God used the pain of oppression to expose His glory

  a. The oppression arose out of Pharaoh’s fear 

     i. Joseph was forgotten 

     ii. Israel was perceived as a threat 

  b. It led to a systematic enslavement of God’s people

     i. Egypt appointed taskmasters over Israel 

     ii. Egypt was in dread of Israel 

     iii. Egypt compelled Israel to labor rigorously