Day 12: Exodus 1 & 2

Exodus 1

Yesterday we mentioned Genesis 15. Here's more of that promise from God:

"Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."

Just like God said, the Israelites (descendants of Jacob, also called Israel) were becoming very, very numerous. So much so that Pharaoh told the Israelite midwives to kill any baby boys to try and slow down the population.

God helped the midwives to be brave and they didn't do what Pharaoh asked. How would things have been different if the midwives had killed the baby boys? Do you think God could still overcome Pharaoh's attempts and stopping the Israelites from multiplying?

Unfortunately, we will get to find out how God overcomes. Pharaoh orders his people to throw all baby boys in the river to drown them. Can you imagine if all of the churches in Holland and Zeeland only had little girls and no little boys? What would that be like?

Exodus 2

Moses is born!

Even though Pharaoh has ordered that all of the Israelite boys must be killed, Pharaoh's own daughter rescues Moses.

Isn't it interesting how God uses people that seem the opposite of who should be doing something? The daughter of the person ordering all boys be killed is the very person saving one of the boys!

God works through people in interesting ways. He doesn't seem to expect the perfect person to fulfill His will. In fact, it often seems that God chooses the people with obvious flaws to do His will!

Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 3 & 4