Government programs quickly prove that they are no match against God's people.
We saw in the previous post that it looks like God is blessing his people as they settle down in Egypt but it didn't take very long for all of that to change. The appreciation for Joseph was gone as the Egyptians and the Pharaoh's attitude changed from thankfulness to fear. We will see today that Godless people can quickly become capable of outrageous and cruel behavior.
All of a sudden the Hebrews went from freedom to slavery in the land that they called home for hundreds of years. This generation was born in Egypt and this is the only home that they have ever known so it was incredible to them to suddenly become slaves. It's pretty amazing that the government decided the majority of the people living in Egypt were dangerous to the minority so somehow they transitioned the majority into slaves.
Exodus 1:11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.
We are not talking about making them become household servants of the ruling class, this was full on abusive slavery that took away all of their rights, this harsh treatment was probably an attempt to downsize the population by survival of the fittest.
Government Programs
Ill conceived government programs quickly prove that they are no match against God's purpose for his people. The oppression didn't slow down the growth of the Hebrew population despite the demands of the new government program.
Exodus 1:13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.
Pharaoh's godless actions cannot change the fearful situation that he is trying to fix. Instead of admitting they were wrong the government program was expanded and became more harsh as he extends the government program to include infanticide.
Civil Disobedience
It seems incredible that such an important government leader of one of the greatest nations in the world is not named in our Bibles but we do know two of the midwives by name. We don't know which Pharaoh was in charge at the time but the Bible tells us about Shiphrah and Puah.
The irony of it all is that God chose to bless the midwives by giving them children, so instead of them killing Hebrew boys, they probably gave birth to their own boys. The man with the political and military power didn't stand a chance of being successful against lowly women with God on their side.
Pharaoh's Servant or God's Servant
Your government leaders and their programs may change and you may find yourself threatened as a result but we have the only God that is truly powerful and in complete control of our destiny. Pharaoh's plans that were meant for evil are going to be used for God's good purpose, does that sound familiar? (Genesis 45:5, 50:20)
We have a choice to make everyday, we can serve God and be a part of his purpose and plans that cannot fail or we can serve any number of other choices that Satan has to offer. We need to keep in mind that the decision will be more difficult on days when Satan seeks to intimidate us.
The perspective of the Hebrew midwives should be our model. While they did not understand all that was going on, they did fear God, and they refused to obey the orders of Pharaoh when they were contrary to the will of God.
The midwives were obedient at a time when God's silence didn't give them a boost in their faith. Their faithfulness in adversity should inspire us to follow their example even as our world becomes more oppressive to God's people.
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Pharaoh’s Fears and Israel’s Faith
(bible.org)
