Exodus 1:15-22 Pharaoh's Attempt to Diminish the Israelites

"The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,
whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

'When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth
and observe them on the delivery stool,

if it is a boy, kill him;
but if it is a girl, let her live.'

The midwives, however, feared God
and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do;

they let the  boys live.

Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, 

'Why have you done this?  Why have you let the boys live?'

The midwives answered Pharaoh,

'Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women;

they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.'

So God was kind to the midwives
and the people increased and became even more numerous.
And because the midwives feared God,

he gave them families of their own.

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people:

'Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, 

but let every girl live.' "

Exodus 1:15-22 (NIV)

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At first, the new Pharaoh seemed to be trying to be secretive in his attempt to thwart the rapid increase of the Israelites.  This is not surprising; he is a new ruler and  it would probably serve his own need to take care of this perceived threat quietly.  He tried to enlist the help of the Hebrew midwives in killing any Hebrew boys who were being born.

Pharaoh was used to unquestioning obedience from his subjects.  However, did he really expect the Hebrews to annihilate their own people?  Besides, they were subject to a higher authority.  Because the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh, they found a way to get around his decree by claiming that the Hebrew women would already have given birth before the midwives even arrived on the scene.  There may be some truth to this claim, for the hard labor to which Pharaoh had subjected all the Israelites may have made the women more physically fit and better able to give birth without complications.

This reminds me of what Joseph had said to his own brothers years after they had sold him into slavery:  "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20 NIV)  Pharaoh's plans were no match for the covenant blessings and promises of God.

The Israelites became even more numerous.  In the future, God would have some dealings with another Pharaoh regarding the firstborn sons of his own household and the households of the rest of the Egyptian people.  Was that later Pharaoh related to this one who ordered the deaths of the newborn Hebrew baby boys?  If so, there is a kind of ironic justice to the upcoming end of this Pharaoh's family line.  Remember God's covenant promises to Abraham? -- "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse..." (Genesis 12:3 NIV)  Since God always keeps His promises, I believe this Pharaoh is in for a lot of trouble.

Genesis 40:1-8 Dream Assignment

"Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt.  Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.  The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them."  (Genesis 40:1-4 NIV)
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Was it a dinner gone badly or some other matter which resulted in the cupbearer and baker being thrown into prison?  We do not know these details because they are not an important factor in this story, as far as advancing the account of how God is working in Joseph's life to accomplish His own plan.  However, it is continually emphasized throughout this portion of Scripture that these two new prisoners are significant servants from the court of the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.  This is setting the stage for the next major change in Joseph's life.

Joseph is apparently assigned to his duties as an attendant to these prisoners by the same man who had him put in prison -- the captain of the guard -- which Genesis 37:36 tells us was Potiphar, Joseph's previous master.  Actually, I suppose that Potiphar is still Joseph's master, even though Joseph is in prison, so it would be logical that Potiphar was directing Joseph's activities.  Also, as captain of the guard, Potiphar was responsible for seeing that these men were taken care of, so he picks a man who will be trustworthy.

"...After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men -- the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison -- had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.  When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected.  So he asked Pharaoh's officials who were in custody with him in his master's house, 'Why are your faces so sad today?'

'We both had dreams,' they answered, 'but there is no one to interpret them.'

Then Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God?  Tell me your dreams.' " (Genesis 40:4-8 NIV)

It is remarkable that Joseph, who has already been in prison for some time, is concerned with the lives of these two men.  It would have been easy for Joseph to have become so consumed by his own situation and needs that he would have no energy for inquiring after other prisoners' conditions.  Instead, Joseph is continuing to faithfully carry out his duties, and seems genuinely concerned about the distress which is visible on the officials' faces.

When Joseph finds out that the men's dreams have caused their dejection, he immediately reminds them that God is the only competent interpreter of such matters.  However, Joseph offers to listen to their dreams.  Obviously he does not think that he is as capable as God.  Instead, I believe he is offering to listen to their dreams and then pray to God for an interpretation.  Joseph is still in prison, but he knows who he is -- a servant of God.  In a small way, Joseph is continuing to carry out one of the blessings promised to Abraham --that all nations would be blessed through Abraham's descendants. (Genesis 12:3)

Genesis 12:3 Blessing or Curse?

This verse is actually a very interesting one: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse..." Genesis 12:3 (NIV) Various cultures of the time had a rich stock of curses to bring down upon the heads of their enemies. Some have been preserved (the NIV notes these: the Egyptian Execration Texts, the Hittite suzerainty-vassal treaties, kudurrus (stone boundary markers), the Code of Hammurapi (Epilogue). On a more current and humorous note, I came across this Irish 'curse':

May those who love us love us,
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.

(I think that one is fairly well-known, but I found it at: http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/irish_curses.html.)

Although there are some blessings recorded at that same site, I don't recall reading many instances about lists of blessings being likewise preserved! We become offended much more often than we reward others' good behavior, I guess.

The fascinating part about this Genesis 12:3 is that we have historical examples to back it up. When God made a covenant with Abram, He actually meant what He said. We have already seen an example of this. When I wrote about Genesis 12:2 (I Will Bless You - 7/10/2010), we saw that when Abram and Sarai went to Egypt to escape the famine, Pharaoh and his household came under God's judgment when Pharaoh took Sarai to be his wife. Now, in that case, Pharaoh acted innocently enough, for Abram had deceived him as to the true extent of his own relationship with Sarai. However, the covenant promise still came into effect upon Pharaoh, whose household suffered from 'serious diseases' (Gen.12:17) as a result until Sarai was safely returned to Abram.

Time and again throughout the Scriptures those who oppose the Israelites find themselves facing the same type of covenant consequences. There are countless incidences; the 10 plagues upon the Egyptians are one well-known example. There are examples in more recent history as well. In an article by Dennis Prager (July 30, 2002) Those Who Bless the Jews and Those Who Curse the Jews), he notes several nations which have cursed, killed or otherwise afflicted the people of Abraham and suffered the results promised in Genesis 12:2. I have also read other articles regarding these same ideas, but the thing which I appreciated the most about this article is that it does not go on with ceaseless examples of these matters, but merely instructs us to take a look at the state of nations which bless or oppose Israel, as this is proof enough that the covenant blessings and curses are still very much in effect.

Sometimes the punishment is not immediate. Otherwise things could become rather mechanical, rather than indicate the relational aspects which God desires. Also, God is merciful. He wants to make Himself known to all nations, and gives all people ample opportunity to repent. However, when this is rejected, eventual punishment is inevitable, for He keeps His promises always.

For this reason, when I read in current news about nations which threaten to wipe Israel off the map or read of groups of nations united in their opposition towards Israel, I shake my head and wonder if they are aware of the very precarious position into which they are putting themselves. I also become rather grim when my own country (USA) has an official policy of being an ally of Israel, yet in action political leaders often seem to hold it at arm's length. (Until election time, that is, when the warm and fuzzies for Israel seem to blossom in full strength.) I am by no means a foreign policy expert, so perhaps there is much more which I am not understanding about these matters. However, that is the general conclusion which I come to when I take a look at the words and actions of some political leaders/bodies lately.

I will end with this blessing upon Israel and upon those who follow God :

"The LORD remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless the house of Israel,
He will bless the house of Aaron,
He will bless those who fear the LORD -- small and great alike." Psalm 115:12-13