Persecution from Egyptian

Exodus 1:8-22; 9/21/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

From ancient times to the present, God’s children have never been without persecution while living as sojourners in the world.  Pharaoh’s persecution of the Israelites was probably the first persecution in history.  Why was this so? Actually, it was because ”The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)”   Let’s look at the first point:

A new king arose in Egypt

Faith is unchanging, but dynasties are subject to change and instability.  The succession of new kings inevitably brings about a shift in the leadership and ministers of each dynasty.  Consequently, the political landscape will naturally be different, even radically different.  First, one king is not the same as another.  Records of Egypt’s pharaonic dynasties are not very detailed.  While archaeological evidence abounds, historical conclusions are limited.  As a result, while we can see many artifacts in museums, it’s difficult to find truly detailed historical documents.  When Joseph was prime minister, the pharaohs in Egypt were likely the 18th Dynasty, established around 1550 B.C. by the Hyksos, a foreign tribe.  The new king mentioned in the Bible was likely Ramses II, who came four hundred years later.  His daughter was Moses’ adoptive mother, but unfortunately, there is little historical documentation about him.  By this time, it would have been the 20th Dynasty, around 1186 B.C.  Importantly, Joseph, the man the Israelites relied on when they arrived in Egypt, was no longer relevant.

Secondly, there is insecurity and worry.  Human insecurity comes from Adam, and the wages of sin is death.  With a dead relationship with God, one inevitably becomes uneasy about everything, people, and things.  Joseph brought shelter to his family and provided a safe haven in the land of Goshen.  Over time, Joseph became an idol in the hearts of the Israelites, who felt that as long as they had Joseph, everything would be fine.  Little did they know that Joseph would one day expire and become a thing of the past.  Joseph’s influence on Egypt was, at best, that of a pharaoh.  Moreover, over 400 years had passed, and things had changed dramatically!  Meanwhile, insecurity and worry were not limited to the Israelites; the Egyptians also suffered from it.  The Israelites were multiplying, and they remain so to this day.  The Israelites’ strength is evident to all, both today and in the past.

Finally, deceit and caution.  Anxiety and worry will always breed a deceitful life.  Egypt’s population at the time was about 1.5 million, not even as large as the Israelites’, or even equal in number, but enough to make the Egyptians uneasy.  What should they do?  The Bible says: ”Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”   Why did the Egyptians use tricks to deal with the Israelites?  First, the Egyptians feared the Israelites would outnumber them.  Second, they feared the Israelites would join their enemies in a war.  Third, they feared the Israelites would one day leave Egypt, leaving Egypt with a severe labor shortage.  Let’s look at the second point:

Add burdens to their suffering

Anxiety in the heart, power in the hands, bitterness, and resentment inevitably give rise to deceitful choices.  Those in power fear nothing more than losing it.  To maintain power, territory, sovereignty, commercial interests, and so on are all willing to be sacrificed or exchanged, even without a limit.  First, controlling and heavy burdens.   Controlling means to control, and heavy burdens refer to unbearable burdens.  On the surface, those in authority exert various controls on the lower classes as a display of power.  In reality, the need to control is simply an expression of inner insecurity.  You can bind people’s hands and feet, or restrict their freedom—  for example, by preventing them from leaving the country, blocking the internet, or silencing them.  However, you overlook the most fundamental fact: you can never control people’s hearts.  The heavier the burdens you impose, the deeper the resistance and hatred within them.  Pharaoh had fostered resentment in the hearts of the Israelites for 430 years, and when Moses arrived, it erupted, unstoppable.

Next, Pithom and Rameses.  These two cities were located in the land of Goshen, within the city of On, where his father-in-law Potiphera lived.  When the 70 Israelites arrived in Egypt, the Hyksos Pharaoh had given this land to Jacob’s family.   Since ancient times, all dictators have had a penchant for large-scale construction projects, such as Qin Shihuang’s Great Wall, Emperor Yang of Sui’s canal construction, and successive European kings’ cathedral construction.  The fact that Milan Cathedral took over 500 years to build is incredible and inconceivable!  On the one hand, it tied people to large-scale projects, but on the other, it also helped the king leave a legacy of praise!  This kind of trend will inevitably be passed on to churches, seminaries, etc.  They always have to build something to leave a name and let people remember his reputation.

Lastly, things didn’t go as planned.  What was the result?  The Bible says: “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. (Exodus 1:12)”  The original intention was to increase the suffering of the Israelites so that they would lose their desire to reproduce, leading to a sharp decline in population and even gradual extinction.  However, God protected them, and the more suffering they faced, the more they multiplied.  Now it was the Egyptians’ turn to worry!  Those antichrist regimes thought they could achieve their ultimate goal of destroying the church by persecuting it.  But they were overthinking it.  They could never have imagined that the church grows and expands precisely in the midst of persecution and suffering.  Let us look at the third point:

Midwives fear God

On the one hand, there was the immense pressure of Pharaoh’s political system,  while on the other, the two midwives seemed insignificant.  This strikingly asymmetrical contrast of power is truly astonishing.  First, the two midwives.  The Bible seems to pay special attention to these two midwives, even recording their names in detail: “Shiphrah and Puah.”  Who were these two people?  Some say they were Egyptian, others say they were Hebrew.  However, judging by the meaning of their names, they are most likely Hebrew.  Shiphrah means beauty, and Puah means radiance.  Together, their names represent the beauty of man in the radiance of God.  In this grand historical scene, the Bible doesn’t even mention Pharaoh’s name, but instead devotes considerable attention to these two midwives.  This demonstrates that in God’s eyes, it is often the little people who can accomplish great things for Him.

Secondly, the fate of male and females.  Pharaoh favored sons over daughters because he feared Hebrew men, their power, and the fear that they would one day replace Egyptian men and take over Egypt’s authority.  Therefore, he commanded the midwives:  “If you see a Hebrew boy, you must kill him.  The girl must remain and become an Egyptian woman.”  However, this command was never made public; it was only given to the midwives in secret.  Males symbolize strength and hope.  This means that Satan will especially attack those who are spiritually strong, as exemplified by the murder of Charlie Kirk.  Because Charlie talked about America’s turning back, which means restoring biblical values, he provoked the power of Satan.

Finally, life and death are both determined.  Pharaoh could not have anticipated that God would provide the lowly, insignificant midwives for the Hebrew male children, becoming their lifesavers.  The Israelites had done nothing, yet the Egyptians felt threatened.  Considering the population, the Egyptians numbered approximately 1.5 million, while the Israelites numbered approximately 2.5 million.  Thus, it seems that the time for the Israelites to leave Egypt was indeed sufficient.  Those in power are often numb and insensitive to the meaning of life.  Just as the killing of female infants was commonplace during family planning, Pharaoh’s persecution escalated.  Initially, he had only commanded the midwives, but now he commanded “all his people,” requiring all Egyptians to participate in the infanticide.

Conclusion

All persecution often involves life and death, the very existence of God’s chosen people.  All antichrist regimes, without exception, will persecute the church and kill God’s children.  Anyone harboring illusions about the antichrist regime is tantamount to nurturing a tiger to harm themselves!  Especially those who are unwary of the Three-Self Church under the Communist Party’s authority, or even collude with it or secretly collude with it, should confess their sins before God and repent.  The persecution of the Egyptians was inevitable, and there should be no false imagination.   Of course, God’s children need not fear!  For Christ is the Lord who is bound to triumph,  and Satan’s destiny is perdition and destruction!

Let us pray together……

 

8Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

9And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.

10Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”

11Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. 13So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves 14and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,

16“When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”

17But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.

18So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?”

19The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”

20So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.

21And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

22Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”