4/14 Devotions in Exodus

Exodus 1 Afflictions

“But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel.” (v. 12)

It is a Bible principle that growth is a result of afflictions and persecutions. Even in New Testament days, when Saul wreaked havoc on the churches, it still spread and grew. Often growth stems from persecution because people flee to another land, and the Gospel goes with them, and permeates new areas for Christ. This was true, especially, in the Book of Acts, concerning the New Testament church. It seems strange to us, that an attempt to destroy a work makes it stronger and more determined to go on, but it is true that it does. Here we see though, an attempt far more serious than the destruction of the church, as serious as that is, we see an attempt to destroy the Messianic line, by which our Savior would be born. By killing all the males, Satan used Pharaoh to make an attempt on Christ, and to wipe out the Jewish race completely by marrying the women, and polluting the blood-line. There were, in fact, many attempts throughout the Bible to destroy the coming of the Messiah.

Satan’s ploys are often trickery, as this was, and, to say the least, fatal. Pharaoh, logically, made sense, and, in his own mind, had valid reasons for killing the males only, and was found to do Satan’s bidding. He had, after all, a personal reason, without actually thinking of destroying the Messianic line. Often though, when we viciously oppose someone, or something, we too are doing Satan’s bidding, perhaps without even knowing it ourselves. When we do this, mark it down that they will prosper all the more. Everyone likes to rally around the underdog, and lift him up, and encourage him, and many allies are made because of it. Keeping this in mind, let us not be malicious in dealing with others, but let the “sword of the Spirit” do our fighting, and we can be assured that we will be on the winning side. The harder the Egyptians opposed God’s people, the stronger they became, and it is still true today too.