The Parasha opens by telling us that Yosef (Joseph) was dead, all his brothers were dead and everyone that ever new Yosef was dead, then it goes on to say:

Shemot {1:7} The Bnei Yisrael (Children of Israel) were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

This statement should not come as news to us. G-d said generations ago that Bnei Yisrael would supernaturally multiply. He made this promise to Avraham (Abraham), reconfirmed with Yitzchak (Isaac) and sealed it up with Yaacov (Jacob). Now we’re seeing G-d’s first stage in the fulfilment of this promise. This was an unconditional promise to Israel, it did not depend on anything they did, but it had everything to do with what G-d said. Now as true as it was then, it’s also true now, when G-d’s people multiply Satan is not pleased. The world is threatened when G-d multiplies His people, but He’s always in control. So is it any wonder that we read next:

Shemot {1:8} Now there arose a new king over Mizrayim (Egypt), who didn't know Yosef. {1:9} He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the Bnei Yisrael are more and mightier than we. {1:10} Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land."

Now the indication from verse 8 is that this was not simply a new king. It doesn’t appear to be that the old Pharaoh died and his son took over. The Hebrew wording here "Vayakam melech chadash," implies that this was a whole new dynasty, a new administration, one that did not know Yosef and had no regard for the previous dynasty.

Notice from the above Scriptures that this new king wasn’t worried Bnei Yisrael would themselves try to take over the country, he was more concerned that they would leave! That’s because he didn’t want to lose his labour pool of slaves! They were good for business, free labour. Their leaving could very well have hurt the national economy. So this new Pharaoh didn’t only want to keep Bnei Yisrael, he wanted to keep them as slaves. I believe that’s the way the world looks at us (believers) today. They’re willing to tolerate us but they want to keep us in our place.

Shemot {1:12} But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They were grieved because of the Bnei Yisrael.

We here in the Americas have it easy compared to other parts of the world, where believers are persecuted for their faith. The fact that we have it so easy could be the reason that we’re so complacent and not growing in numbers as rapidly, as for instance in China. That’s because the same principle that applied to Bnei Yisrael in verse 12 applies to us as well. I believe we have yet to see the full wrath of Satan in the West, but it will inevitably come. Are you ready? Will there be enough evidence in your life for them to convicted you of being a believer?

In this Parasha we see a sovereign G-d take the schemes of the enemy and turn them 180 degrees around, to produce victory from what appeared to be defeat. Not only that, He did it in a way no human mind would have conceived. The ways of G-d may seem to be slow and awkward when He’s working with His children, but they’re always successful in accomplishing His will. G-d could lift you out of your circumstances right now with great fan fair if He wanted to, but that’s not necessarily they way He works. He instead uses the circumstances in our lives to change us, to equip us and then He delivers us, not by removing us from our circumstances, but by taking us through them.

Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada.

Copyright 2002