What is the meaning of Acts 7:19? He exploited our people • “He” points to the new Pharaoh “who did not know Joseph” (Acts 7:18; Exodus 1:8). Scripture records this as literal history, showing how quickly a nation can turn against God’s people. • Pharaoh’s exploitation meant using Israel’s numerical strength for his own gain (Exodus 1:9-11). Making them build “store cities” was a calculated move to sap their energy and keep them from rising. • God foretold such affliction back in Genesis 15:13-14, reminding us that His Word never fails. and oppressed our fathers • The oppression intensified when forced labor became bitter slavery (Exodus 1:13-14). Brick-making under cruel taskmasters broke spirits and bodies alike. • Acts 7:6 echoes this very promise: “They will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.” What God predicts, history records. • Yet even under the lash, Israel’s numbers grew (Exodus 1:12). Divine blessing outpaced human cruelty, underscoring Proverbs 21:30—“No wisdom, no understanding, no plan can prevail against the LORD.” forcing them to abandon their infants • Pharaoh’s next step was infanticide: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22). Stephen condenses this horror into one stark line. • Midwives feared God more than Pharaoh, sparing many babies (Exodus 1:15-17). Their civil disobedience shows that obedience to God outranks obedience to man (Acts 5:29). • Hebrews 11:23 celebrates the faith of Moses’ parents, who hid him “because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.” so they would die • Pharaoh’s aim was genocide—wiping out Israel’s future by killing its sons. Behind his decree lurked the ancient serpent’s attempt to thwart God’s redemptive plan (Revelation 12:4-5). • Psalm 105:25 reflects on this moment: “He turned their hearts to hate His people, to conspire against His servants.” Even hatred is under God’s sovereign hand, bending history toward deliverance. • God overturned death-plans with life: from the Nile came Moses, floating in a basket, destined to lead the exodus (Exodus 2:3-10). What Pharaoh meant for evil, God used for good (Genesis 50:20). summary Acts 7:19 compresses centuries of suffering into one verse, spotlighting Pharaoh’s escalating campaign: exploit, oppress, kill. Each step fulfills God’s earlier warnings and sets the stage for His mighty rescue. The literal record of bondage and attempted infanticide magnifies the faithfulness of God, who preserved His people, raised up a deliverer, and moved history toward the ultimate Redeemer. |
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