Episode 344 - "Pharaoh's Genocidal Plans" - Exodus 1:15-22
Ex. 1:15 Then 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.” 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. 18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” 19 The 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.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then 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.”
In our last episode, we were introduced to the initial and primary conflict in the Exodus story. Continuing what Moses recorded in Genesis, the events that unfolded reflected God’s promises to Abraham as well as the warning in the Abrahamic Covenant that Abraham’s descendants would be oppressed in a foreign land for 400 years. God was blessing the Israelites and causing them to multiply. But they were also in a foreign land as God had foretold. Then, after Joseph had died and the Pharaoh who had welcomed Jacob’s family had died, the reader is told that a new king arose who did not know Joseph. The conflict is revealed through the digression of the new Pharaoh’s ignorance, leading to fear, paranoia, and finally, oppression of the Israelites. But Moses noted, “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” (Exo 1:12). Pharaoh’s desired effect of limiting the number of the Hebrews had a reverse effect. They multiplied even more. God was revealing that his power and plans were greater than Pharaoh’s.
Rather than backtracking on his plans, the Pharaoh doubled down on his plans and told the Hebrew midwives to kill the Hebrew boys when they were born, but to let the girls live. Scholars debate whether the midwives were actually Hebrews themselves or Egyptians serving the Hebrew women who were delivering children. At least one scholar has argued that the names Shiphrah and Puah are Semitic, suggesting they are Hebrew. What’s important to Moses is the fact that they did not obey Pharaoh’s command because they “feared God”. This fact was reiterated, emphasizing the importance of fearing God rather than Pharaoh. This is a principle that the Israelites to whom this is written are those who would later be on the cusp of entering into the promised land. Moses even wrote that God blessed these women with families of their own because of their commitment to respecting God.
Scholars have also noted the fact that the women lied about why they hadn’t followed Pharaoh’s command. Clearly, fearing God was the primary act of faith for these women, overriding any violation of truthfulness toward Pharaoh, who did not fear God.
What did Moses tell his readers then? He added, “And the people multiplied and grew very strong” (Exo 1:20). Every time Pharaoh did something to limit the reproduction of the Hebrews, God caused them to multiply and be strong. God was sending a message to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh was not listening. In fact, Pharaoh now went public with his plan. He commanded all the people that male Hebrew babies were to be cast into the Nile. The river that brought life through agricultural sustenance was to become an instrument of death.
The primary point revealed here is that no one can defeat God's plans. Pharaoh is going to fight God and will pay a high price for his defiance. I would suggest that we see this truth revealed time and again through the Scriptures. If we take this to heart, it should remind us that God has made promises to all who will trust Him, and we can rest knowing that nothing can defeat those plans.