For so many years, Egypt was great to the Israelites. Joseph enjoyed a prestigious position in Pharaoh’s cabinet, his descendants were well taken care of, and they all, according to Exodus 1:7, continued to “be fruitful and multiply.”
Until, apparently, they got too big. The phrase at the end of Exodus 1:7 is simple but foreboding. There, it’s mentioned that the land of Egypt was “filled with [Israelites].” And for a Pharoah that is trying to hold onto their power, any potential threat is an actual threat. And, of course, all threats must be dealt with.
Pharaoh’s rationalization for subduing the Israelites is as flimsy as they come. According to him, the Israelites were “too many” and “too mighty” for them to overcome, which is not true, no matter how you look at it. In a pitched battle between Israelite shepherds and Egypt with their chariots, Egypt wins every time.
So, why did Pharaoh decide to enslave the Israelites? A couple factors are in play.
First, a Pharaoh arose who “didn’t know Joseph.” This either signals a Pharaoh who came from a different family, came via conquest, or, at the very least, had a different sense of patriotism than previous pharoahs. If we’re to take the end of Genesis at face value, Joseph and his family are national heroes. Forgetting him is akin to Americans deciding to turn Mount Vernon into a gas station.
The other reason he enslaved them was because he viewed them with suspicion. There is virtually no evidence – Biblical or otherwise – that the Israelites ever led a large-scale rebellion against the Egyptians while they were in Egypt. Furthermore, according to passages like Deuteronomy 23:8 specifically tell Israelites to not “loathe the Egyptians” because they were strangers in their land.
Pharaoh was paranoid. He assumed that once the Israelites got large enough, they would simply overpower the Egyptians and take their land from them. It’s exactly the same rationale that the Pharisees used about Jesus. In John 11:48, they claim that unless they removed Jesus, He would lead an insurrection and the Romans would remove them from power.
Was that what Jesus wanted? Absolutely not. But it’s hard for people who are used to seizing power by whatever means necessary and then holding onto it however they can to assume the same of other people. Jesus didn’t threaten the Jews’ place, just as the Israelites never seemed to threaten Pharaoh.
The tragic irony of this entire story is that the old Pharaoh leveraged the prosperity of the Israelites for his own gain. He had them tend his flocks, put Joseph in charge of the famine relief, and relied on them in his administration.
The new pharaoh used those very same people who enjoyed those very same blessings for his gain also, but instead of working with them, he enslaved them. In the end, it was all about power. But very shortly, the Pharaohs will find who is ultimately in control.