Exodus 1:8-16: Opposition to God’s People
Just because God is faithful in keeping his promises does not mean that everything will be plain sailing.
We are given a short but foreboding sentence in verse 8. “There arose a new king who did not know Joseph.” The past deliverance that God brought to the land of Egypt all those years previously has now been forgotten.
The new Pharaoh sees the increasing number of Israelites, and he fears that they might take over, or enter into an alliance with a foreign power and bring down Egypt’s superpower status. To Pharaoh God’s people are a threat, so he opposes them. They are put into forced labour (verse 10,11,13).
There is bitter hostility between Pharaoh and God’s covenant people. To make matters worse Pharaoh will have an additional plan (verse 15-16). He calls 2 of the Hebrew midwives to a meeting where he tells them they are now responsible for taking any sons born to the Hebrew women and murdering them.
This plan will ultimately fail, so Pharaoh will then call on the whole of Egypt to enact this awful attack (verse 22).
Where does this type of opposition come from? Was it just that the Egyptian king didn’t know what Joseph had done for Egypt? Did it stem from his fear that the number of Hebrews could mean Egypt would lose power? Or does the answer go even deeper?
The answer is found in the one at work in this present dark age. Satan is at enmity with the seed of the woman. Back in Genesis in chapter 3:15, after the Fall, God pronounces the curse, and we are told that there are 2 kingdoms at war. The kingdom of the promised seed will be in opposition to the kingdom of the serpent. Christ’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom are in opposition.
As God’s people we should not be surprised at the opposition we face as we live in a fallen world. The world hates us because they hate Jesus. But we also know that God keeps his promises and delivers those that he has set his love upon.
Questions
- What kinds of opposition do you face?
- What great hope do we have as we go through opposition (Genesis 3:15)?
Prayer Points
- Pray for Christians being persecuted in other countries.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.