Attempted Genocide

Exodus 1:1-22

Tradition has it that the Pentateuch was all written by Moses. The style of writing and details given imply that it was written by numerous individuals, each recording his own time. The frequent genealogical records establish that each writer is recording different time periods but following the same family. It is probable that Moses wrote or dictated most of the book of Exodus. Though what was written was inspired by God, both I John 1:1-5 and II Peter 1:16-21 stress that the apostles wrote what they had observed and heard themselves. There is no reason to suppose that God would not have maintained a similar standard for the Old Testament.

“Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.” (Exodus 1:1-5)

Genesis finished with the death of Joseph. Exodus starts at the same point and describes events for about the next four hundred years, until about 1650 BC. Under Joseph’s administration, the Egyptian people had become wards of the state, working for the pharaoh’s government. Jacob’s family retained their independence as resident aliens, living in the land of Goshen, and maintaining an entirely different culture. Freedom enabled them to grow and become more prosperous than the average Egyptian during the early part of the Middle Kingdom.

“And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” (Exodus 1:6-7)

During the early part of the Middle Kingdom, some of the greatest Egyptian public works were built by the Egyptian people. In an effort to expand their borders, various wars were fought. Being forced to work for the government, the people could not devote their energies to their own crops and progress and it became increasingly difficult for the government to collect enough revenue to pay for all the programs. Unwilling to cut their expenditures, the government began to focus on the only group besides the priests who still owned property, the Hebrews.

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.” (Exodus 1:8-10)

By portraying the Hebrews as a potential threat, and emphasizing the differences in their culture, Pharaoh and his government got the people’s support in taking control of the Hebrews assets and making slaves of them as well. The Egyptians were not poor because of the Hebrews, but because the Egyptian government took so much from them. It seems that most people see taking away someone else’s benefits as more practical than getting their own. Throughout history, governments have played on this lack of understanding, resulting in slavery, prejudice, social injustice, and genocide. It was no different then than now.

“Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.” (Exodus 1:11-14)

Fear nearly always results in increased sexual activity in an effort to ensure their genetic survival and the Hebrews were no different. The Egyptians moved into military service and the more menial physical tasks were assigned to the Hebrews. The more they multiplied, the more prejudice and fear grew, and some way of reducing their population was sought. The Holocaust, and ethnic cleansings of the last hundred years are modern attempts to accomplish the same thing. Pharaoh wanted to limit the numbers while retaining his slaves.

“And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.

And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive?

And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.” (Exodus 1:15-19)

Pharaoh ordered the midwives, the birthing specialists to kill any baby boy to minimize the danger of rebellion by the Hebrews, while saving the girls to be slaves. In effect they were to practice what is called in our day partial birth abortions, so the mothers would think the baby had had died in the birth process. Fearing God, the midwives refused to kill the babies.

Women who are physically fit have shorter and less painful deliveries, with the result that the babies experience far less stress in being born. In countries where the women do a lot of walking and physical activity, labor rarely lasts longer than three hours, while modern women frequently have ten or more hours. Because the Hebrew women were forced to work at physical jobs they experienced quicker deliveries than the Egyptian women, and the mid wives used the excuse that the babies had usually already been delivered by the time they arrived to explain why they weren’t killing them.

“Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.” (Exodus 1:20-22)

Instead of reducing the population of Hebrews, the rate of population growth increased. God blessed the midwives for putting his commands above the laws that were made, making their families grow as well. In an effort to accomplish his intent, Pharaoh commanded that not only the midwives were responsible for killing the babies. Nazi Germany encouraged ordinary people to kill Jews, and various modern leaders, from Saddam Hussein to Milosevic have done the similar things to eliminate a group they feared might gain power.