All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
Exodus 1:8-9 (ESV)
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us.
Now that is positive growth. Israel (Jacob) brought his entire family to Egypt to be with Joseph and their number was seventy. But only a few years later and suddenly they were too many and too mighty for a new Pharaoh to deal with. This is what God does. He multiples His people. The entire earth started but with two. After the flood God only had Noah and his three sons. With them He re-populated the entire earth. Than God called Abraham and that lead to Jacob (Israel) and they became:
Exodus 12:37 (ESV)
And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
When God started the Church He sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus gather around him twelve disciples (one of which was a traitor). With the remaining eleven He changed the world. God does not need much to work His plan for mankind. He does not need the mighty and the strong. He uses the weak and the less:
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV)
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
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