Exodus 1

5 February, 2019, PSC Cafe Connecting Group

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+1

Keywords / Keyphrases / Key-hashtags:- Suffering, Persecution, Bondage, #GodInFullControl


This is the first time since Fall, we see God's people being persecuted collectively. What we see here (intense collective persecution on God's people) was unprecedented at that time! And this is not because they sinned. We will see down the line God's people persecuted because of God's judgement on their sins (i.e., 2 Kings 17). And this is not the first time that we see righteous being persecuted. We have seen Joseph spent collectively 13 years in slavery and latter in prison, even though he was righteous (Genesis 39-41).

So, yes our good God allows suffering & evil on righteous.

We also see a pattern throughout the history. Persecution tends to result in "growth" & "prosperity". Here we see:- " But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them " (Exodus 1:7), "the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and the more they spread broad" (Exodus 1:12). Again this is the first time in history we see God's people being persecuted as a group and we also see the consequence - "growth" & "prosperity", because God turns around the table. And we continue to see this pattern throughout the history till today. For instance, great persecution broke out against the early Church in Acts 8. But also because of that, Christians got scattered and eventually Church prospered and multiplied (Acts 9:31).

Recall, Joseph flourished too amid the suffering & persecution of 13 years (Genesis 39-41). Jacob prospered too under Laban's the hard labor (Genesis 29-31). And, again because God was with them.


MISC

  • Here we see God's people suffering, persecuted, and under bondage / oppression. In the broad sense, we also are always suffering and are in some kind of bondage / oppression (say, of some spiritual kind) here on earth in our earthly bodies, since the days of "The Fall (Genesis 3)". We are all under the severe curse of the "The Fall" (Genesis 3), from which we are all seeking freedom. In that light, Paul encourages us in Romans 8:19-22, as we seek freedom from all our sufferings and bondages / oppression (i.e., as in Revelation 21:4 "... there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain ... "):- "For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. "
  • Here again we see God's people put in "wait" (they have to wait for decades before they are freed for this hard slavery & persecution). This always happens. Abraham waited long, till he had Isaac. The great promises of God to him unfolded very slowly in his eyes/our eyes for perfectly in God's timings. Joseph waited more than 20 years for his dreams of glory to be fulfilled (Genesis 37:7, Genesis 42:6). Here Israelites as a nation were slaves for decades - and NOT because of their sins. For more on "waiting" in God's Kingdom, read http://devos20xx.blogspot.com/2016/12/so-how-shall-we-wait.html. Note, we are all waiting, for Jesus to return and free us from all the sufferings and bondages of this life on earth, as suggested in Romans 8:19-22.


Potential Questions For Discussion:-

  • In your life too, have you seen God allowing suffering & evil, which is not a result of you sinning?
  • In those times, have you seen growth & prosperity in your life, like we see here in the case of Hebrews? (Recall here - " the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them " (Exodus 1:7), "the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied and the more they spread broad" (Exodus 1:12))
  • Persecution of God's people (aka Church / Christians, today) has NOT stopped since Exodus! God's people continue to be persecuted till today. Open Doors just published top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be Christian (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/2019-world-watch-list-report/). What are different ways, in which Christians are persecuted today? How should we respond when we hear Christians "somewhere" being persecuted?

We must ALWAYS remember one way that Jesus responded to the ongoing persecution in the early Church, and try to imitate that - Acts 9:4 "... Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" That is, Jesus took upon himself, the persecution that the Church (His body) faced. Likewise, when a Christian is persecuted "somewhere", we should "feel it in our body" as we all Christians are part of ONE Body whose head is Jesus Christ (Romans 12:5)!

Those who live in places such as America, should not take their privilege to worship freely, for granted! Instead, they should share their blessings with the under-privileged / persecuted across the world.

  • Specifically, why did God allow persecution on His people here in Exodus 1?