Devotional Guide, Today’s Reading – Friday, September 23, 2022

5

Theme: THE END OF THE WICKED

Text: “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.” – Exodus 1:8-10.

Comment: In the time of the Pharaoh “which knew not Joseph” he subjected the Jews to all manner of humiliation and oppression. He made them to serve him as slaves and did not count their lives as anything of value. He even directed the Hebrew Midwives to kill every male child delivered by the Hebrew women. The midwives however, did not carry out the command because they had the fear of God for which they were blessed. (Exodus 1:15-20) Pharaoh went on to decree that every son that is born by the Jewish women should be cast into the river and every daughter saved alive. (Exodus 1:22) This act of gross wickedness however could not stop the exponential growth in the population of the Jews, thus making the Pharaoh to feel even more insecure.

Surprisingly, even after suffering unprecedented devastation by virtue of the ten plagues which God visited on the Egyptians, he still pursued them to the Red Sea, in an apparent bid to compel them to return. Eventually, Pharaoh and his host perished in the Red Sea. (Psalm 136:15; Exodus 14:26-28) God Almighty has promised to deliver His children from the antitypical Egypt, this wicked world into the antitypical land of Canaan, so that we shall proclaim like the Jews: “Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? – Exodus 15:11.