Read Exodus 1:1-2:10

The Israelites find themselves in a difficult situation as the book of Exodus opens. God has been
faithful to His people and stood by His promise that He made to Abraham all the way back in
Genesis 15:5

“He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed
you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” The way that God is
blessing the Israelites makes the new leader in Egypt uncomfortable, envious, maybe even
scared. The new king is so concerned about the rapid growth of the Israelites that he gives two
strict orders to oppress them and stop their growth.

First, he orders their enslavement in Exodus 1:11. Next, the king of Egypt orders that the
midwives kill every Israelite boy that is born in Exodus 1:16. Make no mistake, this is genocide
against God’s people. The quickest way to wipe out all the Israelites is to make sure there are no
more males to reproduce. There’s a great lesson and reminder here for us that any time God is
moving in the lives of His people, there will be opposition. God is fulfilling His promise to the
Israelites and making them into a great nation that is as numerous as the stars in the sky. Yet as
He does, the Egyptians are trying to stop God’s promise from being fulfilled. This struggle will
set the stage for the first half of this book of the Bible. Who will ultimately prevail, God or
Pharoah?

One issue in the book of Exodus that we will see is the wrath of God against the Egyptians. At
first glance, it can seem like God is being cruel to punish the Egyptians and even kill some of
them. But for us to understand the book of Exodus in its context, we have to recognize that the
Egyptians have not just waged war and oppressed the Israelites, they have directly sinned
against God and challenged His strength and ability to fulfill His promise to the Israelite people.
I want to encourage you with this last thought, it could seem like God is absent or distant from
His people right now in this time of need. However, we see God working behind the scenes in
several different ways. First, as the slave labor gets worse, the Israelites continue to grow.

Nothing can get in the way of God’s promise! Second, the Hebrew midwives fear God and
choose to be on His side of this battle, lying to Pharoah about their ability to kill the boys. Lastly,
we see the faith of Moses’ mother to put her son into the Nile River. She is releasing control and
trusting God with the fate of her son and as we’ll see, this faith will pay off. You and I can have
faith that in the worst of circumstances, our God is working behind the scenes. He hears and
sees the struggle of His people and He is working for our good and His glory, even when the
timeline or events wouldn’t match what we would have wanted.

Questions to consider.
1. Take a minute and list some ways that you have felt personal opposition as you try to
grow in your faith? How can the Israelites story encourage you in moments where you
feel opposition?

2. Have you ever felt like you were in a difficult situation and God felt distant or absent?
What can encourage you about the Israelites story when they were in this situation?

3. One thing that can be humbling to me is that the person I am most like in this story is
Pharoah, I have challenged God and rejected Him because of my sinful heart. The
punishment I deserved for that was put on Jesus. Take some time in prayer and thank
God that Jesus was willing to take on the fullness of God’s wrath as he died on the cross.