Exodus 1:8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.
Joseph ended up in Egypt because of his brothers’ treachery, but Egypt was exactly where the Israelites needed to be in order to grow into a powerful nation. If they had stayed in Canaan, they would have intermarried, and their faith would have been diluted.
Exodus 1:9-10 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 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.”
For centuries, that worked well for all involved, but now there is a new Pharaoh, one who has no knowledge of Joseph, one who is concerned about the number of Israelites in Egypt. However, even with oppression and forced labor, the Israelites continue to grow as a nation.
Exodus 1:11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
Lord of the searching, Thank You that there are sources of commentary to help me understand what I read, to help me think about what I believe to be true. Thank You for this example in Exodus of growth, even when times are tough. Help me, with every word, to draw closer to You, to understand You a little better, to love and trust You even more. Help me, Jesus. Amen.
Exodus 1:12-13 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly.
Have a blessed day.