EXODUS LESSON 2


     We will pick up this lesson in chapter one, verse twelve.

     Exodus 1:12 "But the more they afflicted them, the more they
multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of
Israel."

     This word "grieved" here actually means they greatly feared
the Israelites. It is very strange how many times God will send many
children to those who are oppressed. It is as if it is to compensate
for the lack in their lives. Poor families, even today, have more
children that the wealthy.

     Exodus 1:13 "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to
serve with rigour:"

     Here we see the anger of the Egyptians toward Joseph's family
shows up in the degree of hardship they bring to them.

     Exodus 1:14 "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."

     We see work beyond the normal. Perhaps instead of working 8 hours
a day, the work was probably extended from sunup to sundown, and in
Egypt it is very hot. Perhaps they were also required to carry heavy
bricks all day in this heat. We do know from history that a great wall
was begun that was to protect them from their enemies, but the wall
was never completed. This wall is not mentioned in the Bible, so this
is just supposition. All we are absolutely sure of, is that the work
was cruel because of its degree of hardness.

     Exodus 1:15  "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives,
of which the name of the one [was] Shiphrah, and the name of the other
Puah:"

     Exodus 1:16 "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: but if it [be] a daughter, then she shall
live."

     These midwives were like doctors of today. They assisted in the
birth of a child. This is an old profession, and many women prefer
them over a conventional doctor even today. Their function is to save
lives, but here we see the king ordering them to destroy all the boy
babies. Whether these midwives were Egyptian or Hebrew is unimportant.
"Shiphrah" seems to be a Hebrew name, and it means elegant or
beautiful. "Puah" means one who cries out. The stool mentioned here is
a special chair built for the purpose of child birth. We know the
midwife would be the first to see the child and would have the
opportunity to kill the baby. Here the king gave them a mandate.
Disobeying the king could cause them to lose their heads. If these
were Hebrew midwives, it is totally opposed to their respect for life.
As we have said before, children were believed to be blessings from
God and should not be destroyed.  In verse 17, we see a strong
statement indicating that these midwives feared God. This almost
certainly makes them Hebrew, because Egyptians knew little about the
real God.

     Exodus 1:17 "But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king
of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive."

     We see numerous Scriptures throughout the Bible telling us to
obey those in government, but we see a higher law than the government.
We must not break God's law to obey government. We are subject to the
law of the land and should be good citizens, but if in so doing we
break God's law, we must first obey God.

     Exodus 1:18 "And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and
said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men
children alive?"

     The anger of the king had been kindled toward these midwives.

     Exodus 1:19 "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."

     Here we see midwives facing their death, because they will not
kill these boy babies. This is the very thing martyrs are made of.
They were unwilling to go against what they believe, even if they know
they would be killed for their stand they have taken. They not
only were brave, but were smart as well. This was probably the only
excuse that Pharaoh would believe.

     Exodus 1:20 "Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the
people multiplied, and waxed very mighty."

      It appears from this Scriptures above, that God probably
softened the heart of the Pharaoh and caused him not to punish the
midwives. God controls all people, not just the ones who have decided
to follow Him. We see that Pharaoh's plan backfired on him and that
multiplying of the people went on without Pharaoh's blessing.

     Exodus 1:21 "And it came to pass, because the midwives feared
God, that he made them houses."

     Whether this means physical houses or whether this means God
blessed them with a family, we really do not know; but whatever it was,
it is a blessing abundantly from God. God overlooked them lying to the
Pharaoh's because they took no thought for themselves in sparing these
babies' lives.

     Exodus 1:22 "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every
son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye
shall save alive."

     This was like human sacrifice. The Nile River was worshipped by
the Egyptians. These Egyptian people would see the day when they would
regret the murdering of these babies, for the tenth plague would kill
their firstborn.

     Here again, I would like to look in the spirit to the
similarities to these Hebrews and Christians today. These Hebrews were
called to become a nation in Egypt (a type of the world). We believers
are first called while we are in the world. Just as Egypt was not the
home of these Hebrews, this world is not our home. We are in this
world, but we are not of this world. These Hebrews were longing to go
to the Promised Land; we believers in Christ are longing for the day
when we can go home, too. It seems in great adversity these Hebrews
grew the most. This is true of the church, as well. When we see great
prosperity, we drift away from God; but in adversity, our cry for help
is to our God who cares for us.

     These Hebrews had to wait until God's timing was right to remove
them. We Christians, even now, are crying out, "Come quickly Lord
Jesus".

     The church now, in my opinion, is going through a period of
lukewarmness. My heart tells me that God will allow whatever is
necessary to happen to get us off dead center. In wars, droughts,
economic failures, and natural disasters such as earthquakes; we get
down on our knees and ask God's help. Why do we wait until disaster
strikes to worship Him? Sin is slavery. When will we realize that this
earth is not our home, that we are just passing through this way? Our
home, if we are Christians, is in heaven. Somehow, we must get our
eyes off of the earthly and onto the heavenly. Perhaps the problems
that we have in life (as heavy as they are at times) are to cause us
to long for a better life, in a better place, where heartache does not
exist. I really believe our world has wandered so far away from God
that we will see such a time of hardship, such as we have never
experienced before. The hardship, about to occur, is to drive us to
our knees to beg our God for His help. We will repent, one way or the
other. God will go to any lengths to see that we do, God will not take
second place in our lives behind family, work, recreation, or anything
else. There is only one place He is satisfied with, and that is first.

     You see, these Hebrews in Goshen had decided that God would
automatically bless them. They had begun to be self-satisfied with
this peaceful farm life. They never dreamed the new king would not
honor their lifestyle, that Joseph had acquired for them. Complacency
is a dangerous thing. It matters not whether this complacency or self-
satisfaction is then or now. This is not pleasing to God in our
churches today. Just as these Hebrews will be delivered, we, too, can
be delivered, if we cry out to Jesus.

                                 notes




                          Exodus 2 Questions

1.  In verse 12, the more they afflicted them, the more they ---------
    ----.
2.  Who was grieved by this?
3.  What does "grieved" actually mean?
4.  What word describes the severity of their service?
5.  What 2 heavy substances were specifically mentioned in their
    building?
6.  From history, we know they were building what?
7.  What is a midwife?
8.  What did he instruct the midwives to do?
9.  What does the name "Shiphrah" mean?
10. What does "Puah" mean?
11. What one thing makes us believe these midwives were Hebrews?
12. Why did the midwives not do what the king asked them to?
13. When is the only time to disobey government?
14. When the king called the midwives to explain their action, what
    did they tell him?
15. What were these midwives willing to do so as not to disobey God?
16. Instead of the Hebrews decreasing, what happened?
17. We read because the midwives feared God, He made them what?
18. What was throwing these babies into the Nile River like?
19. Why?
20. Egypt symbolizes what?
21. When do the believers grow the most spiritually?
22. What are true believers crying about?
23. The author's opinion of the condition of the church today is what?
24. Sin is------------.
25. The terrible troubles we face here are for what purpose?
26. What position in our lives is where God demands to be?
27. In what area did these Hebrews live?
28. What is another name for complacency?
29. How can we be delivered?
30. What do you see is the basic message in this lesson?

                                 Notes