Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them lest they multiply, and if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field, in all their work they ruthlessly made them works as slaves. (1:8-14)
The new king of Egypt “did not know Joseph.” What does that mean? We don’t know how many generations are between Joseph and this new king, but did they not learn the history of their country in those days? History is so important to understand what is happening currently, whether in our lives, our country, or the world.
Whatever favour Joseph and his family/people would have had due to Joseph’s part in saving Egypt from the famine seems to have been lost over the years. Now the people of Israel are intimidating to this new king. Why? Because they might multiply, and if war breaks out, they might escape from the land. It seems that they were quite a work force even before they were enslaved, and necessary for the well-being of the Egyptian people or at least their king.
It appears that the king wanted to keep this labour force, but not let them get too numerous, so he saw to it that they were oppressed. But guess what? God’s math! Instead of their oppression managing to keep their numbers down, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad (Exodus 1:12).
When oppression didn’t work, the Egyptians tried slavery. But that didn’t seem to make a dent, so the king told the midwives, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live. But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live” (Exodus 1:16-17). They were rewarded by God for this – He gave them the gift of their own families.
Meanwhile, the people multiplied and grew very strong (Exodus 1:20). Exactly the opposite of what the king wanted.
As we read this story, we see that God was in control; the king of Egypt was not. He was trying to diminish the Hebrew population, but it was growing. However, even though we see God’s victory in this situation, there was still suffering going on, as the Israelites were being oppressed, then enslaved. This reminds me that while God is always in control, accomplishing His purposes, it might not feel very good to me in the moment. Or for years!
There have been some tough times in the recent past with government-imposed regulations and limitations during COVID. There are tough times now and perhaps ahead, but we can be confident that God is at work even if it feels uncomfortable, and that should give us some measure of peace. God will have His way.
Prayer: Thank you, God, that You are in control, and that You will have the victory. Help me to be patient and walk in step with your spirit even when my life feels challenging. Amen.
