The story of the Egyptian oppression of the Hebrews now takes a horrific turn. When the efforts to control the Hebrews through forced labor resulted in no change in the growth of their population, Pharoah ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to smother all the male children born to Hebrew women. Their refusal resulted in an escalation. Pharaoh commanded that all male children born of Hebrew women be thrown into the Nile.
Why the males? One would assume that the male Hebrews were the backbone of Pharaoh’s forced labor program. We could also assume that as they reached maturity a reduced population of Hebrew males would not necessarily reduce the capacity of the women to have children. Was it their potential as future freedom fighters that Pharaoh feared of the male children?
Yet dispite that horrific policy of Egypt, Exodus 1:20 says that “the people were even more numerous.”
My next entry will explore the themes in chapter 2.
August 10, 2008 at 7:54 pm |
My wife and I have been thinking and talking about the issue of oppression and proliferation. We have come up with one theme from the Bible but it is timeless and that is the death of the seed that brings forth fruit, “some ten fold, some fifty and some a hundred fold.” Another is the clear evidence that martyrs for a cause inspire others with a similar zeal for the cause they espoused. This was true of Christians under Jewish and then Roman oppression and of Protestants under Catholic oppression. It is also true today of the suicide bombers. The persecution of civil rights leaders also helped to solidify their cause. Since Paul wrote to Timothy that, “everyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted.” it would appear that persecution of those who espouse a cause is in direct proportion to the zeal with which it is promoted.