I post this primarily so I don’t have to go back and research the dates whenever I start back in studying Exodus
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Exodus means “The Departure”
This Book was written by Moses, his second book.
Theme: History of Israel from Joseph’s death to the erection of the Tabernacle (Thompson Chain Reference Bible)
Egypt was the breadbasket of the world, due to the Nile river and fertile soil that existed when the river flooded.
The store cities mentioned: Pithon (Teller-Ratabeh) and Raamses (Avaris-Tanis or Tanis) received surplus grain in time of plenty.
Apepi II who rules aroung 1800 BC in the 16th dynasty was probably the Pharaoh who received Joseph. He was a shepherd king or “hyksos” and Israelites might have been favored since they had a lot in common.
Thotmes III may have been the oppressor of Israel (ruling in 1500 BC)
Amenhotep II is most likely the Pharaoh of the Exodus (1445-1425)
Perhaps Queen Hatshepsut was the daughter of Pharaoh that took up Moses from the water
Thebes (Egyptian “Ney,” Biblical “No,” and Greek “Thebai” was the capital of the 18th dynasty, and was apparently built by slave labor
There is a gap between Genesis and Exodus of nearly 300 years. It was some 430 years from Jacob’s migration to Egypt until the Exodus
Numbers 1:46 states that there were some 600,000 men above age 20. So there was likely more than a million people that left Egypt if you count these along with women, children and the Levites. Halley’s Bible Handbook states that there might have been as many as 3 million people.
Exodus chapter 1
v1-6 those who came into egypt
v7-the people wax great
v8-9 –a new king sees the greatness of Israel
v10-11 –the plan and enslavement (come on, come on to the plan)
v12-sill they increase
v13-14 –Israel had it hard
v15-16 –Pharaoh’s charge to the midwives
v17-the do not as pharaoh said
v18-19 –Pharaoh upset, is given a response
v20-21 –the fear of God leads to blessing
v22-pharaoh’s command (though the state demands it, we will need to disobey)
v1-6 –here is a recap of the fathers of the 12 tribes who came into Egypt. This first verse could easily connect with Genesis and the pattern we mentioned about the “generations of”, the children of Israel in this case.
v7-they were in the land of Goshen, a good land and fruitful for them
v8-eventually this happens. one arises who knows not an old/long gone saint of God. How many in ft. worth know of J. Frank Norris? in chicago of D.L. Moody? or John Rice in Dallas and Murfressboro?
v9-Israel here advanced and grew to be more numerous than the egyptians themselves. God often showed his approval of Israel to the world by blessing them
v10-this is the first time the phrase “come on” is used in this sense in the Bible, where the Pharaoh wants the people to “come on” to his plan, to agree with it. the pharaoh knew they would have liked to get out of the land and might have done it by rebellion if they could. Do you think that even a king who knew not Joseph, knew about God’s promise to Israel that they would get out of the land?
v11-so pharaoh enslaves the people and has them build two great cities. he really wanted to stop them from being fruitful and multiplying so he enslaved them. that works for many today, we get so busy in work that marriage relations take a back seat. people become too tired for that sort of things
v12-but yet still israel grew and as we read, they were grieved. this hebrew word means they were anxious, distressed, severed. egyptians wanted separation, nothing to do with God’s people. they wanted them as slaves but nothing more
v13- rigour has in it the idea of cruelty and severity. they despised israel and made them work basically
v14-emphasizes that israel was a slave nation, despised and hated. they did hard backbreaking work and were still hated
v15- (This from Herbert Lockyer’s All the Men and Women of the Bible)—these two were not hebrew midwives, pharaoh wouldn’t employ those to kill children of their own nation. the 2 names are egyptian. Puah means “child bearing” or “joy of parents” and Shiphrah means “prolific” or “to procreate.”
Hebrew midwives perhaps a “midwife of the hebrews” or egyptian midwives which believed in the God of the Hebrews
Ancient jewish historian Aben Ezra says these were chief over all the midwives, over 500
v16-they were told to kill the babies that were born
v17-but they feared God rather than man
v18-19 –they tell a partial truth. the hebrews were lively but the midwives didn’t try very hard to follow pharaoh’s command
v20-God doesn’t necessarily approve of half/partial truths but “God knew all about the crisis behind it, and commended Puah and Shiprah for their courage of faith.” also see how the people still multiplied. Though the world plans its worse, God is faithful
v21-God rewarded them and give them houses in Israel
v22-he moved from trying to force hard labor on them, to telling the midwives to kill children they came to (probably only the rich could afford a midwife) to him simply telling them to cast every son into the river.
if only daughters of Israel existed, the Jews would have lost their identity as a people, but sons help keep it going
Tags: Exodus