Exodus 1:7-22

Exodus 1:7–22 HCSB

7 But the Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, multiplied, and became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them. 8 A new king, who had not known Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are. 10 Let us deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and if war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.” 11 So the Egyptians assigned taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. They built Pithom and Rameses as supply cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14 and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them. 15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.” 17 The Hebrew midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife can get to them.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous. 21 Since the midwives feared God, He gave them families. 22 Pharaoh then commanded all his people: “You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

I. The Oppressor

8 A new king, who had not known Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are. 10 Let us deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and if war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”

To say that a new king arose means that he “came to power,” or that he “ascended the throne” (neb) or “began to reign.”

A new dynasty as a result of some sort of coup.

The new king was from a different people, race, or dynasty.

The new king, which in some languages may be termed “another king,” is not named. He was not the successor to the king who befriended Joseph.

Then a new king came to power who did not know about Joseph (verse 8), and he was alarmed at the large number of Israelites in Egypt (Acts 7:17-18). Egypt needed the presence of the Israelites because they brought prosperity to the land; on the other hand, they had also become a security threat.

II. The Oppression

11 So the Egyptians assigned taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. They built Pithom and Rameses as supply cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14 and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them.

So the new king began to oppress the Israelites; he made them into slave laborers. But the more he oppressed them the more God multiplied them! This result has occurred over and over again in history: when evil rulers try to persecute God's people, God's people usually become stronger. No ruler, no government, no army can destroy what God has chosen to preserve. The affliction, as bad as it was, led to Israel's growth. They multiplied and grew which means they "swarmed," but this is the effect that trials can have in our lives if we respond to them properly. The plan of affliction backfired in the Pharaoh's face. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. Where Satan's tool tries to rule, God over-rules.

Life Application:

Taskmasters - Forced Labor

The Supply Cities and City Treasury

Made Their Lives Bitter with all kind of Low wage Jobs

Ill. A beekeeper once told F.B. Meyer how some of the young bees are nurtured to ensure their healthy development. The queen lays each egg in a six-sided cell which is filled with enough pollen and honey to feed upon until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. The top is then sealed with a capsule of wax. When the occupant has exhausted its supply of nourishment, the time has come for the tiny creature to be released from its confinement, but what wrestling and straining it endures to get through that wax seal. The opening is so narrow that in the agony of the exit, the bee rubs off the membrane that encases its wings. Thus, when it finally does emerge, it is able to fly! The man telling F.B. Meyer the story said that one time a moth got into the hive and devoured the wax capsules. As a result, the young bees crawled out without any effort or trouble, but they couldn't fly. Soon the mature insects, seeing the pitiful, unproductive state of the new arrivals, instinctively proceeded to sting them to death. Beloved, God uses our trials to strengthen us whether we realize it or not.

III. The Oppressed

15 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.” 17 The Hebrew midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife can get to them.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous. 21 Since the midwives feared God, He gave them families. 22 Pharaoh then commanded all his people: “You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

When the king of Egypt saw that the Israelites kept on increasing in number, he tried a more extreme tactic: he instructed the Hebrew (Israelite) midwives to kill all the Hebrew male babies. But the midwives feared God (verse 17); they chose to obey God rather than the king (Acts 5:29). When the king asked the midwives why they were ignoring his command, they quickly gave an explanation (verse 19). Even if their explanation stretched the truth a bit, God apparently was not displeased, because He rewarded them with children of their own (verse 21).

Applied Bible Commentary - Applied Old Testament Commentary: Applying God's Word To Your Life.

Noel D. Osborn and Howard A. Hatton, A Handbook on Exodus, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1999), 18.

Treasures From the Scriptures - Treasures from Exodus, Volume 1.