Exodus 1:1-2:10

Exodus 1:1-2:10

The book of Exodus picks up right where Genesis left off, reminding readers of Jacob’s family and what had happened to Joseph. The opening verses also explain what happened after Joseph’s death. Although they were not yet the nation of Israel, they were Israel’s children, and yet they were still in the land of Egypt. But remember that both Jacob and Joseph had told their children that God had promised that they would one day leave Egypt and return to the Promised Land. The next generation lived on that promise. They continued to grow as a family, and the initial promise that God made to Abraham was beginning to be fulfilled.

But when enough time had passed that the ruler of Egypt did not know of Joseph and his family, he began to see the Israelites (Hebrews) as a problem. There were too many of them roaming about in the land of Egypt, and he feared that if they ever came together, they might overthrow Egypt. His only option was to make life harder for the Hebrews, or so he thought. Yet the harder he made their lives, the more persistent they became, and the more they grew. Suffering and persecution only made them cling to their cause more, and they continued to multiply just as had been predicted. So the new Pharaoh eventually made them slaves, hoping that slavery would end the problem.

He took one last measure to ensure their demise by commanding his midwives to kill any Hebrew male child that is born. This would cause the Hebrews to cease to grow, and eventually kill them off. But as will be seen all throughout Scripture, God’s people will never be exterminated. He will always come up with a plan to protect His people. In this instance, the midwives feared God enough that they refused to kill the children, and they were rewarded for it. Once more, God’s people were living in obedience, and it was evident to the Egyptian women. They saw something in the Hebrew women that was different, and as a result, they began to learn who God was.

But Pharaoh was still not done. So he restated his initial command and declared that all male Hebrew children should be cast into the Nile. Yet one Hebrew woman would not hear of it, so she hid her child for three months. But when it became too hard to hide him any longer, she sent him down the river where an Egyptian woman (Pharaoh’s daughter) found him. Eventually, the child’s mother was brought in to nurse the child. We all know this as the story of Moses. But what I find interesting is that even in the midst of the worst persecution God’s children had ever seen, God was still at work. Through the faith and determination of one Hebrew woman, He was able to bless that woman and that child, using that child for His purposes. Moses was destined to become the first leader of the children of the Israel. God turned an awful situation, in which His people could have possibly been on the verge of extinction, into a miraculous situation, where He was able to preserve His people. The opening chapters of Exodus continue the theme we saw in Genesis of faith, obedience, and God’s will. If you have ever wondered how to discover God’s will for your life, learn from these men and women. The first step is obedience to God, trusting that He knows what is best in our lives. For it is obvious that He can use any situation for His glory. God was in the process of redeeming a great nation unto Himself, and it all began in the midst of one of Israel’s darkest days.

Matt