For example, we might wonder why God created mosquitos, cockroaches and rats. We need to understand that God, as our Creator, had a purpose in creating everything.
Someone asked, “Are we victims of fate or does God have a plan for our life?”
It has been said that men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. But according to the Bible, we live our lives for a certain period of time – not a moment longer and not a moment shorter.
• All the health-foods that people eat are not going to extend their life beyond what God has determined their appointed time to die.
• All the exercise that people do will not extend the appointed time for them to die.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us everything has a SEASON AND TIME. We need to consider these two important words Solomon use about life: "SEASON" and "TIME".
• The word “SEASON” originates from a Hebrew term that refers to a fixed, definite portion of time.
• The Hebrew word for “TIME” that Solomon refers to is a beginning or a starting period.
Solomon was saying that God has appointed everything that comes into our lives for a specific purpose. He knows just when to BRING THINGS INTO OUR LIVES, and He knows HOW LONG THEY SHOULD STAY IN OUR LIVES. The things we experience are not random events that float in and out of our lives. Rather, they are specific events that have been chosen by God as timely and purposeful.
• That applies to the good things as well as the bad things
• That applies to the good times as well as the bad times
One of the important lessons in life to learn is that we are not in charge of our own lives. GOD IS!
As we study the Book of Genesis, we see how God used Joseph during a severe famine to bless many people. Pharaoh himself made Joseph Governor of Egypt, and things went well with them in the land of Goshen.
At the end of Genesis, things began change for the worse. WHAT HAPPENS?
• Joseph dies and is buried. Verse 6 tells us that Joseph had died and all his brethren. Three and a half centuries have passed.
• The Pharaoh that loved Joseph and blessed him in many ways died also.
The Book of Exodus wastes no time showing us the difficulties that God’s people are facing with a new Pharaoh. As we study the Book of Exodus, we must look at it as a continuation of the Book of Genesis.
WHY DID GOD MOVE ISRAEL FROM THE PROMISED LAND TO EGYPT? Remember, God has a purpose in everything that takes place in our life.
God moved Israel into Egypt because the children of Israel were being immersed in the worldliness of their environment. They were following the lifestyle of the people who lived around them, of unbelievers, of the Canaanites. The family was surrounded by Canaanites who lived ungodly lives, and the family was young and small in number (seventy people). Tragically, they became attracted by the bright lights and the immoral and ungodly practices of their neighbors. They were adopting the Canaanite way of life. Through intermingling and intermarriage, they faced the threat of becoming a part of the Canaanite people. They could have easily lost their distinctive identity as the people of God.
Therefore, God set out to save and preserve His people in order to ful?ll His purposes for them. God did three things.
(1) God took one of the sons of Jacob and set him up as the ruler of Egypt. The son was Joseph, who ruled Egypt as second only to Pharaoh himself.
(2) God caused the entire family to move away from the worldly temptation and in?uence of the Canaanites. He used a famine to drive them down into Egypt (Genesis 41:56).
(3) God placed the family beside the Egyptians, a people who considered them an abomination, totally unacceptable; a people who would have nothing to do with them (Genesis 46:34).
Thus the chance of intermingling and intermarriage was much less. Thereby, Israel would be isolated, forced to live in the district of Goshen, forced to live by themselves and keep the godly line of descendants pure.
Note two signi?cant facts about God’s past deliverance of Israel.
(1) God had delivered Israel about four hundred years before the events of Exodus began (Genesis 15:13-14). Israel was in Egypt for about 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41).
(2) Every member of Jacob’s family went down into Egypt; seventy descendants in all.
We see . . .
I. THE PEOPLE
Look at Exodus 1:1-10 we read, “Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.
This was a large group of people
• Leah’s six sons had twenty-?ve sons and two grandsons which made a total of thirty-three people
• Rachel’s two sons had twelve sons which equaled fourteen people
• Bilhah’s two sons had ?ve sons which totaled seven people.
• Zilpah’s two sons had eleven sons and one daughter and two grandsons totaling sixteen persons
Thus the total of the sons and grandsons and the one daughter is seventy persons.
We see THE PEOPLE and . . .
II. THE PUNISHMENT
Exodus 1:8-22, we read, “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
Notice the Bible tells us that Pharaoh became fearful because Israel was growing in numbers and he was afraid they would outnumber them and take over. Verse 8 tells us this new Pharaoh had never heard of Joseph.
Illus: Do you know why Coca Cola and Pepsi advertise so much? It is because if they do not continue to tell the new generation, they will not know anything about these soft drinks.
Every generation has the responsibility to tell the next generation because if they do not, they will not know anything about the Josephs of the past.
The new Pharaoh saw these Jews living in Goshen, and they were getting larger in number and he decided to do something about it before they might take over. This king feared that the people were a threat to his nation and their way of life.
• The king feared their numbers and strength because Israel’s population was exploding, growing by leaps and bounds. They were becoming a mighty force of people, just by their sheer numbers. Remember, they were in Egypt over 400 years. It is believed at this time Israel’s population was 2.5 million.
