Israelites Enslaved (MP 34)

Troubles began as soon as Joseph died;
Israelites spread o’er choice Egyptian soil;
Their numbers grew fast and wealth multiplied;
God blessed the Hebrews’ industry and toil!
Pharaohs who knew not Joseph were alarmed,
And resolved to limit their spread and size;
“Kill the boys, but let not the girls be harmed,”
Their midwives were ordered, to slow the rise!
All Hebrews were enslaved to work for the kings;
With brick and mortar, pyramids were built,
Tombs and shrines, cities; other wondrous things,
Beaten and driven to the ruthless hilt!
But the more mistreated, the more they grew,
God being determined to see them through!

Scripture Quoted (NIV)
Exodus 1:11-14—“So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. 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 1:23—“Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: ‘Every boy that is born, you must throw him in the Nile, but let every girl live.’ “

Commentary on Genesis 47 through Excdus 1 (NIV)
God spoke to Jacob at night while still in the Promised Land and assured him that it was in His Master Plan that Jacob and family move to Egypt. God promised to be with them in Egypt, make them a mighty nation, and bring them back to Canaan (See Genesis 46:3-4). The Israelites arrived in Egypt about 1880 B.C., settling in Goshen near the city they built while under slavery called Rameses. According to archeological evidence, Joseph lived in a large villa in the area near them in retirement; his tomb has been found absent skeletal remains, for his bones were carried back to Canaan by the Israelites. Egyptian history identifies a new regime called “Hykos” took over the rule of Egypt about 1690 B.C., which is likely the “Pharaoh who did not know about Joseph” (See Exodus 1:8), and when the enslavement of the Israelites began; this was 190 years after their arrival. They left Egypt for Canaan in the exodus after a total of 430 years in Egypt (See Exodus 12:40), which means their ruthless oppression lasted 240 years. It is horrible to think about.

While Joseph still lived and reigned, Jacob died in Egypt at the age of 147. Jacob blessed his 12 sons before he died, and Judah was told the “scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his knees” (See Genesis 49:10), which is a prophecy that Jesus (God) will come from the tribe of Judah about 1900 years later. After Jacob’s death a huge funeral procession made up of Egyptian officials and Jacob’s sons and family members carried his body back to Canaan to be buried in the field bought by Abram from a Hittite, where he and Sarai were already interred. They mourned for seven days, which made a great impression on the surrounding Canaanites.

The Hykos Pharaoh wished to stop the growth of Israelite fighting men, so he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the babies born if they were boys, but to let the girls live. The midwives obeyed God and did not kill the boys, and God blessed them by giving them children of their own, When called on the carpet by Pharaoh, the midwives told him the baby boys were born before they arrived, and he did not punish them. The Israelites kept growing in number and spreading, so the Pharaoh ordered all Egyptian people to throw the newborn boys in the Nile to drown. This was the policy for more than 200 years.

All this time Israelite men, women, and children worked at hard labor on two or three treasure storage cities, in the fields, and were ruthlessly killed, beaten and used. Nevertheless, God blessed them, and they kept on growing in number and spreading.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)