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David Guzik · Citado em PreceptAustin

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Guzik on taskmasters - There is a famous wall painting on an ancient tomb from Thebes, Egypt (modern Luxor) – the tomb of the overseer of brick-making slaves during the reign of Thutmose III. “The painting shows such overseers armed with heavy whips. Their rank is denoted by the long staff held in their hands and the Egyptian hieroglyphic determinative of the head and neck of a giraffe.” (Kaiser) (Exodus 1) So - This conjunction usually means for that reason or therefore and in this context clearly functions as a term of conclusion. When you encounter words that indicate a term of conclusion, a term of explanation, a term of purpose, a term of contrast, consider the "5P's" - Pause to Ponder the Passage then Practice it in the Power of the Spirit. John

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Guzik has an insightful note on Israel's growth - This was God’s purpose for Israel’s time in Egypt. Egypt served as a mother’s womb for Israel, a place where they rapidly grew from a large clan to a mighty nation. The nation could not grow this way in Canaan, because it was practically impossible to avoid intermarriage with the pagan and wicked inhabitants of Canaan. Egypt was so racially biased and had such an entrenched system of racial separation that Israel could grow there over several centuries without being assimilated.. This growth in the face of affliction has consistently been the story of God’s people, throughout all ages – the more they are afflicted, the more they grow. As the ancient Christian writer Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”. Suffering and persecution are like a great wave that comes upon a ship and looks as if it will destroy it; but the ship catches the wave and just uses it to speed along. (Exodus 1) So that - This is a term of purpose or result ("5P's" - Pause to Ponder the Passage then Practice it in the Power of the Spirit). They were in dread of the sons of Israel - They were just fearful, but loathed the Israelites. And so the NET is more accurate rendering it "the Egyptians loathed the Israelites." Dread is a strong word used by God Himself of the nations in Canaan that He drove out saying "I have abhorred" them (clearly as a result of their many abominations, idolatry and immorality). As the Israelites made their way from Egypt to the Promised Land, the nation of Moab, like Egypt, "was in dread of the sons of Israel." (Nu 22:3) The Lxx translates dread with the verb bdelusso derived from bdéo (to stink or reek) and which means to emit a foul odor, to render foul and figuratively to strongly detest something on the basis that it is abominable (to abhor). To turn oneself away from a stench and so to feel disgust. Dread (06973)(qut) means to be or make disgusted, to loathe, to be sick of. It denotes deep emotional reaction of issuing in a desired repulsion (or destruction) of the object abhorred. Gen. 27:46; Exod. 1:12; Lev. 20:23; Num. 21:5; Num. 22:3; 1 Ki. 11:25; Prov. 3:11; Isa. 7:6; Isa. 7:16 G Campbell

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Guzik points out what was undoubtedly Satanic inspiration behind the kin g's evil edict - We may see the command of Pharaoh as consistent with Satan’s plan of Jew-hatred through the centuries, as an attack against God’s Messiah and ultimate plan for Israel in His plan of redemption. Satan knew that the Messiah – the Seed of the Woman, the One who would crush his head (Genesis 3:15+) – would come from the children of Israel. Therefore he tried to destroy the whole nation in one generation by ordering all the male children killed. (Bolding added) Gene Getz - It was a wicked and terrible strategy, one that could only be contrived in the heart of a ruthless, egotistical man who was terribly weak on the inside and all façade on the outside. In order to curtail the birthrate, the Pharaoh decided to kill outright all the newborn sons of Israel. In his evil mind, the king reasoned that if hard work wouldn't stop procreation, the ruthless destruction of newborn males would. Who would feel free to bring a child into the world when there was a 50/50 probability that the child would be killed? (Men of Character) NET Note - The instructions must have been temporary or selective, otherwise the decree from the king would have ended the slave population of Hebrews. It is also possible that the king did not think through this, but simply took steps to limit the population growth. The narrative is not interested in supplying details, only in portraying the king as a wicked fool bent on destroying Israel. Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. BGT Exodus 1:17 ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ αἱ μαῖαι τὸν θεὸν καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησαν καθότι συνέταξεν αὐταῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἐζωογόνουν τὰ ἄρσενα NET Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. LXE Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt appointed them; and they saved the male children alive. NLT Exodus 1:17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king's orders. They allowed the boys to live, too. KJV Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. ESV Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. NIV Exodus 1:17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. ASV Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. CSB Exodus 1:17 The Hebrew midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. NKJ Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. NRS Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. YLT Exodus 1:17 And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive; feared God: Ge 20:11 42:18 Ne 5:15 Ps 31:19 Pr 8:13 Pr 16:6 Pr 24:11,12 Ec 8:12 Ec 12:13 Da 3:16-18 6:13 Ho 5:11 Mic 6:16 Mt 10:28 Lu 12:5 Ac 4:19 Acts 5:29 Exodus 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries But the midwives feared God (Ex 1:21) - Solomon writes that "“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil" and the midwives hated the evil of murdering the Hebrew infants. Solomon adds "I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly." (Eccl 8:12) These women were like the apostles in Acts 5:29+ (Acts 4:19+). Midwives - Gen. 35:17; Gen. 38:28; Exod. 1:15; Exod. 1:17; Exod. 1:18; Exod. 1:19; Exod. 1:20; Exod. 1:21 Feared (verb)(03372) (yare) fear as when one senses a threat to one's life, but in other contexts expresses the idea of reverence and deep respect (as in Ps 25:14+). In the OT fear of the Lord involves a person's total response to the Lord. It is notable that more than 75% of the over 370 uses (see below) of yare are in the context of reverencing the Lord. In English our word reverence (from Latin reverentia "awe, respect," from revereri "to stand in awe of, respect, honor, fear, be afraid of; revere,") refers to a feeling of profound respect for someone or something, and with yare in the OT as noted this is most often to God. The classic use is Pr 1:7+ "The fear (yare) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Notice that a genuine holy fear of the Lord is often equated with believers (e.g. Mal 3:16+, Mal 4:2+, Eccl 8:12-13, cf the last worldwide proclamation of the Gospel which says "Fear God..." - Rev 14:6-7+) Yare in Exodus - Exod. 1:17; Exod. 1:21; Exod. 2:14; Exod. 3:6; Exod. 9:20; Exod. 9:30; Exod. 14:10; Exod. 14:13; Exod. 14:31; Exod. 15:11; Exod. 18:21; Exod. 20:20; Exod. 34:10; Exod. 34:30; And did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live - Note the powerful principle. Who you fear will determine how you live. What you believe will determine how you behave. The fact that they let the boys live indicates that they made a conscious choice to do this and implies that they could simply have let them die. Guzik - They probably feared Pharaoh and his power; but they feared God more. For them, the choice was clear. The civil government commanded something that was clearly against God’s command. The midwives did the only right thing: they obeyed God rather than men....Though generally we are called to obey the government and honor civic rulers (Romans 13:1-5), we are never called to put government in the place of God. Therefore if the government tells us to do something against God’s will, we are to obey God first. Related Resources: What does it mean to have the fear of God? How is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom? What is the key to not being afraid according to the Bible? What does the Bible say about fear? Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?" BGT Exodus 1:18 ἐκάλεσεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου τὰς μαίας καὶ εἶπεν αὐταῖς τί ὅτι ἐποιήσατε τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο καὶ ἐζωογονεῖτε τὰ ἄρσενα NET Exodus 1:18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?" LXE Exodus 1:18 And the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, Why is it that ye have done this thing, and saved the male children alive? NLT Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. "Why have you done this?" he demanded. "Why have you allowed the boys to live?" KJV Exodus 1:18 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? ESV Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?" NIV Exodus 1:18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?" ASV Exodus 1:18 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? CSB Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this and let the boys live?" NKJ Exodus 1:18 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?" NRS Exodus 1:18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" YLT Exodus 1:18 and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, 'Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?' Why have: 2Sa 13:28 Ec 8:4 Exodus 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries So - This is a term of conclusion, functioning much like a "therefore." So based on the actions of the midwives, the king springs into action. The king of Egypt called for the midwives - One can imagine that although they feared God, the call to come to the king brought a shiver to their spine. and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live? - The king directly accuses them of disobeying his order to let the Hebrew boys die. The actions of the midwives recall the words of Peter and John which ordered by the Jewish religious leaders to stop preaching the Name of Jesus to which they replied "“Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20+) And again in response to orders not to teach in the Name of Jesus Peter and the apostles answered and said "We must (dei = obligation, necessity) obey God rather than men." (Acts 5:29+) We also think of the bold response of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego who when they were told to bow down to idols "replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. “If it be so, our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Da 3:16-18+) Believers are commanded to "be subject unto higher powers" (Ro 13:1+) and to "submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" (1 Pe 2:13+), with this one exception. Obedience to God trumps obedience to men. In the examples in Acts, the apostles had been commanded not to "teach in this name" (Acts 5:28+), but God had said: "Stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life." (Acts 5:20+). God's commands take priority, God's commands take priority, but they should be His commands, NOT our extensions of those commands. And be aware that if obedience to God demands disobedience to authority, then one must be prepared to suffer the consequences. (cf Acts 5:40,41+ cp Mt 5:10, 11, 12+) Exodus 1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them." BGT Exodus 1:19 εἶπαν δὲ αἱ μαῖαι τῷ Φαραω οὐχ ὡς γυναῖκες Αἰγύπτου αἱ Εβραῖαι τίκτουσιν γὰρ πρὶν ἢ εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὰς τὰς μαίας καὶ ἔτικτον NET Exodus 1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women– for the Hebrew women are vigorous; they give birth before the midwife gets to them!" LXE Exodus 1:19 And the midwives said to Pharao, The Hebrew women are not as the women of Egypt, for they are delivered before the midwives go in to them. So they bore children. NLT Exodus 1:19 "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women," the midwives replied. "They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time." KJV Exodus 1:19 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. ESV Exodus 1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." NIV Exodus 1:19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive." ASV Exodus 1:19 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 midwife come unto them. CSB Exodus 1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife can get to them." NKJ Exodus 1:19 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." NRS Exodus 1:19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." YLT Exodus 1:19 And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, 'Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them -- they have borne!' Jos 2:4-24 1Sa 21:2 2Sa 17:19,20 Exodus 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them." - Some like Getz (below) think this was not the complete truth, but it is possible that it is. I used to deliver babies and can testify that when the baby is ready to come out, there is no waiting (I found that out by almost finishing a delivery in the elevator coming up from the ER)! One could certainly see God's hand in this expedient expulsion of the male infants, for then the parents would have time to hide the male child before the midwife could arrive and kill the child. The alternative possibility to faster deliveries is that the midwives simply "dragged their feet" in coming to assist the delivery, so that it was completed prior to their arrival. In either event we see that God blessed them. Gene Getz - Though they told only a half-truth when confronted by the king, God still honored the deeper motives of their hearts. They risked their own lives to save the newborn baby boys in Israel. Consequently, God honored and blessed them (Ex 1:18-21). (Ibid) Matthew

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Guzik - This is a wonderful example of the goodness and the power of God. Pharaoh said, “less” and God said, “more.” Pharaoh said, “stop” and God said, “go.” John Hannah has an interesting thought that "God's purpose in granting the increase seems to have been to stir the ire and fear of the Egyptians so that they would more severely discomfort God's people and thus cause them to desire deliverance. So immediate blessing effected a negative action that later precipitated a larger future blessing." (Bible Knowledge Commentary) Exodus 1:21 Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them. BGT Exodus 1:21 ἐπειδὴ ἐφοβοῦντο αἱ μαῖαι τὸν θεόν ἐποίησαν ἑαυταῖς οἰκίας NET Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he made households for them. LXE Exodus 1:21 And as the midwives feared God, they established for themselves families. NLT Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. KJV Exodus 1:21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. ESV Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. NIV Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. ASV Exodus 1:21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households. CSB Exodus 1:21 Since the midwives feared God, He gave them families. NKJ Exodus 1:21 And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them. NRS Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. YLT Exodus 1:21 and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households; He established households for them: 1Sa 2:35 25:28 2Sa 7:11-13,27-29 1Ki 