Untitled Sermon (6)
Exodus 1:8-14
8. Now there arose up a new king—About sixty years after the death of Joseph a revolution took place—by which the old dynasty was overthrown, and upper and lower Egypt were united into one kingdom. Assuming that the king formerly reigned in Thebes, it is probable that he would know nothing about the Hebrews; and that, as foreigners and shepherds, the new government would, from the first, regard them with dislike and scorn.
B. The Enslavement of Israel By Egypt: How God’s People Overcome Oppression, 1:8–22
(1:8–22) Introduction: the world rejects God and persecutes believers. If a person is a true believer—if a person sincerely seeks to follow and bear testimony to Christ—he will be persecuted by the world. Persecution is inevitable; it is a sure thing. And the persecution can range from being mildly shunned or ridiculed over to being physically enslaved, abused, or even killed for one’s faith.
This is the subject of this tragic passage of Scripture. It covers the persecution and enslavement of Israel. It tells how Israel lost its position of privilege and comfort in Egypt and became the subject of a terrible, ruthless oppression. It tells us why Egypt began to persecute and enslave Israel. And it tells how Israel overcame the oppression. Note how Egypt is a picture of the world throughout this passage, the world that ridicules and persecutes God’s people, those who truly seek to follow God and to live righteous lives.
This is a passage that needs to be studied by the nations of the world as well as by individuals, for it shows why people and nations persecute others. It also assures believers that God will always deliver us from persecution and enslavement—if we will just hold on to our faith, just persevere in following after Him. As stated, this subject is important for the nations of the earth as well as for individuals. This passage covers: The Enslavement of Israel by Egypt: How God’s People Overcome Oppression, 1:8–22.
1. The causes of oppression (vv. 8–10).
2. The first oppression, that of enslavement: but it was overcome by God’s purpose and promise (vv. 11–14).
3. The second oppression, a plot of deception: but it was overcome by some people (midwives) who feared God more than man (vv. 15–21).
4. The third oppression, a murderous law: but it was overcome by a mother who believed God (v. 22).
1 (1:8–10) Oppression—Persecution—Slavery: the causes of oppression. Why do people and nations persecute and enslave others? There are primarily three reasons and all three can be seen in Egypt’s enslavement of Israel.
a. There was ignorance: the new king knew nothing about Joseph, and he knew nothing about God, not the only true and living God. No nation (or person) who enslaves others knows God, not in a personal way (v. 8). Pharaoh was ignorant of history or else he paid little or no attention to history. He was ignorant of the great contribution Joseph had made to Egypt. Joseph had literally saved Egypt and the surrounding world from starvation and helped establish Egypt as one of the greatest nations upon earth (see outline and notes—Ge. chs. 41–47). The king was also ignorant of Joseph’s people, Israel …
• ignorant of who they were
• ignorant of why and how they had migrated to Egypt
• ignorant of the great contribution they had made to Egypt’s labor force and to the growth and economy of Egypt down through the years—all as a free people living in the Egyptian district of Goshen. (See outline and notes—
