Exodus 1: 1-7 | Journey Through The Bible, Study #34
Exodus 1:1-7 Israel in Egypt

Exodus 1: 1-7

What’s Going on Here? Who’s involved? Where is this happening? What’s the time period?

Summary

Exodus 1 highlights the experience of the children of Israel in Egypt after the death of Jacob, his twelve sons, and the people living during Joseph’s time. Exodus 1: 1-7 lists the names of Jacob's sons and highlights Israel's extraordinary population growth.

Sh’mot

Exodus (Hebrew, Sh’mot), meaning “names”, gets its name from the first verse of the Book:

“Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household…” (Exodus 1:1).

The first five verses list the names of Jacob’s eleven sons that went with him to join Joseph in Egypt - “every man and his household” - a total of seventy individuals.

How Did They Get There?

  • In our study of the Book of Genesis we learned how Joseph’s brothers sold him to merchants, resulting in him being taken to Egypt as a slave. 
  • As tough as that experience must have been for Joseph, God was using that to fulfill his purpose. 
  • Through special interventions God used Joseph to warn of a coming famine, and to make preparations that saved Egypt, Joseph’s family, and many nations from starvation.
  • God blessed Joseph to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. Joseph brought his family to live in Egypt, where they were treated favorably for Joseph’s sake. 

A Promise Being Fulfilled

“And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.” Exodus 2:7

Discussion:

How did Israel’s migration to Egypt fit into God's promise to make Abraham’s offspring a great nation (Genesis 12:2 and 15:15)?

In discussing the question the following points were brought out:

  • The Canaanites dwelt in the land promised to Abraham, which meant 
    • The Jacob and his family were at risk of being overrunned by these powerful and often wicked nations
    • The Israelites were at risk of being assimilated into the peoples of Cannan and losing their identity
    • They were also at risk of being corrupted - particularly by the temptation to worship the gods of the Canaanites.
  • Egypt provided an ideal place for the nation to develop because
    • The children of Israel was given a fruitful piece of land
    • The people, especially Pharoah, felt a great debt to Joseph and his God for preserving Egypt during the famine, therefore Israel enjoyed special privileges.
    • The Egyptians had laws that would prevent intermingling between the Jews and Egyptians, which ensured that the Israelites remain a distinct people, and reduced the likelihood of them adopting the worship and practices of the Egyptians. 
    • Additionally, it allowed the Egyptians the opportunity to learn of the true God.

Key Takeaways:

  1. God keeps His promises. Even when we can't see how everything in life fits together, we can look back and see that God always works things out for our good and for His glory.

 

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