Pam Padgett ... teacher
When God told Israel to not fear going to Egypt, God told him that HE would make of him a great nation there ...
Genesis 46:2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of
the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. 3 And he
said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt;
for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Israel went to Egypt with his sons and their families,
except Joseph who was already in Egypt, only 70 in number ...
Exodus 1:1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel,
which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. 2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 4
Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 And all the souls that came out of
the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already.
However, as God had spoken to Israel, HE made them a great nation, more and mightier than the Egyptians ....
Exodus 1:7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and
increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and
the land was filled with them. 8 Now there arose up a new king over
Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the
people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we:
The Egyptians greatly afflicted them. However, the more they afflicted them, the more the children of Israel increased ...
Exodus 1:10 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. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to
afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure
cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.
The king of Egypt then told the midwives to kill sons born to Hebrew women. However, the midwives would not do this since they feared God. Not only did God deal well with the midwives since they feared Him and saved the male Hebrew babies, but the people continued to multiply and grow very mighty ...
Exodus 1:15 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:16 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. 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. 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? 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. 20 Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.
It was the will of God to make the children of Israel a great nation
while in Egypt, and God did this, just as HE spoke to Israel.