Review of Exodus 1

by Victor Fawole

Welcome back to our “No Bible, No Breakfast” spiritual exercise. We move on from Genesis to Exodus, where we will read the story of God’s redemption of His people. Redemption begins with freedom, although it is more than just freedom. Redemption is freedom with the purpose of being in fellowship with God. The book of Exodus tells us how the Jews progressed from bondage to fellowship, and we will see many pointers to Christ and the translation of every believer from bondage in the domain of darkness to fellowship with God in the kingdom of His dear Son.

Moving from Genesis to Exodus is a well-placed transition. We will be seeing the different forms of transitions like:

• In Genesis, we saw a lot of human efforts and failure; in Exodus, we will see a lot of divine power and triumph.
• In Genesis, we read a lot about God’s words of promise; in Exodus, we will read a lot about God’s work of power.
• In Genesis, much focus was on the choosing of a people; in Exodus, much focus will be on the calling out of the chosen people.
• In Genesis, we read a lot about God’s electing mercy; in Exodus, we will read a lot about God’s electing manner.

Let us review Chapter 1…

1. THE GROWTH IN POPULATION

Exo. 1:6-7 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

The Hebrew verb translated as “increased abundantly” (shârats) means to swarm, to teem, to breed abundantly. It is a description of a large number of creatures densely populating a location. This chapter is the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen. 17:6), and an answer to Isaac’s prayer for Jacob (Gen. 28:3-4). Israel’s flourishing touches the heart of the Abrahamic covenant in Gen. 17:6. Not only was the nation fruitful and increasing, they multiplied and grew mighty. They became strong, dominant, and gained several advantages over the Egyptians (Psa. 105:24).

Israel was mighty, not because of their own strength, but because of God’s sovereignty and grace. God was working out His promise that He would bring them out of Egypt and back to the land of Canaan. They were fruitful. They increased. They were mighty. By the grace of God, these will be our testimonies in the Gospel of Grace Outreach in Jesus’ name. We shall be fruitful. We shall increase. We shall be mighty in Jesus’ name. Amen.

2. THE GALL OF PHARAOH

Exo. 1:8-10 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “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 so go up out of the land.”

In Genesis, infertility was a problem. In Exodus, fertility became a problem. It aroused the paranoid fears of the newly-installed Pharaoh. Even King Abimelech once had this kind of fear with Isaac (Gen. 26:16).

When the Bible says that this Pharaoh “did not know Joseph”, it could mean several things:

• He did not know what Joseph had done. Joseph’s tenure in Egypt had ended 200-300 years before now. Multiple Pharaohs had ruled since then, and it is possible that ancient Egyptian records did not mention non-Egyptian officials or their exploits.
• He knew about Joseph and his exploits but intentionally chose the pathway of disdain and disregard. He saw the growing Israelite population as a threat and strategically distanced himself from their history, rejecting any past goodwill they had enjoyed through Joseph.
• He decided to shift Egypt’s focus from international dominance to internal security and expansion.
• He refused to acknowledge the God of Joseph.

One thing is sure: Whether the “forgetfulness” was deliberate or not, God allowed it to fulfill His own plan for Israel’s redemption.

Pharaoh’s gall was a direct invitation to Satan. His heart became filled with evil. Notice the:

• Population Panic: Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we…
• Power Preservation: in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us…
• Preventive Plans: come, let us deal shrewdly with them…
• People Persecution: Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens…

Exo. 1:12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.

As each step that Pharaoh took to control the Jews failed, his plots became more wicked and evil. With an evil heart, he became a tool in Satan’s hands, doing Satan’s bidding against God’s people. To learn more about the different ways people invite Satan into their lives, listen to the sermon titled: Not Ignorant Of The Devil’s Devices — Part 3

3. THE GAME PLAN OF PHARAOH

Exo. 1:13-16 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… “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.”

Pharaoh inspired the Egyptians to deal with the Jews like criminals, in intense pain and torture. Hard labour cannot be harder than what the Israelites faced. It was extreme! Every kind of service required was rigorous. They made their lives bitter with hard bondage. The Hebrew word for “bitter” here is marar and it conveys a sense of harshness, embitterment, offensiveness, affliction, and even physical attack. The Jews experienced bitterness, anguish and great distress.

Pharaoh had two main strategies in his game plan: Enslavement and Extinction. He ordered the chief midwives (Shiphrah & Puah) to kill the male newborns. This was a wicked and terrible strategy, one that could only be created in the heart of a callous, egocentric man. In his evil mind, he thought that if hard work wouldn’t stop population growth, then genocide of newborn males would.

Before we move on to the fourth and final point, it is important to note the following about the bondage of the Jews:

• The bondage was predicted. (Gen. 15:13)
• The bondage was protracted. It went on for a long period of time (400 years).
• The bondage was painful. It was constantly rigorous.
• The bondage was precarious. It needed divine intervention.

God broke the bondage of the Jews when the odds were fully against them. God does the same for people today.

4. THE GRACE FOR PRESERVATION

Exo. 1:17-19 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?” And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”

The midwives obviously feared Pharaoh and his power, but they feared God more. For them, the choice was clear. The government’s order was clearly against God’s command, and they obeyed God rather than men, like Peter and John did (Acts 4:18-20, Acts 5:29), and like the three Hebrew boys did in Babylon (Dan. 3:16-18). As believers, we are never called to put government in the place of God. Therefore if the government tells us to do something against God’s will, we are to obey God first.

While we can debate that the midwives told a half-truth (or even lied) to Pharaoh, here are my thoughts: The midwives gave a report that seemed undebatable by the Egyptians. It could be that God was carrying out the deliveries divinely, without the help of midwives. It is possible that the midwives noticed this divine intervention among a few sample of Hebrew women, and then decided to intentionally delay their coming for any child delivery. That way, the delivery would truly be done without their input. However, whatever these midwives did (or did not do) in order to align with the grace for preservation, God blessed them for it. He gave them their own children too (Exo. 1:21).

A word of caution here. In some Christian circles, it is believed that pregnant women should never undergo caesarian section for delivery, as such would be deemed a lack of faith. Please do not shun medical care and support, even if it requires surgery. God heals supernaturally and He heals medically. CS is not a sin. Don’t lose your life (or wife) due to religious foolishness.

Persecution. Protection. Providence. We see these three at play in varying degrees in the lives of the Israelites. While we may escape intense persecution in this world, we have a guarantee that we are under God’s protection, enjoying His providence.

Dear Gogolights, human history has examples of such tyrants who have sought to oppress God’s people. In the face of such persecution, many protest how a just and loving God could allow for such suffering. From this chapter, there are seven important lessons to learn, and encourage the hearts of believers going through persecution.

• God is faithful to keep His promises.
• The ruler of this world always seeks to enslave believers (2Tim. 3:12, John 15:20). Hence, we are not to put our hope and security in the things of this world.
• Whenever God allows for trials and tribulations, the aim is to bring spiritual growth. (Jam. 1:2-4)
• We are to fear God, hate evil and refuse to submit to evil. (Acts. 4:19, Prov. 8:13)
• God’s power is mightier than the evil one (1 John 4:4). He will surely deliver us.
• God blesses those who stand for righteousness. (Prov. 21:21, Prov. 15:9)
• God has a plan, even when all hope seems lost. (John 16:33, Prov. 29:25)

As we continue in our study of the book of Exodus, I pray that God will reveal unto us all of the truths that He wants us to learn. Let us continue to engage one another on our platform and also share insights as we read this book. Till tomorrow, I say…

Grace to you, Church!