Not Forsaken – Exodus 1:1-22
Exodus 1 is a bleak chapter of oppression and struggle. It almost reminds me of the strain put on a car battery. Power is demanded from it for the spark that keeps the engine turning and all the lights plus accessories in the vehicle. Yet, no matter the strain put on it, the alternator supplies above and beyond what it needed to run the equipment and even recharges the battery.
That is sort of how I see the children of Israel in this chapter. No matter how hard they are pressed and how intentionally Pharoah tries to limit their birthrate, God still fulfills His promise in Genesis 12 and causes Israel to multiply and become a great nation.
Exodus 1:7
But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
Exodus 1:12
But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.