What is the meaning of Exodus 1:10? Come Pharaoh’s opening word signals urgency and intentionality. Similar rallying cries appear in Genesis 11:3-4 when people united at Babel, and Psalm 2:1-3 where earthly rulers plot together. Each instance shows human powers attempting to thwart God’s plans—and failing. Here the king gathers his advisors for a pre-emptive strategy against God’s covenant people. let us deal shrewdly with them “Deal shrewdly” speaks of calculated, crafty policy rather than open violence. • Genesis 3:1 pictures the serpent as “crafty,” foreshadowing hostile cunning toward God’s people. • In Matthew 2:8 Herod secretly schemed to destroy the newborn Messiah. The pattern: worldly rulers rely on manipulation, yet Proverbs 21:30 reminds us, “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can prevail against the LORD.” or they will increase even more Pharaoh fears numerical growth, acknowledging the apparent blessing of Genesis 1:28 and 12:2 on Israel. Earlier, Exodus 1:7 already affirmed, “the Israelites were fruitful and increased greatly.” Human opposition cannot cancel divine multiplication (cf. Acts 5:38-39). and if a war breaks out Egypt enjoyed regional dominance, but the king anticipates future conflicts (Exodus 14:5 later exposes Egypt’s vulnerability). Psalm 33:16-17 teaches that a nation’s security is never simply in military strength. they may join our enemies Pharaoh projects disloyalty onto Israel, ignoring Joseph’s faithful service recorded in Genesis 41:39-41. Similar suspicion greeted Daniel in Persia (Daniel 6:4) and early Christians in Rome (Acts 24:5). God’s people often become scapegoats during political tension. fight against us The king imagines Israel turning its God-given strength against Egypt. Yet 2 Chronicles 20:15 declares, “the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Ironically, God Himself will soon fight Egypt (Exodus 14:24-25), proving the king’s fear both misplaced and prophetic. and leave the country Pharaoh’s greatest anxiety is economic loss—Israel supplied labor and prosperity (Exodus 1:11). His dread anticipates the Exodus, when Israel departs “with silver and gold” (Psalm 105:37). God’s promise in Genesis 15:14—“they will come out with great possessions”—will stand, no matter the opposition. summary Exodus 1:10 exposes a ruler’s calculated attempt to suppress God’s growing people through craft and fear. Each phrase reveals human anxiety colliding with divine blessing. History confirms Pharaoh’s strategy not only fails but accelerates God’s redemptive plan, culminating in the Exodus and foreshadowing every future deliverance for those who trust Him. |
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