A few thoughts on Exodus Chapter 1
In the first few verses we are told why the Israelites are thrown into captivity/bondage. They were enjoying the fruits of Joseph as the king had shown them favor because of him. However, once that generation had passed away and a new king came into power who did not know about Joseph, the party was over so to speak. This new king was intimidated by the sheer number of the Israelites. That is what he feared the most! He did not fear them as a people, but rather he feared them because with their numbers, he thought they could/would overthrow him. From these verses it is probably safe to say that this king was filled with pride rather than humility. So much so that all he could focus on was how to diminish the number of the Israelites. His first plan - throwing them into hard, ruthless work - did not go so well. The Israelites were able to stand under the pressure and not only did they stand but they were multiplied, they were increased in number! So, instead of realizing that God wanted the Israelites to flourish he decided to come up with another plan. This time he decided instead of killing them off by working them to death he would just kill the boys as soon as they were born. No boys meant that the Israelites would eventually dwindle to very small numbers and finally none if he kept it up long enough. However, he overestimated his power. He thought he could control the midwives to do as he said. They feared God and did not do it! Not only that, but again God saw fit to increase them in number! Talk about two failed attempts on behalf of the king! You would think that would make him open his eyes, but no. Again he has devised a plan to get rid of them. This time he wants to get rid of the boys by having them put into the Nile. We both know that one didn't work out to his liking either.
In all of this I saw a few things that really struck me:
1. They went from living well and having favor shown to them, to living in captivity under a king who wanted to kill them off. Their lives were definitely turned upside down. Everything they knew, everything they had lived prior to that was stripped from them and they were thrown into a very hostile environment.
2. Despite all of that, it is completely obvious that God did not abandon them. He thwarted every man devised scheme to get rid of them. The king did not see that though, he was determined to do evil - and Yahweh was determined to do good. You can see how that played out and who won!
3. From the point of view of the king it is seen how dangerous and blinding pride can be. To have faith within your own power is not a good thing. It is humility that brings us before our Creator, it is humility that brings us to our knees. Humility is such a vital thing...selfishness and pride cannot be what leads us and I definitely would not want to be in the king's shoes especially since we know what takes place.
When I read this it caused me to meditate on the work of Satan in the life of the Believer. Satan is classified as an imposter in the life of the convert because once one accepts the work of the stake and turns their life over to the Messiah, Jesus becomes their King. Satan however tries to come in as a "NEW" king (impersonated) He thinks he is the king and seeks to make us think he is the king. This "NEW" king doesn't KNOW (understand) the work of the Messiah and what he did for the believer and so comes in trying to "steal, kill, and destroy the "strength" and "might" of Yahshua's disciples who are growing in number fast which intimidates him. Satan considers the possibility of what they might be able to do if they grow in their christian walk and so throws all kinds of turmoil, trials, and temptations to weaken them in some way. Though the life of the believer isn't easy and oftentimes feel as though the way is full of bitter hard labor, if they endure until the end their strength will be multiplied.
In all of this I saw a few things that really struck me:
1. They went from living well and having favor shown to them, to living in captivity under a king who wanted to kill them off. Their lives were definitely turned upside down. Everything they knew, everything they had lived prior to that was stripped from them and they were thrown into a very hostile environment.
2. Despite all of that, it is completely obvious that God did not abandon them. He thwarted every man devised scheme to get rid of them. The king did not see that though, he was determined to do evil - and Yahweh was determined to do good. You can see how that played out and who won!
3. From the point of view of the king it is seen how dangerous and blinding pride can be. To have faith within your own power is not a good thing. It is humility that brings us before our Creator, it is humility that brings us to our knees. Humility is such a vital thing...selfishness and pride cannot be what leads us and I definitely would not want to be in the king's shoes especially since we know what takes place.
When I read this it caused me to meditate on the work of Satan in the life of the Believer. Satan is classified as an imposter in the life of the convert because once one accepts the work of the stake and turns their life over to the Messiah, Jesus becomes their King. Satan however tries to come in as a "NEW" king (impersonated) He thinks he is the king and seeks to make us think he is the king. This "NEW" king doesn't KNOW (understand) the work of the Messiah and what he did for the believer and so comes in trying to "steal, kill, and destroy the "strength" and "might" of Yahshua's disciples who are growing in number fast which intimidates him. Satan considers the possibility of what they might be able to do if they grow in their christian walk and so throws all kinds of turmoil, trials, and temptations to weaken them in some way. Though the life of the believer isn't easy and oftentimes feel as though the way is full of bitter hard labor, if they endure until the end their strength will be multiplied.
posted by Monica at 1:31 PM
1 Comments:
Good post.
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