When you read Exodus chapter 1, you are watching the quiet unfolding of God’s sovereign plan—even in the middle of hardship, oppression, and uncertainty.
The chapter begins with a reminder that God kept His promise. The Israelites multiplied greatly in Egypt. God had told Abraham generations earlier that his descendants would become a great nation (Genesis 12:2). And here we see that promise being fulfilled. Even in a foreign land, even after Joseph had died, God was still at work.
But then the situation changes. “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” That’s a powerful statement. The favor that Israel once enjoyed was forgotten. And when gratitude is forgotten, fear often takes its place.
Pharaoh looked at the growing Israelites and became afraid. Instead of trusting, he chose control. Instead of cooperation, he chose oppression. Fear will always drive a person to make ungodly decisions if it is not surrendered to the Lord.
So Pharaoh enslaved them. He burdened them. He afflicted them.
But here is the key truth: The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.
You cannot stop the blessing of God by human force. When God has His hand on a people, a family, or a life, no external pressure can cancel His purpose. Difficulties may increase—but so does His sustaining power.
Then Pharaoh took an even darker step. He commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill the male babies at birth. But these women feared God. And because they feared God, they refused to obey a sinful command.
That is a defining principle of the Christian life: when human authority contradicts God’s authority, we obey God.
The midwives risked their safety, perhaps even their lives. Yet Scripture says God dealt well with them and gave them families of their own. Why? Because when you honor God, He honors you.
Notice something else: God did not immediately remove the oppression. He allowed it. But He was preparing something far greater. Behind the scenes, He was positioning the deliverer—Moses—who would soon be born.
Sometimes we wonder why God allows hardship in our lives. But Exodus 1 reminds us that difficulty is often the setting in which God prepares His greatest works. What feels like bondage may actually be the birthplace of deliverance.
Here are the truths we can take from this chapter:
God always keeps His promises.
Fear leads to destructive decisions when it is not surrendered to God.
No one can thwart God’s plan for your life.
When you stand in obedience to God, He takes care of you.
God is always working behind the scenes—even when you cannot see it.
Exodus 1 ends in darkness, but it is not a hopeless darkness. It is the darkness before deliverance. God’s people may have been enslaved, but they were not abandoned.
And the same is true for you today: whatever hardship you are facing, God has not forgotten you. He is faithful. He is sovereign. And He is already at work preparing what comes next.
