The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 40

certainty of the Church surviving under the worst that :nan can c.o aaainst, it. The more Pharaoh pel'l!ecured, the more the people multiplied. and grew (~crs. 12, 20).- J. O. Vers. S-22.-T7ie policy of Pharaoh. I. THE PRINCIPLE OF THE POLICY, This iii indicared in vers. 9, 10. It was a policy of se7fishfcar, proceeding upon an unconcealed regard. for the supremacy of Egypt. Whatever interfered with that supremacy was to be, if possible, swept completely out of the way. Pharaoh was dealing, not with the necessities of the present, but with the possibilities of the future. He made no pretence that Israel deserved to be dealt with in this merciless fashion. There was no attempt to cloak the cruelties of the tyrant under the aspect of needful severity against evil-doers. The fear of Pharaoh is seen in the very language he employs. It was not true as yet that the Israelites were more and mightier than the Egyptians: but Pharaoh feels that such a. state of things is not improbable, and may not be remote. Something has already happened very different from what might have been expected. w·ho was to suppose that a handful of people from Canaan instead of blending with ·the bullnof Egypt, would keep persistently separate and in'crea.se with such alarming rapidity? Seeing that such unexpected things have already happened, what may not be feared in the future ? Who knows what allies Israel may ultimately find, and what escape it may achieve? Thus from this attitude and utterance of Pharaoh we learn-I. Not to make our safety and our strength to consist in an unscrupulous we,a,kening of others. The true strength, ever becoming more and more sufficient, is to be gained within ourselves. Pharaoh would have done more for his own safety and the safety of his people by putting a.way idolatry, injustice, and oppression, than by all his frantic attempts to destroy Israel. It is o. sad business, if we must hold our chief possessions at the expense of others. If my gain is the losa or suffering of some one else, then by this very fact the gain is condemned, antl however large and grateful it may be at present, it will end in the worst of all loss. Surely the luxuries of the few would become utterly nauseous and abhorrent, if it were only con- sidered how often they depend on the privation and degradation of the many. Pharaoh's kingdom deserved to perish. and so deserve all kingdoms and all exalted stations of individuals, if their continuance can only be secured by turning all possible enemies into spiritless and emasculated slaves. 2. Not to set our affections on such things as lie tz,t the mercy of others. Pharaoh had to be incessantly watchir.g the foundations of his vast and imposing kingdom. Other nations only saw the superstructure· from a dis- tance, and might be excused for concluding that the magnificence rested upon a solid base. But we may well believe that Pharaoh himself lived a life of incessant anxiety. The appreheru;ions which he here expresses must have been a fair sample of those continually passing through his mind. The world can give great possessions and many opportunities for carnal pleasure; but security, undisturbed enjoyment of the possession., it cannot give. IL THE WORKING OUT OF THE POLICY. The thing aimed at was to keep the numbers of llira.el within what were deemed safe bounds; and to this end Pharaoh began by trying to crush the spirits of the people. He judged-and perhaps not unwisely, according to the wisdom of this world-that a race oppressed as he proposed to oppress Israel would assuredly not increase to any dangerous extent. If only the rate of increa.se in Israel did not gain on the rate of increase in Egypt, then all would be safe. Pharaoh firmly believed that if only Egypt could keep more numerous than Israel, Egypt would be perfectly secure. Therefore he put these people into a state of bondage and oppression ever becoming more rigorous. Notice that he had peculiar advantages, from his point of view, in ma.king this course of treatment successful. The Israelites had hitherto lived a free, wandering, pastoral life (Gen. xlvii. 3----6), and now they were eooped-up under merciless task.masters and set to hard manual toil. If any human policy had success in it, success seemed to be in this policy of Pharaoh. Nevertheless it utterly failed, from Pharaoh'e point of view, for, whatever depressing effect it had on the spirits of the Israelites, there was no diminution in~ their numbers. The extra- ordinary and alarming increase still went on. '!'he more the taskmasters did to hinder Israel, the more, in this particular matter of the numerical increase, it seemed to prosper. It was a.ll very perplexing and unaccountable, but at last Pharaoh recognises the failure, oil, 1. 8-22.) THE BOOK OF EXODUS, 21