• The king feared their joining forces with some enemy and attacking Egypt.
Today in America we hear a great deal about immigration. And this concerns a lot of folks.
Illus: Germany is having this problem now as they are taking Muslim immigrants into their country. These people are not interested in moving into a new land and assimilating into the new society. They want the society into which they came to blend in with them.
• They want to change the laws into their Sharia law
• They want everyone to learn to speak their language
• They want the women to dress as their women dress
It is always a great concern for immigrants to move into a new country. This new Pharaoh was concerned about Israel growing in large numbers.
WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS PHARAOH? Pharaoh is not a name, it is a title. The Bible does not tell us, it could have been Ramses I or his son, Seti I.
Verse 1, “Now there AROSE UP a new king over Egypt.” Notice the Bible tells us this new Pharaoh ROSE UP. The implication is that his rule was not past down from the other Pharaohs, he took it by power.
In verse 8, the Bible tells us about this new Pharaoh, “…which knew not Joseph.”
Verse 9-11, “And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.”
Perhaps the reason he felt they might overthrow him and the Egyptians was because that is how he got his power.
Verses 12-14, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.”
The word “rigour” means to BREAK TO PIECES. Then this Pharaoh came up with something even more evil.
Look at verses 15-18, “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”
They made the life of God’s people miserable. Let me summarize it to you:
• “Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens”
• “And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses.”
• “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour:”
• “And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.”
He drove them into slavery and gave them so much work their men should have been too tired to make their wives pregnant. It didn't work. The Hebrew women were fruitful and multiplied. Pharaoh was terrified the Hebrews would realize their strength and align with his enemies.
When all of this did not work, the new Pharaoh revealed how wicked he really was.
• And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which th name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.”
WHAT WAS THIS NEW PHARAOH SAYING? He summoned the two midwives. "Go about your work among the Hebrew slaves," he told them. "Tell them what to eat and how to breathe. Hold their hands through their pains if you think it's really worth it." Pharaoh's eyes grew narrow and his voice hard and deep, "But when they are delivered, if it is a male child, set it aside to die before its mother knows. The girls may live. But the boys must die."
Pharaoh condemned the Hebrews to worse than genocide. He believed in life after death, at least HIS life after death. He intended to live forever in the massive tomb his slaves were building.
But in those days the Hebrews did not believe in life after death. They believed a man lived only as long as his sons' and grandsons' memories. And Pharaoh intended they'd have no sons and no memories.
Why did this new Pharaoh want all the male children to be killed? Possibly for these reasons:
• Because they were the most capable of insurrection and war.
• Because the Hebrew women were fairer than the Egyptians, and so might be kept for the purposes of lust.
• Because the Hebrew women were industrious in spinning and needlework, and so were kept for service.
• Because if God had not allowed them to suffer in Egypt, perhaps they never would have wanted to leave Egypt.
But there were two mid-wives (Shiphrah and Puah) who feared God and would not do this. They were descendants of Issachar (Judges 10:1). They would not carry out the evil plan of this Pharaoh because they fear God more than they feared him.
WHY DO PEOPLE AND NATIONS PERSECUTE AND ENSLAVE OTHERS? There are primarily two reasons and both can be seen in Egypt’s enslavement of Israel.
(1) There was ignorance: the new king knew nothing about Joseph. In verse 8, we read, “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph...” Egypt was what it was because of this great man named Joseph, but he was totally ignorant of his greatness.
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.
(2) The king was also ignorant of Joseph’s people, Israel...
He was 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.
The point to see is that a deliberate attempt was being made to cut the population growth of Israel. The method chosen was vicious and cruel.
Illus: Pictures of the slave-masters have been found on wall paintings. They are seen standing over slaves, armed with “heavy whips.”
But the people overcame the persecution. How? By multiplying and bearing more and more children. In fact, the more the people were persecuted, the more they grew.
How was this possible when the Egyptians were in?icting so much suffering upon the people? There is only one answer: for God’s great promise to send the Promised Seed through Israel to be ful?lled, they must grow into a big powerful nation.
No man, not even the great Pharaohs and rulers of the earth, can stop God from ful?lling His promises to His people. Therefore, God gave the people of Israel the strength to conceive and bear children. God caused the people to multiply despite their exhaustion and suffering.
Pharaoh could not carry out the plan to kill all the male children. God had promise that not only would Israel be a great nation, but through Israel the SAVIOR OF THE WORLD WOULD COME. If all the male children had been killed, there would be:
• No King David
• No Son of God
God was not going to allow this to happen.
Conclusion:
The last thing this Pharaoh decreed was to have all the male babies drowned in the river Nile. But there was a baby put in the river and later he was snatched from death…HIS NAME IS MOSES!
God is a God that is in control of the events of our lives. The promises of God are irrevocable. He had promised the Promised Seed to Abraham, and the birth of a great nation of people.
We see . . .
I. THE PEOPLE
II. THE PUNISHMENT
