Introduction
Chapter 1
The people of Israel, also called the children of Israel, Israelites or Hebrews, and much later Jews (from the kingdom of Judah) are the descendants of Jacob, who received from God the name of Israel (Genesis 32:24-30).
Jacob's family had moved to the land of Goshen, in Egypt, around 1872 BC, at the invitation of Pharaoh, in gratitude for the help that Joseph, a son of Jacob, had rendered him (Genesis 45:17-20) .
According to archaeologists, the Egyptians had been invaded by some Semite princes from the east called Hyksos, who ruled Egypt, especially the northern part, for several centuries, of which there were three dynasties of kings, or pharaohs.It was during this time that Jacob and his family moved to Egypt.
Their descendants multiplied and become a great people, who lived in isolation from the Egyptians, for they had a different culture, language and religion, and occupied the rich pasture land of Goshen, northeast of the great cities of Egypt.
The Hyksos were finally expelled around 1600 BC and the hereditary princes of Thebes occupied the throne, forming a new dynasty. Great warriors, they expanded their empire in Asia Minor to the Euphrates, and annexed the Sudan (named Cush in the Bible). They knew not Joseph, they were enemies of the Hyksos whom Joseph had enriched and owed nothing to him or his race.
One of their pharaohs (Amenotepe 1-1546 -1525 BC or Tutmoses 1 - 1525-1508 BC), worried at the crowd of Israelites which occupied part of his territory (estimated at over two million people), isolated from the rest of the population, pondered to the Egyptians that the people of the children of Israel was now more numerous and stronger than them: growing this way, if one day an enemy people went to war against Egypt, the Israelites might ally themselves with them, fight against the Egyptians and end up leaving the land.
It is to be noticed that the pharaoh was not afraid that the Israelites themselves would start a war, or that they might covet land in Egypt, but his fear was that they might use the opportunity of a war caused by other people to leave Egypt.We deduce that they were a peaceful and hardworking people, who longed to one day be able to leave Egypt and return to their land: the same features as we continue to find in the Jewish people scattered around the world throughout history.
The pharaoh was of a dynasty that was devoted to building grand temples, palaces, and cities, which required massive manpower. It is likely that many Israelites were already working in these buildings, and if they left, they would be sorely missed.
So to prevent the Israelites from becoming a threat, the Egyptians enslaved them, forcing them to work in the constructions, under foremen controlled by Egypt (slavery was practiced on a large scale at the time, mostly to make use of the peoples they conquered at war, which were then submitted to captivity). The Israelites had until then been an independent free people, mostly shepherds and cattlemen, but among them there were experts in the trades of their time, such as carpenters, jewellers, scribes, builders, and so on. All had now to submit to the Egyptian taskmasters, who led large groups of labour force.
The Hebrew word for afflict (Exodus 1:11) is the same used in the prophecy of these events made to Abraham centuries earlier (Genesis 15:13). At that time God had told Abraham “your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.”These were three events that were fulfilled in this chapter.
They built for the Egyptians the supply cities of Pithom (also called Succoth) and Raamses. The ruins of Pithom were discovered by archaeologists in 1883. There grain storage buildings made of bricks were found, one part of which were made without straw. The city called Rameses has been equally well identified by archaeologists, and it became the special residence of Rameses II, second in importance to Thebes. Its ruins consist of large piles of bricks made of Nile clay, dried in the sun.In many cases the clay is mixed with straw to give it more consistency. Many, of course, were shaped by the hands of Israelis.
Despite their new status as mere slaves, the Israelites continued to multiply and spread. The uneasy Egyptians increased their tyranny and their requirements.
The king of Egypt took steps to slow the growth of people: he called two Hebrew midwives (supervisors), called Shiphrah(Beauty)and Puah(Splendid),and told them to kill boys as they were born, but to allow girls to live.If it worked out, this control would eventually result in the disappearance of the people, for women would die unmarried, or would be married to Egyptians. But the midwives did not obey the king and excused themselves saying that they could not arrive on time!So God blessed them and they had their own families (husbands and children from their own people).
The midwives feared God more than the cruel Pharaoh. This gave them courage to take a firm stand against what they knew to be wrong.In this situation, it was right to disobey the established authority, because when there is a conflict between what is commanded by God and human authority, we must obey God (Acts 5:29). We have many examples of this in the Bible, like Esther and Mordecai (Esther 3:2, 4:13-16), the companions of Daniel (Daniel 3:16-18), and so on.
And the people increased and became very strong.
Perhaps in desperation, the Pharaoh ordered the Egyptians to cast all the male children born to the Hebrews in the Nile themselves, but to let their daughters live.
Many see in this another diabolical attempt to cut the divine lineage that would lead to the birth of the Lord Jesus. We find many others through the Old Testament, and also in the New.
There have been numerous attempts to destroy the people of Israel throughout history, and it is interesting to see how anti-Semitism has spread worldwide. Their origin is satanic, so no true believer in the Lord Jesus (who was Jewish in his humanity) should participate in them.
The Roman Catholic institution, calling itself Christian, but far away from the teaching of the Word of God, gave another proof of its heresy by becoming one of the biggest enemies of the Jews, and persecuted them relentlessly during the Middle Ages. It is not admissible that anyone who really knows the history of this unique people becomes anti-Semitic. The Bible tells us that its last persecutor will be the beast, also called the Antichrist (Daniel 7:25).
As we shall see, the decree of Pharaoh had no effect and was soon forgotten. But this evil, as so often happens, resulted in good for it gave rise to the special circumstances which led to a Hebrew child to be educated in the palaces of the king of Egypt himself, and to be taught by the best teachers of that time. This child, Moses, after he became a mature and experienced man, was used by God to free the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt and to lead them for forty years before they entered the promised land.
R David Jones
1. Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:
:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already).
6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
Exo 1:9 And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;
10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land."
Exo 1:11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens.
And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;
16 and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?"
19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them."
20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."
Exodus chapter 1