READ
Exodus 1
CONSIDER
The book of Exodus begins with what appears to be a contradiction. On one hand, Israel is experiencing extraordinary blessing. They are multiplying rapidly, just as God had promised Abraham centuries earlier. On the other hand, that very blessing becomes the reason for their oppression. A new Pharaoh, “who did not know Joseph,” views Israel’s growth as a threat and subjects them to harsh slavery.
From a human perspective, it may seem that God has abandoned His people. Yet Exodus invites us to see a deeper reality. God is faithfully at work, forming His people through both blessings and hardships to fulfill His covenant purposes. God’s blessings are never accidental. Every evidence of spiritual growth, every answered prayer, every open door reflects His covenant faithfulness. The suffering in Egypt was not evidence that God had forgotten Israel. Rather, it became the furnace in which He shaped them into a nation that would know Him not merely as the God of their ancestors, but as the God who redeems. He is shaping them into a people who will worship Him wholeheartedly regardless of their circumstances and embrace His redemptive mission for the nations. The God who blesses is also the God who refines, and in every season His faithfulness remains unchanged.
Look forward to worshipping together this Sunday.
Pastor Julian Wong
PRAY
Faithful God, thank You that Your promises never fail. Thank You for the blessings You have poured into my life and for the hardships You are using to shape my character. Help me trust that even when You seem silent, You are faithfully working for Your glory and my good. Give me the courage of the Hebrew midwives to fear You above every earthly power. Form me into the person You desire me to become, and teach me to rest in Your unchanging faithfulness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
DIVING DEEPER
Is there a difficult season that God may be using to shape your faith? How did you respond in your worship and how will you live for God missionally?
What would it look like to fear God more than the pressures or fears around you, as Shiphrah and Puah did?