Birth of Moses and Growth of Israel

Date: 1571 BC – Year: 2433 – Ref: Ex 1:16-2:2a;

About half-way through the period of Egyptian captivity, God provides a glimpse of the attitude of the Israelites regarding the Dominion Mandate.  

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“1:16 and [Pharaoh] said, "when you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see [them] upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." 17 But the midwives feared god, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live. … 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. 21 because the midwives feared God, he established households for them. … 2:1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.” (Ex 1:16, 17, 20, 21; 2:1, 2 NAS95)

        In the midst of Pharaoh’s threats to kill all boys born to Hebrew households, God’s people still continued to be fruitful and God preserved the growing Israelite people.  The Hebrew midwives refused to obey Pharaoh’s evil command.  As a direct result of their fear of the Lord, God established households for them.

        Pharaoh eventually relented and released the Israelites 215 years after Jacob’s family sojourned into Egypt to survive during the years of famine.  It is Israel’s faithfulness to God’s command "be fruitful and multiply" that directly leads to their release.   

Be Fruitful and Multiply – The First Creation Commandment

Today, I will begin a series of blog posts on the Biblical command to “be fruitful and multiply.” I will trace this thread throughout 3,600 years of Old Testament Biblical history, beginning with Genesis 1 right through the Malachi 4. I will show the verse, with a brief heading and date, and offer a view brief comments.

The First Commandment At Creation

Date: 4004 BC – Year: 0 – Ref: Gen 1:28;

“God blessed them; and God said to them, “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”” (Ge 1:28 NAS95)

On the sixth day of creation, God mandates that Adam and Eve take dominion over His creation. This is known as the Dominion Mandate. The command is to both of them – husband and wife. There are two major parts to the Mandate:

1. populating the earth, and
2. subduing the earth.

These two facets are related. The earth cannot be subdued unless it is populated. Subduing does not refer to any one particular point in history, but rather an ongoing stewardship throughout all of history. This command is given to God’s people.

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