Exodus 1-3    Listen

Pharaoh gets a little paranoid (Exodus 1:1-14)

1 ¶ Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin;
4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
5 All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already).
6 And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.
7 But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8 ¶ Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;
10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.”
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13 So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage—in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

From 70 family members (Genesis 46:26-27, see notes) in Egypt to an estimated 2,000,000 Hebrews living in Goshen - it was enough to cause this new Pharaoh to panic. He didn't know who Joseph was; he just knew, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we" (verse 9). That made him really, really uncomfortable. Pharaoh's fear was that Egypt's enemies might recruit the Hebrews to fight against Egypt (verse 10). So...Pharaoh enslaves the Hebrews and appoints cruel taskmasters over them to build his empire. There was still a problem though in verse 12, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel." Therefore, Pharaoh "made their lives bitter with hard bondage."

Incidentally, Abraham had been warned of this 400-year captivity of his "seed" in Genesis 15:13-16 (see notes). In that same passage, he was told that his "seed" would emerge from that captivity in verse 14 where God promised that they would "come out with great substance." Well...trouble is brewing down in Egypt, and here we go!

Pharaoh gets another brainstorm (Exodus 1:15-22)

15 ¶ Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;
16 and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?”
19 ¶ And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.”
20 ¶ Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
22 ¶ So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”

"How are we going to control this population explosion among the Hebrews?" Pharaoh wondered. That's when he comes up with another lame solution in verses 15-16: Have the Hebrew midwives kill the Hebrew baby boys at birth. Result: The two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, declined to follow through on Pharaoh's command; they lied to him in verse 19. Subsequently, verse 20 says that God "dealt well with the midwives" (the Hebrew midwives) as a result of their successful duping of Pharaoh. Well, how about this solution then: Have his people (the Egyptians) throw all the boy babies into the river. Does it occur to you that this Pharaoh lacked skills in the area of strategic planning?

Moses' life is spared (Exodus 2:1-10)

1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 ¶ Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6 And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
7 ¶ Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”
8 ¶ And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the maiden went and called the child’s mother.
9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Pharaoh's daughter finds a crying three-month-old Hebrew baby floating in the water in a homemade raft for one; the sight is very compelling. Moses' sister (probably Miriam) had kept an eye on the floating Moses and offers to get a nurse for the baby; she fetches Moses' own mother to do the job. Now, ironically, Pharaoh has a new grandson...and he's a Hebrew. As was the Hebrew custom (and apparently the Egyptian custom too), the name "Moses" reflected how Pharaoh's daughter came by the baby. "Moses" comes from a Hebrew verb meaning "to pull out" i.e. the water.

How do you suppose Pharaoh's daughter was so quick to identify Moses in verse 6 as "one of the Hebrews' children?" I'm just guessing here, but it was probably because Moses was circumcised, and Egyptian babies were not. When we get to Exodus 12 (see notes) on the occasion of their first Passover feast out of Egypt, all of the Hebrew men appear to have already been circumcised. Even in Egyptian bondage, established with Abraham back in Genesis 17:10 (see notes), circumcision was apparently still consistently practiced on newborn babies.

An interesting observation is probably worth noting here. There would have been an absence of Hebrew men later on in Moses' age bracket. According to Exodus 7:7, Aaron was three years older than Moses. Apparently Aaron was old enough to escape Pharaoh's death decree of Exodus 1:22. However, the fact that Moses' mother could no longer hide her child at three months old would indicate that the male babies at that time were scarce or non existent. We do not know how many years the male-baby death decree was implemented afterward. Since there were men younger than Moses in the Exodus, the practice must have been discontinued at some point.

Moses is not happy with what he sees (Exodus 2:11-15)

11 ¶ Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”
14 ¶ Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” ¶ So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!”
15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

Moses does have it made in Egypt, but the sight of the persecution of his people grieves him. After he kills one of the abusive taskmasters over the Hebrews, he flees to Midian because Grandpa Pharaoh wants him dead. Whoa! It didn't take much to get on Pharaoh's bad side! Moses' new home, Midian, was on the other side of the Sinai Peninsula (east side), at least 200 miles from Egypt. According to Stephen's account in Acts 7:23 (see notes), Moses is 40 years old at this point.

