Exodus 1 “God is Greater Than Us”

Exodus 1 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:

• Sanctus Real – Confidence
• Sovereign Over Us – Aaron Keyes
• No Longer Slaves – Bethel Music, Jonathan & Melissa Helser

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Exodus 1: How the Israelites Became Slaves in Egypt – Story for Kids
• My God Is So Big (introducing Grayson the Elephant) – Song for Kids
• I Will Not Be Afraid | Roar VBS | Outback Rock VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• He Comforts Us | Treasured VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth arelocated in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

The Exodus, the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, and the settlement in Canaan were the most important historical events for the people of Israel. These events clearly showed who the God they believed in was and why He had chosen them as His chosen people. Therefore, they cherished these historical events and frequently recalled them.

The author first explains the reason why the Israelites came to live in Egypt. Verses 1 through 5 are a summary of the latter part of Genesis. Verses 6 and 7 summarize the fact that after the first generation of immigrants who moved to Egypt died, their descendants multiplied. The phrase “the land was filled with them” (verse 7) is a rhetorical expression meaning “the population increased.” In this way, verses 1 through 7 are a summary of events that took place over more than four hundred years.

According to historians, ancient Egypt was not ruled by a single ethnic group maintaining a continuous dynasty, but by various peoples who took turns holding power. The dynasty in place when Jacob led his family down to Egypt differed from the dynasty of the “new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing” mentioned in verse 8. Historians estimate that this king was likely Ramses II (1290–1224 B.C.).

The phrase “to whom Joseph meant nothing” (verse 8) means that the new king did not acknowledge Joseph’s contributions. He viewed the Israelites flourishing in Egypt as a potential threat (verses 9–10). The first measure the new king took against the Israelites’ potential threat was oppression. He forced the Israelites to work on special construction projects for storing grain (verse 11). However, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied, and the more they multiplied, the harsher the king’s oppression became (verses 12–14).

When the policy of oppression failed to achieve its purpose, the king of Egypt ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn boys (verses 15–16). However, even after receiving the king’s command, the midwives did not carry it out (verse 17). The author explains that they did so because they “feared God.” The king of Egypt, an absolute monarch, was someone whom everyone feared and trembled before. However, these two women feared God even more and thus risked their lives to practice disobedience. Later, when Pharaoh summoned and questioned them, they cleverly responded and avoided the crisis (verses 18–19).

The author records that because the midwives “feared God,” God blessed them by making their households prosper (verse 21) and caused the Israelites to multiply even more (verse 20). In response, Pharaoh played his final card: he commanded that every newborn Hebrew boy be thrown into the river to die (verse 22).

Meditation:

The Israelites, who had been called to the land of Canaan, moved down to Egypt due to a severe famine, settled there, and began to flourish. The calling God had given Abraham seemed to have been completely forgotten over more than four hundred years. It appeared as though the plan God had begun through Abraham had been frustrated. Memories of the land of Canaan faded, and the Israelites seemed to be assimilating into Egypt as just another minority people group. The stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, passed down from the first generation of immigrants, were likely becoming nothing more than legends.

Later, it became clear that the reason God had kept the Israelites in Egypt for over four hundred years was to allow them to grow into a nation in a land where they were not threatened. Now, Israel was ready to be established as a nation, and the land of Canaan had entered a period of turmoil, becoming a land without a strong owner. The time was ripe for God to move the newly formed nation of Israel into Canaan and establish them as a kingdom of priests. It was now time to begin a new chapter in history.

God began a new history by using the malice of the newly established king of Egypt. When the new king rose to power, denied all the merits Joseph had accomplished, and began to oppress the Israelites, the people must have trembled in fear. When the command was issued to throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the river, they must have thought, “This is the end!” At that time, they did not realize that this was, paradoxically, God’s hand pushing them out of their comfort and assimilation in Egypt to establish them as a kingdom of priests.

We cannot know whether what is happening right now is a blessing or a disaster. However, if we remain in God, what now seems like a disaster will ultimately be a blessing. If we are outside God, even what appears to be a blessing now will ultimately become a disaster. The God we believe in is the One who fulfills His will even by using human malice.

Prayer:

Lord, please hold our hearts steady so that we do not be swayed by the things happening around us. Help us to place our faith in you and to walk steadfastly, whether the days are bright or stormy, whether the path is smooth or rough. Help us to trust completely in you, who are greater than our thoughts and plans. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God is greater than any problem we face. Even when things seem scary or out of control, God quietly works behind the scenes to fulfill His promises and bless His people. We can trust Him completely.

• For Preschool-Elementary
  • When the new king in Egypt was mean to the Israelites, do you think God forgot about them? Why or why not?
  • Have you ever felt scared when something bad happened? How can you remember that God is bigger than your fear?
  • What are some ways we can trust God when we don’t understand what is happening?

• For Youth
  • Why do you think God sometimes lets hard or scary things happen before He shows His plan?
  • In what ways might God be using a challenging situation in your life to prepare you for something greater?
  • How can you practice trusting God’s plan, even when your current situation feels more like a problem than a blessing?