God's People

"Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much 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 labor, 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 hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly." Exodus 1:8-14

We're starting a new study of Exodus with our small group this week. I thought if I got the chance, I would post some of it here, as I find the book of Exodus very encouraging and fascinating.

Here in these first few verse we see just how much these people are blessed by God. They are slaves of Egypt, yet the Israelites work hard, worship their God, and are rewarded for their diligence. Even though they are an oppressed people, God helps them to multiply and grow in number. They are worked to the bone, yet they persevere and are rewarded with good health and families. And I imagine, that each night in their prayers they prayed for deliverance from their oppressors.

As these people worked hard as slaves, they also became very strong. The King of Egypt began to fear the Israelites, for he knew, that all they needed to do was take up arms against him, and he would fall. In his fear, he ordered that the boy babies be killed, so that they too, wouldn't grow up to be so strong. Yet God still protected his people. The babies lives were spared as well, and as we will see in the chapters to come, the people relied on God, and this reliance will ultimately cause great fear in the eyes of the king.

The thing that I keep thinking of here, is that even though the Israelites were in a bad situation as slaves, they still worshipped God. They still relied on God and his protection over themselves and their families. I can't imagine being in that kind of a situation, and still praising God for his protection and provision. That shows the heart of these people which God has claimed as his very own. I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what God does to protect them and keep them.