Why did Pharaoh command the Hebrew midwives to kill newborn boys in Exodus 1:15? Setting the Scene • “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). • He saw Israel’s explosive growth: “The Israelites multiplied and became extremely numerous” (Exodus 1:7). • “The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and flourished” (Exodus 1:12). • What looked like ordinary population statistics was actually God keeping His promise to make Abraham’s offspring a vast nation (Genesis 12:2; 15:5). Pharaoh’s Fear of Losing Control • National security panic: “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will multiply further, and if war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country” (Exodus 1:10). • Economic anxiety: Israelite men supplied Egypt’s massive slave-labor force (Exodus 1:11). A rising Hebrew male population meant stronger workers who could also become fighters. • Racial pride: Psalm 105:24–25 notes that God “made His people very fruitful…He turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate His people”. Fear morphed into hatred. The Order Itself • “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives…‘When you help the Hebrew women give birth…if it is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live’” (Exodus 1:15-16). • Killing boys aimed to: – Remove future soldiers. – Force Hebrew girls to assimilate through intermarriage, eroding Israel’s identity. – Preserve a workforce today while crippling its fighting strength tomorrow. A Spiritual Battle Behind the Command • Satanic opposition to God’s plan repeatedly targets promised deliverers: – Here, an attempt to wipe out the one who would lead Israel out of bondage—Moses (compare Exodus 2). – Later, Herod ordered the slaughter of Bethlehem’s boys to destroy the Messiah (Matthew 2:16). • This reflects the age-long conflict foretold in Genesis 3:15 between the serpent and the woman’s seed. • “Our struggle is…against the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). Pharaoh’s decree was more than politics; it was spiritual warfare. Scripture Echoes and Parallels • Prophetic backdrop: God had told Abraham his descendants would be “enslaved and mistreated four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13). Pharaoh’s cruelty fit that timeline. • Repeated pattern: whenever God is about to deliver His people, the enemy escalates violence (Exodus 5; 1 Kings 18; Acts 12). • Divine overturning: the very river meant to drown Hebrew boys (Exodus 1:22) carried baby Moses to Pharaoh’s household, turning the plan inside out (Exodus 2:5-10). Takeaways for Believers • God’s promises stand even when rulers rage; He can make oppression backfire into blessing. • The enemy often singles out the next generation, underscoring the value of godly parents, mentors, and defenders of life. • Seemingly small acts of obedience—like two midwives refusing an evil order (Exodus 1:17)—can shift the course of history. |
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