Remember from Genesis

1. Last part of Genesis = story of Joseph
   1. Eventually becomes the most powerful person in Egypt
   2. Brings his family (70 people total) in and gets them settled on Pharaoh’s personal land (some of the best land in Egypt)
2. The famine continues, eventually the people sell themselves into slavery in exchange for food.  Joseph only asks for 1/5 of their harvest, but the stage is set for things to get worse for them

Exodus – Picks up the story after 400 years, the people were “exceedingly fruitful” and became numerous

1:8-14 – A new king comes to power, and this person has no connection to Joseph

1. As long as the king remembered what the people of Egypt owed Joseph everything was fine, the new king does not have that connection and sees a problem
2. He’s worried they could cause trouble and so he kicks the slavery up a notch
3. Despite the increased intensity the people continue to grow

1:15-22

1. Verse 15 – first use of the word Hebrew in the Bible.  Signals a shift – Hebrew includes more than just Israel’s descendants, it includes a bigger group of people.  Remember God’s promise to Abraham – “all nations will be blessed through you.”  This group now gets included in God’s promise thanks to being in the same position as Abraham’s descendants; when God acts they aren’t left behind
2. Pharaoh’s response (ordering the killing of the children) doesn’t make practical sense – he’s costing himself his workforce
3. His effort continues to fail, they keep growing

2:1-10

1. The story shifts from discussing the issues of a people to one specific character, Moses
2. Gets raised by Pharaoh’s daughter which sets the stage for what comes next

2:11-22

1. Moses faces three situations where he can choose between the powerful and the powerless, each time he chooses to side with the powerless even though it costs him something.  That it happens three times isn’t a coincidence, its telling us something about God – God stands on the side of the powerless and oppressed
2. God hears the people’s groaning (verse 24) and acts.  Once they stop holding in their concern God comes to their aid