Exodus 1:8 - Meaning and Application

Egypt, which had once been a safe and happy home for Israel, became a house of slavery. This reminds us that a place of comfort can quickly turn into a place of pain, and what once seemed like security may become our deepest trouble. People who were once friends may become enemies, and even the same people who loved us may later hate us. So we should stop putting our final trust in people or in any place on earth and never say, “This is my rest forever.”

The old kindness shown to Israel because of Joseph was forgotten. A new king rose in Egypt, one who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8). Everyone who knew Joseph had loved him and had been kind to his family because of him, but after his death he was quickly forgotten. Even the good he had done was either not remembered or not valued, and it had no effect on Egypt’s plans.

This is often how human service is treated. Even the best and most useful work done for people is usually not remembered long enough to reward the one who did it, nor is it handed down to that person’s children (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 15). So our chief concern should be to serve God and please him, because he is not unjust and will not forget our work and love shown in his name (Hebrews 6:10). If we work only for people, our efforts die with us. If we work for God, our deeds follow us (Revelation 14:13).

This Egyptian king did not know Joseph, and after him there came one bold enough to say, “I do not know the Lord” (Revelation 5:2). Those who forget their human benefactors may well also forget the greatest Benefactor of all. A heart that ignores God’s kindness is in grave danger of turning away from God himself (1 John 4:20).

The king then gave political reasons for treating Israel harshly (Exodus 1:9, 10). He described them as stronger and more numerous than the Egyptians, though that was not true. But when he chose to oppress them, he wanted them seen as a threat, a dangerous people. From that he argued that they must be controlled, or they might join Egypt’s enemies in war and rise against the crown.

This has often been the policy of persecutors. They paint God’s people as harmful to kings and provinces, unfit to trust or even to tolerate, so they can excuse the cruelty they plan. The fear here was that Israel might leave the land, likely because they had heard the promise to their fathers that they would settle in Canaan. The enemies of the church often try to stop God’s promises from being fulfilled, but they cannot succeed. God’s purpose will stand.

So Pharaoh proposed a plan to slow Israel’s growth: “Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply.” When people deal wickedly, they often call it wisdom. But sin’s foolishness is eventually exposed. The growth of Israel troubled Egypt, just as it troubles the powers of evil whenever God’s people increase.

Since Israel had behaved peacefully and given no cause for war, Pharaoh chose another way to weaken them. He burdened them with heavy taxes, and he made them slaves. The Israelites seem to have been more industrious than the Egyptians, so Pharaoh used them for building and for field work, including the building of treasure cities. All of this was forced on them with severe cruelty.

The text uses several strong expressions to help us feel their misery. Taskmasters were placed over them, not just to assign work, but to make their burdens as painful as possible. They were made to serve with harshness, and their lives were made bitter. Pharaoh likely meant to break their spirits, damage their health, and shorten their lives so their numbers would shrink. He also wanted to discourage marriage, since children would be born into slavery, and to push them to leave their own people and blend into Egyptian life.

In that way he hoped to erase Israel’s name from memory. It is likely that this oppression also led many Israelites into Egyptian idol worship, for Joshua later says they served other gods in Egypt (Joshua 24:14). Ezekiel says God warned that he would judge them for this even while they were still in Egypt (Ezekiel 20:8). Even so, they remained a distinct people, not swallowed up by the Egyptians, because God preserved them in a way that was truly wonderful.

Yet all this oppression could not stop them. The more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied, to the great grief and frustration of the Egyptians (Exodus 1:12). Times of suffering have often been times when the church grows. What is pressed down may still grow. Christianity spread most when it was persecuted, and the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the church.

Those who plot against the Lord and against his people only waste their efforts (Psalm 2:1). They bring more trouble on themselves, while heaven continues to increase those it means to bless. Hell and earth cannot bring down the people whom God has chosen to raise up.