Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.
(Exodus 1:8-14 ESV)
God had promised to make Abraham a great nation. He kept His promise, and his people were persecuted. Fear and envy moved in Pharaoh's heart to be a ruthless taskmaster to break the backs and spirits of God's people. It's what we would expect in a fallen world. The good news is that it backfired. The more he persecuted them, the stronger they became. That is a history lesson for us all. We should never feel abandoned by God if we suffer for proclaiming or living out our faith. In our weakness, He will make us strong and do more that survive. We will thrive.
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