Slices
Prepare
Ponder the words of this hymn: ‘Great is Thy faithfulness! / Great is Thy faithfulness! / Morning by morning new mercies I see; / All I have needed Thy hand hath provided / Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me’ (Thomas Chisholm, 1866–1960).
Bible passage
The Israelites oppressed
1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 ‘Look,’ he said to his people, ‘the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.’
11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labour, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labour in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labour, the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 ‘When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.’ 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. 18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, ‘Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?’
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, ‘Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.’
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: ‘Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.’
Explore
The Bible says God is faithful, but it’s sometimes hard to see, isn’t it? Today’s reading sees the Israelites fruitful and increasing in number (vs 7,12,20). But it isn’t easy: a new king feared their growing numbers (v 9), increased their work and, eventually, called for all male Israelite babies to be killed (vs 16,22). Some of our Christian brothers and sisters are persecuted in similar ways around the world – why not pray for them now?*
Notice how, in the midst of pain and oppression, God continues to be at work: in the brave and courageous midwives, who disobey Pharaoh’s orders because they feared God more (vs 17,19,21), and also in the Israelites more generally (v 20). These midwives are inspiring! At this time in the Israelites’ story, they will not have had lots of teaching about God to depend on as we may have – and yet, they feared God and acted in faith.
*See www.opendoorsuk.org for stories and ideas of how to pray
Respond
How can you see God at work in the challenging situations that you face today? Is there anything that God might be pointing you to be courageous in, as he did with the midwives?
Deeper Bible study
Reflect on the years of your life. For God’s faithfulness, praise him; for areas of fruitfulness, give thanks; for problems that seem overwhelming, cry out to him.
Genesis closes with Joseph in a coffin in Egypt.1 Exodus opens with the names of Joseph’s family who went down to Egypt (v 1) and continues the story of God’s dealings with these descendants of Abraham. This opening chapter of Exodus thus carries echoes of Genesis.
When they entered Egypt, ‘The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy’ (v 5) – an insignificant minority but, nevertheless, a favoured one, thanks to Joseph’s good standing with Pharaoh. Four hundred years later, they have become an ‘exceedingly fruitful’ minority (v 7, italics added). In Eden, God had blessed humankind, saying, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it’;2 Abraham was promised descendants as numerous as the stars.3 This blessing is now being realised in Egypt, where the Israelites ‘multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them’ (v 7). Four times we are reminded how ‘numerous’ they are (vs 7,9,10,20) – so numerous that the Egyptians grow fearful (v 10). The fruitful minority is now a feared minority! God had said, ‘Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky …’,4 but, as slaves on foreign soil, they will not rule but be ruled over by ‘a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing’ (v 8). The Israelites quickly become an oppressed minority (vs 11–14). Yet, despite lives made ‘bitter with harsh labour’ (v 14), they remain fruitful, although it would hardly be surprising if they were also fearful.
The story of the Hebrew midwives is a shining example of a faithful minority whose fear of God trumps all other fears (v 17). God’s favour continues – and the Israelites continue to flourish in the inhospitable soil in which they are planted (vs 20,21).
Be comforted and take courage in God’s assurance that ‘the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline’.5
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 45,46; Matthew 16
Pray for Scripture Union
Neil Jackson, Mission Enabler in the north-east and Yorkshire, asks us to pray for Faith Guide William who is a skilled footballer. He is hoping to use this as a way of connecting with families in the area. Pray for the development of good relationships and a growing sense of community.
