In Exodus 1:20-22, God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty The narrator wants us to see God’s redeeming ways in real history. Listen to the text: “God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is…”
Exodus begins in tears and forced labor. God notices midwives’ fear of Him and the people’s groaning. Faithfulness under tyranny matters; courage can look like civil refusal to murder.
Israel multiplies in Egypt; a new Pharaoh oppresses them; midwives fear God and spare the boys while Pharaoh decrees death for Hebrew sons. In the opening movement, oppression rises, God hears, and a deliverer is called. This passage belongs in that movement: Exodus 1:20-22 is not an isolated anecdote but a step in God’s unfolding purpose. From brick pits to glory-filled tent, God keeps covenant: He brings out, brings through, and dwells in the midst.
A pastoral word for today: Act with fear-of-God courage on behalf of someone under pressure.
Handle the moral weight of Exodus 1:20-22 with humility. Scripture records cruelty, hardness, and idolatry to warn and to magnify grace, not to entertain. Let conviction lead to Christ, our Passover and Mediator.
As you sit with Exodus 1:20-22, ask what it shows you about the God who redeems, commands, and dwells with His people. Exodus is not only ancient national memory; it is living Scripture that forms faith, repentance, and worship. Let the text steady your trust in the LORD’s faithful character.
Reading Exodus 1:20-22 inside the whole book keeps rescue and holiness together. Freedom without Sinai becomes self-rule; commandments without Passover become crushing. Hold this passage in Exodus’ larger story that leads toward Christ.