2:24 11:38 Ps 37:3 Ps 127:1,3 Pr 24:3 Ec 8:12 Jer 35:2 Exodus 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries GOD'S BLESSING ON THE MIDWIVES Because - Term of explanation. The midwives feared God - Pr 8:13 says "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil." (cf Pr 16:6, Pr 19:23) To kill the Hebrew babies was the antithesis of the midwives' mindset. The midwives by their very occupation were to bring life into the world, not to take life from one who has just come into the world! Their fear of Jehovah caused them to hate this evil decree by the Pharaoh. Indeed, Pr 10:27 says "The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened." Cole makes a poignant comment - Even if they lied, it is not for their deceit that they are commended, but for their refusal to take infant lives, God’s gift. Their reverence for life sprang from reverence for God, the life-giver (Exod. 20:12, 13), and for this they were rewarded with families. The relevance of this to modern controversy about abortion should be carefully pondered. (TOTC-Exodus) He established households for them - Midwives held their occupation because they had no children of their own but in this case God blessed them with increased fertility, just as He had the sons of Israel (Ex 1:7) As Solomon wrote "By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established." Pr 22:4 says "The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life." Ps 127:1, 3 says "'Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward." Clearly the LORD built the houses of these midwives. THOUGHT - The principle of a healthy, holy fear of the LORD is timeless, for one of the major keys to an abundant (spiritual, not necessarily material) life is a genuine fear of the Lord. This principle reverberates through both the OT and the NT. In fact, it is so important that Peter commands believers to fear declaring "If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth." (1 Pe 1:17+) Paul emphasizes how important fear is to our progressive sanctification writing "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor 7:1+). We even see this truth echoed in the future in Heaven! John writes "And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.”" (Rev 19:5+) Beloved, do you daily (enabled by His Spirit) make the conscious choice to reverentially fear the LORD which motivates and enables you to turn away from evil like Job "a man in the land of Uz...(who) was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil." (Job 1:1)? Related Resource: The Fear of the Lord Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive." BGT Exodus 1:22 συνέταξεν δὲ Φαραω παντὶ τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ λέγων πᾶν ἄρσεν ὃ ἐὰν τεχθῇ τοῖς Εβραίοις εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν ῥίψατε καὶ πᾶν θῆλυ ζωογονεῖτε αὐτό NET Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "All sons that are born you must throw into the river, but all daughters you may let live." LXE Exodus 1:22 And Pharao charged all his people, saying, Whatever male child shall be born to the Hebrews, cast into the river; and every female, save it alive. NLT Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live." KJV Exodus 1:22 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. ESV Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live." NIV Exodus 1:22 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." ASV Exodus 1:22 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. CSB Exodus 1:22 Pharaoh then commanded all his people: "You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live." NKJ Exodus 1:22 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." NRS Exodus 1:22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live." YLT Exodus 1:22 and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born -- into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.' Every son: Ex 1:16 7:19-21 Ps 105:25 Pr 1:16 4:16 27:4 Ac 7:19 Rev 16:4-6 Exodus 1 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries POGROM NUMBER THREE Then - Marks subsequent action, in this context based on the fact that the Hebrew numbers were increasing, not decreasing. Pharaoh commanded all his people - Now Pharaoh shifts from depending on the Hebrew midwives to charging the Egyptian people themselves to carry out the infanticide. Is this not similar to the evil "extermination" program of Nazi Germany where the Nazis called on the citizens to aid in their satanic scheme? And even if the German citizens did not overtly aid the rounding up of Jews, they were absolutely complicit in their heartless apathy to furnaces spewing out "white snow" from the ashes of the Jewish corpses! Saying, "Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile - One can only imagine the weeping and wailing among the Hebrew women as their newborn sons were snatched from their ' breasts and thrown into the murky waters of this Egyptian river (filled with crocodiles). Little did the Pharaoh know that what he meant for evil God would use for good and would virtually repeat the truth in Genesis 50:20 in the life of Moses - "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." In Moses' case of course the preservation would be deliverance for the nation of Israel. This same pattern of an attempt to destroy a generation of Hebrew males was instituted by the evil ruler Herod at the time of the birth of Jesus. (Mt 2:16+)

