Israelites leave Egypt. Israel was in Egypt for 430 years, so at this time they had been there for 350 years. During those 350 years, the Israelites multiplied and filled the land of Goshen. Remember that, at first, they were honored guests. As time passed, they were probably property owners, merchants, jewelers, weavers, bakers and craftsmen. Then, as previous generations of Egyptian rulers died, newer generations of Pharaohs did not know about Joseph. The Pharoah could only see that the Israelites were a huge number of people and probably had some significant influence in the Egyptian economy and it frightened him. Re-read the Focus verses. They were far too numerous. They could join the enemies, fight against us and leave the country. Little did he know just how prophetic those statements were.
The Bible does not tell us how Pharoah accomplished the task of enslaving the Israelites but all we have to do is look at history and we can see how it could have been done. First, personal freedoms were limited. Then, they were heavily taxed, causing financial difficulties. Men were conscripted into labor groups and made to make bricks and build buildings, roads, monuments and cities for the Egyptians. They were forced to work in quarries and mines. Their craftmanship was placed under taskmasters to provide their wares for the Egyptians. But even that did not stop the Israelites. This is my opinion of how it may have happened. For example, all we have to do is look at Germany to see how easily Hitler oppressed the Jewish people without a shot being fired.
The population continued to grow. Pharoah tried more drastic measures. He ordered the Israelite midwives to kill all Israelite baby boys at birth. However, these women feared God and did not do as the Pharoah asked. These women deliberately took a stand that could have been fatal. They also told Pharoah that the Israelite women were not like the Egyptian women and that the babies were born before the midwives arrived. This bold stand is an example of what we should do in the face of being ordered to do something that was contrary to the laws of God. There are times that disobeying authority is the right path to take. God does not expect us to obey when we are told to disobey God or his Word. Following the majority is not always the right thing. The women were blessed by God. Not because they lied to Pharoah but because they saved innocent lives.
Father God, prepare our hearts for the study of Exodus. Help us to look at what You did rather than focus on what “science” says occurred. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Food for Thought
- Have you ever questioned the Exodus account? Why or why not?
- What does the killing of the baby boys bring to mind in today’s culture?
- What would you do if you were ordered to do something that you know goes against God’s law?
- Do you think that events of the enslavement of the Israelites could happen in our day and time? Why or why not?
- Do you think history repeats itself? Why or why not>
