Attempted Genocide

Joseph had been fifty six or fifty seven years old when Jacob died, twelve years after the famine ended.  He would live another fifty three years, and during that time Jacob’s family grew a great deal, filling the region of Goshen, as Exodus 1:7 describes.  “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” By the time Joseph died, most of the people who had lived through the famine were also dead, including the Pharaoh. 

When Pharaoh’s son died and his grandson took the throne, the famine and Joseph’s role in saving Egypt had been forgotten.  The new Pharaoh was concerned about such a large group living among them who were not Egyptians, as we see in Exodus 1:8-14.  “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.  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.”

Concerned that the Hebrews might side with their enemies in a war, Pharaoh ordered the Egyptians to enslave them and work them so hard they would not have the energy or enough people to revolt.  They put them to work building two cities for storing what the Egyptians collected from the Caravans traveling across Egypt.  Some caravans would go east to Libya, or Algeria and Morocco, while others would go west to Iran, India or China and others would go north into Turkey, Russia, and Eastern Europe.  Centuries later, one of those cities would become the capitol under Ramses I and be called Ramses.    God has placed a survival instinct in living things and adversity seems to stimulate it.  When life is easy living living things get fat and lazy and don't care.  When they are struggling life becomes more precious and they try to preserve it.    The Hebrew’s survival instinct kickIed in and they became even more prolific, further upsetting the Egyptians.  In addition, God intervened on Israel's behalf, protecting them. 

During the Egypt’s Old Kingdom period, dating from about 2575 until about 21 50 BC, nearly all public works were built of stone.  During the Middle Kingdom period, from about 2040-1670 BC, most public works were built of brick, indicating that this was this was the period when israel was in Egypt, rather than the traditional dates, some three hundred years later. 

Since hard work only seemed to make the Israelites more productive, one of the later Pharaoh’s decided to get rid of all the males, in an attempt at genocide, according to Exodus 1:15-16.  “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.” 

In The Brooklyn Museum there is an Egyptian papyrus dating to about 1740 BC, listing a number of Hebrew slaves including a midwife by the name of Shiphra, proving that there were
Israelite slaves in Egypt at the time.  It is one of many ancient documents supporting the biblical record, while challenging the traditional dates. 

Pharaoh’s attempt at genocide failed, according to Exodus 1:17-21.  “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.  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.”

Because the midwives believed in God, they refused to perform partial birth abortions or let the baby die if it was a boy.  They used the excuse that the Israelite women’s babies were already born by the time they arrived.  This was probably true since medical research indicates that the more fit a mother is the faster and easier her labor will be because the muscles involved in delivery are stronger.  The Israelite women were working hard physically, while the Egyptian women had a much easier life, leaving them far less prepared for the delivery. 

Because they honored God, he blessed the midwives and their families.