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Exodus 1

 






Happy new month everyone!!!

I hope it’s not late. Well last month we talked about all the chapters of the book of Genesis, and this month it’s Exodus. 




A New King and Growing Fear

In the vibrant land of Egypt, years after Joseph and his brothers had passed away, a new king ascended to the throne—a king who knew nothing of Joseph or the immense good he had done for Egypt. The descendants of Jacob, now known as the Israelites, had flourished. They were "fruitful and increased abundantly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them." (Exodus 1:7)

This rapid growth, however, became a source of deep concern for the new Pharaoh. He observed their ever-increasing numbers and worried, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and and so go up out of the land." (Exodus 1:9-10)

The Weight of Oppression

Driven by this fear, Pharaoh and his officials devised a cruel plan. "Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses." (Exodus 1:11) Day after day, they toiled under the scorching sun, their backs aching, their spirits weary. The whips of the taskmasters cracked, urging them to work faster, harder, despite their exhaustion.

Yet, a miraculous thing happened. "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel." (Exodus 1:12) This unexpected resilience only intensified Pharaoh’s dread. He became even more ruthless, "So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor." (Exodus 1:13-14)

A Desperate Decree

Still, the Israelites continued to thrive, and Pharaoh's fear escalated to a terrifying degree. He called for the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and commanded them, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." (Exodus 1:16)

However, Shiphrah and Puah were God-fearing women. "But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live." (Exodus 1:17)

Pharaoh, enraged by their defiance, summoned them again. "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?" (Exodus 1:18)

The midwives, with quick wit and divine courage, answered Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them." (Exodus 1:19)

Because the midwives feared God, "Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them." (Exodus 1:20-21)

The River's Embrace

But Pharaoh's determination to crush the Israelites remained unwavering. In a final, desperate act of cruelty, he issued a command to all his people: "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive." (Exodus 1:22) The mighty Nile, the very lifeline of Egypt, was now intended to be a watery grave for the sons of Israel. The cries of mothers echoed through the land as they watched their infant sons being taken from them, many destined for the unforgiving currents of the river. Yet, even in this darkest hour, a seed of hope remained, waiting to be nurtured and eventually bloom into the deliverance of a nation.


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