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Guzik - The method Pharaoh commanded for the death of the male children of Israel became the divine provision for training the deliverer of Israel. Nile (river)(02975)(yeor) means a river or stream forming a channel of water though a land and most uses refer to the Nile River in Egypt (Ge 41:1-3, Ex 1:22, 2 Ki 19:24, Amos 8:8, 9:5) or its tributaries (Ex 7:19). Alexander says yeor "is employed five basic ways. First, it refers to the river Nile. In judgment contexts, the drying up of the Nile portrays Egypt's life-source being severed (Isaiah 23:3); the Nile's dominance over the land of Egypt is compared to the comprehensiveness of Egypt's judgment (Isaiah 19:6-8; Ezekiel 29:3-10) and that of others (Isaiah 23:10); the fluctuation of the Nile is likened to the rise and fall of nations (Jer 46:7-8; Amos 8:8). Second, the Nile's canals are depicted by the plural of this term, often describing the vastness of Egypt (Isaiah 7:18). Third, this noun sometimes conveys the general idea of "river" (Isaiah 33:21). Fourth, Daniel employs the term in reference to the Tigris river (or Hiddekel, cf. Daniel 10:4 and Daniel 12:5-7) (Map). Fifth, Job uses this noun to describe man's ability to cut rock channels (Job 28:10; cf. peleg)." (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) Yeor - 48v - Gen. 41:1; Gen. 41:2; Gen. 41:3; Gen. 41:17; Gen. 41:18; Exod. 1:22; Exod. 2:3; Exod. 2:5; Exod. 4:9; Exod. 7:15; Exod. 7:17; Exod. 7:18; Exod. 7:19; Exod. 7:20; Exod. 7:21; Exod. 7:24; Exod. 7:25; Exod. 8:3; Exod. 8:5; Exod. 8:9; Exod. 8:11; Exod. 17:5; 2 Ki. 19:24; Job 28:10; Ps. 78:44; Isa. 7:18; Isa. 19:6; Isa. 19:7; Isa. 19:8; Isa. 23:3; Isa. 23:10; Isa. 33:21; Isa. 37:25; Jer. 46:7; Jer. 46:8; Ezek. 29:3; Ezek. 29:4; Ezek. 29:5; Ezek. 29:9; Ezek. 29:10; Ezek. 30:12; Dan. 12:5; Dan. 12:6; Dan. 12:7; Amos 8:8; Amos 9:5; Nah. 3:8; Zech. 10:11 And every daughter you are to keep alive - The text does not say, but presumably the Hebrew women would become slaves and intermix with the Egyptian population until the "sons of Israel" were absorbed and were no longer a distinct people group. PHARAOH'S CLIMACTIC STROKE (Ex 1:22) 1. In this slaughter of Israel's sons. we see Satan's effort to stay the numerical increase of God's people. If the sons were slain there could be no multiplication among the Children of Israel. This was the objective of the king. 2. In this slaughter of the sons we see a Satanic background. an effort on Satan's part to make impossible the birth of THE Son. God promised that through Abraham the Seed of the woman was to come, the. Seed which was to bruise the serpent's head. Satan, therefore, was one with Pharaoh in this slaughter, thinking, perhaps, that the people of Israel would be annihilated, and that, therefore, the Son of God could never come. 3. In this slaughter the natural result would be the amalgamation of the race with the Egyptians. With the male children slain, Israel's daughters would be taken as wives to the Egyptians. In that way the identity of Israel, as a separate people, would be entirely lost, and within the course of years, partaking the nature of their fathers, Israel would be Egyptianized. Satan still seeks to swallow up the saints by causing them to mingle with the world until their peculiar power as a separated people is entirely lost. 4. In this slaughter against the sons we see, in anticipation, the final strategy of Satan against the Son. There is a verse of Scripture which tells us the dragon sought to slay the Son as soon as it was born. Jesus Christ was scarcely born when an edict of Herod went forth that all the male children in Judea should be slain, God, however, shielded His Son and protected Him from the wrath of the king. ILLUSTRATION - CHOKING THE WEEDS "The way to destroy ill weeds is to plant good herbs that are contrary." We have all heard of weeds choking the wheat; if we were wise we should learn from our enemy, and endeavor to choke the weeds by the wheat. Pre-occupation of mind is a great safeguard from temptation. Fill a bushel with corn, and you will keep out the chaff: have the heart stored with holy things, and the vanities of the world will not so readily obtain a lodging-place. Herein is wisdom in the training of children. Plant the mind early with the truths of God's Word, and error and folly will, in a measure, be forestalled. The false will soon spring up if we do not early occupy the mind with the true. He who said that he did not wish to prejudice his boy's mind by teaching him to pray, soon discovered that the devil was not so scrupulous, for his boy soon learned to swear. It is well to prejudice a field in favor of wheat at the first opportunity. In the matter of amusements for the young, it is much better to provide than to prohibit. If we find the lads and lasses interesting employments they will not be so hungry after the gaities and ensnarements of this wicked world. If we are afraid that the children will eat unwholesome food abroad, let us as much as possible take the edge from their appetites by keeping a good table at home.—Charles. H. Spurgeon Related Resource: Expulsive Power of a New Affection