05-11-08
(Exo 1:1-7)
Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came
into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon,
Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and
Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy
souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his
brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful,
and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding
mighty; and the land was filled with them. 1.
Commentary:
The word Exodus means “a way out.” This activity may best be described in a
figure when Israel crossed the Red Sea thereby escaping Egyptian bondage. The
Israelites were servants and slaves in Egypt from 1875 B.C. to 1445 B.C. After
430 years of bondage, they were led out of Egypt by a pillar of fire by night
and a pillar of cloud by day (Exo 13:21,22). 2.
The Full Life Study Bible:
“increased abundantly” The Israelites multiplied greatly according to the
promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, growing to such an extent that
when they left Egypt they numbered about 600,000 men beside women and children
(Ex 12:37). [Estimates are that the children of Israel numbered from
2,500,000 to 3,000,000 in total when they crossed the Red Sea.] (Exo 1:8-10)
Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.
And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are
more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them;
lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they
join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out
of the land [i.e. for their freedom]. 1. King James Bible Commentary: “The people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we” declares that Israel was more numerous and powerful than policies for Egyptian security could tolerate. [Just like the presence of our numerically overwhelming Christian majority in this secular country of the United States of America.] They feared the consequences of a war in which Israel might side with their invaders. [As will be the case, for example, or most probable scenario when the Lord Jesus Christ returns (invades this world) at the Second Coming.] (Exo 1:11-14)
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them
with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom
and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and
grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And
the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they
made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in
brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein
they made them serve, was with rigour. 1.
afflict = Heb: [through the idea of looking down or browbeating]; to
depress:--abase self, afflict (-ion, self), chasten self, deal hardly with,
defile, exercise, force, humble (self), hurt, ravish, submit self, weaken, X in
any wise. 2.
rigour = Heb: to break apart; fracture, i.e. severity:--cruelty, rigour. THE
FIRST TIME SATAN TRIED TO DESTROY GOD’S CHILDREN (Exo 1:15-20)
And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the
name of the one was Shiphrah [brightness /// to glisten: X goodly],
and the name of the other Puah [to glitter: brilliancy]:
And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see
them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him
[Why? Males were a threat as possible warriors]: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live [Why? Women
would make acceptable slaves]. But the
midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but
saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the [Hebrew]
midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the
men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women
are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are
delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with
the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 1.
stools = Heb: a pair of stones (only dual); a potter's wheel or a
midwife's stool (consisting alike of two horizontal disks with a support
between):--wheel, stool. 2.
lively = Heb: vigorous:--lively /// to live whether lit. or fig.; causat,
to revive:--keep (leave, make) alive, X certainly, give (promise) life, (let,
suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore
(to life), revive, (X God) save (alive, life, lives), X surely, be whole. (Exo 1:21,22)
And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made
them houses [i.e., gave them children, families, and descendants].
And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son [of
the Israelites, of course] that is born ye shall
cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. THE
SECOND TIME SATAN TRIED TO DESTROY GOD’S CHILDREN (Mat 2:13-16)
And when they were departed [the wise men from presenting
their gifts], behold, the angel of the Lord
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his
mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word:
for Herod [“sight” an Idumite symbolic of “the flesh”]
will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child
and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death
of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he
saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and
slew all the [male] children
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and
under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the
wise men. THE
THIRD TIME SATAN TRIED TO DESTROY GOD’S CHILDREN Commentary:
Roe vs. Wade. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court rendered a
landmark decision regarding abortion. According
to the Roe decision, most laws against abortion in the United States violated
a constitutional right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment. The decision overturned all state and federal laws
outlawing or restricting abortion that were inconsistent with its holdings. Roe
vs. Wade is one of the most controversial and politically significant cases in
U.S. Supreme Court history. In this third attempt by Satan to destroy God’s
children, he has further expanded the target of his efforts to include all
children – lots of collateral damage. The approximate number of
induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million.
The entire population of Pinellas County is just short of 1 million. 1.
Commentary:
Why is Satan trying so consistently to destroy God’s children? 2.
(Rom 8:18,19) For I reckon
that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation [disclosure:--appearing, coming, lighten, be revealed, revelation]
of the sons of God. Amen |