“Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us.
Exodus 1:9
When the new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt, he looked at the region where the Israelites were dwelling and fear gripped his soul. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” (Exodus 1:9-10)
Rather than let fear control him, he devised a plan to manipulate them into servitude. He came up with a genius idea to ‘engage their body for profit and enslave their mind’.
Pharaoh was so afraid that if he allowed the Israelites to have a smooth ride they would fulfil God’s purpose for their lives. What is this purpose? In Genesis 1:28, “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Meanwhile, Exodus 1:7 says “…the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.
When we compare these two scriptures, a clear picture emerges: God’s purpose for Israel, and ultimately for each of us, is to be fruitful. As soon as the Israelites began fulfilling this purpose, Pharaoh launched his attack. The same is true for us today as well. The devil’s primary target is our fruitfulness, and the reason he attacks it is because he’s afraid. However, he cleverly masks his fear, much like Pharaoh, and seeks to transfer it to us.
“So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labour, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites” (Exodus 1: 11-12)
Unfortunately for the Israelites, unaware of the Egyptians hidden fears, they saw themselves only as victims, and thus victims they remained. Even with God’s presence, enabling them to prosper despite oppression, they believed they were forsaken.
Only after over 400 years of fruitless labour in slavery did they finally awaken and cry out to the Lord, at which point He sent a deliverer. All the while, their object of fear was equally afraid of them but they were oblivious to it. This resonates with our own lives, for what often inspires the greatest fear in us also trembles before us, waiting to be acknowledged and overcome.
PRAYER
Lord, please deliver my mind from the bondage of fear. Help me to see the work you are doing in my life even in the midst of any oppression. Empower me to be fruitful for the glory of your name, in Jesus name.