Moses gets a new family (Exodus 2:16-22)

16 ¶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 ¶ When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “How is it that you have come so soon today?”
19 ¶ And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock.”
20 ¶ So he said to his daughters, “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”
21 ¶ Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses.
22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.”

While at the well in Midian, Moses assists some women in acquiring their water; the women had been hassled by some very rude shepherds. Their father, Reuel (aka. Raquel; aka. Jethro), is very impressed with Moses' gallantry; he directs them to invite him home, and he awards Moses one of his daughters, Zipporah, as his wife. Midian was the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, so these Midianites were distant relatives. They named their first child Gershom. Now Moses is all settled down with his own family; it's a peaceful lifestyle. He settles into this lifestyle for the next 40 years. We know this by comparing Stephen's message in Acts 7:23 (see notes) with Exodus 7:7 (see notes) where we are told that Moses is 80 years old.

Meanwhile, back in Egypt (Exodus 2:23-25)

23 ¶ Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

Moses' adopted grandfather, the Pharaoh of Egypt, dies. God had regarded the groaning of the Hebrews and had respect toward their bondage. Notice verse 24 "So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob." A new day is about to dawn for the Hebrews; an unconditional covenant with God is about to be realized.

The bush that wouldn't be consumed (Exodus 3)

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 ¶ So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” ¶ And he said, “Here I am.”
5 ¶ Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 ¶ And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 ¶ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
12 ¶ So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 ¶ Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 ¶ And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’
16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, “The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, ‘I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;
17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, “The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.
21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.
22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

It is worth noting that Moses is shepherding his flock at the site of the giving of the law later on. Mount Horeb was a mountain range on the Sinai Peninsula; Sinai was one of its summits. While there, Moses sees the burning-but-not-consumed bush. From the bush, God speaks and tells him that he will lead the Hebrews out of Egypt and back to Canaan. Moses has a question though. "How do I convince the Hebrews to listen to me when I say let's pack up and leave?" God explains the plan to Moses - at least generally speaking: Moses will ask Pharaoh for a leave of absence for the Hebrews to head into the wilderness to sacrifice to their God; Pharaoh will say, "no!" God will "smite Egypt with all my wonders..." After that, the Egyptians will gladly let the Hebrews go; they'll even shower them with possessions as they leave. What God doesn't seem to mention here to Moses is that his greatest headaches will come from his own people, the Hebrews. I find it's best when we just follow God's plan one step at a time and leave the big picture to God, don't you? I'm thinking that if God had revealed the next 40 years to him that day at the burning bush, Moses might have been even less enthusiastic about going back to Egypt. Keep in mind, from the very outset of this exodus project, God explained to Moses that Pharaoh would resist their departure.

Two very significant words are found in this passage as God is talking to Moses. Moses expresses concern that the Hebrews may not be willing to follow him out of Egyptian bondage in verse 13, "Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" God's reply to this very important question comes in verse 14, "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.'" That's an interesting name for the God of the Hebrews, "I AM." Now let's roll ahead to Jesus' earthly ministry when he's in a verbal struggle with the scribes and Pharisees in John 8. Notice particularly John 8:57-58 (see notes), "Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?; Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'" Hey! That sentence doesn't seem to be grammatically correct! The word "was" there is translated from an "aorist" verb, indicating past, completed action. However, the words, "I am," reflect a redundancy in Greek (present tense implying continuous action) which literally expresses it this way, "I myself am." Undoubtedly, Jesus intended for that phrase to cause them to recall the words of God speaking out of the burning bush to Moses when he said, "I AM has sent me to you." In the very next verse (John 8:59) it says, "Then they took up stones to throw at Him." They understood perfectly what Jesus was saying about his relationship to God.

Two notes of interest here. First: Canaan was northeast from Egypt; Mount Horeb (Sinai) was southeast. God told Moses in verse 12, "When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." Later on, the arrival of the Hebrews at Mount Horeb was all in God's plan from the beginning. To be clear here: They were not lost! Second: the Israelites won't be leaving empty handed according to verse 22. The Hebrew women will ask for durable goods and will receive them from the Egyptian women.

Incidentally, Jesus quoted Exodus 3:6 to the Sadducees in Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26 and Luke 20:37 (see notes) to prove the resurrection to those who did not subscribe to that doctrine.