The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-05-09
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
MAY 13.
lesson Text: ssIsrael In Egypt" Ex.
odus l., 1-14-Golden Text;
Psalm cxxiy., g.
Commentary.


Every man and his household came with
jacob" The more detailed account Of this
is found In Gen. XVII, s-27, and in verses 8,
4, the comforting and assuring words OF
God to Jacob concerning his going into
Egypt-the promise OF His presence and
blessing and Of their sure return to the land
Of promise. It Is always safe to go where we
are sure OF the presence and blessing OF God.
These children OF Israel are first mentioned
by their names, with the meaning OF their
names, In Gen. xxx. and XXX. The last
reference to them is in Rev. XXI, IL, where
their names seem to be written on the
twelve gates of pearl OF the New Jerusalem,
the Bride, the Lambs wife, which Is to come
down from God out of heaven.
2,3. 4. Reuben, Simeon. Levi and judah,
Issachar, Zebulum and Benjamin, Dan and
NaphtalI, Cad and Asher" These eleven
came with Jacob, Joseph being already In
Egypt, as in the next verse. The names
here are not In the order Of birth. brlt In the
same order as In Gen. xxSv., 1926, which is
there explained, the wives coming first and
then the handmaids. The many various or
ders Of arrangement In which the Spirit has
written these names throughout the Scrip
tures cannot be void Of significance.
s. "And all the souls that come out Of the
loins of Jacob were seventy souls, for Joseph
was IN Egypt already" This agrees with
Gen. XVII, 26, 81, and Deut. <, 20. Stephens
statement that Joseph called seventy-fve to
him In Egypt (Acts viI., 14) Is no discrep-
ancy, for he Includes all bis kindred. which
would take In Jacobs sons wives, who were
not included in the seventy. See Gen. XVI,
26. The word OF God Is intallible.
6. Sand Joseph died, and all his brethren,
and all that generation. We are reminded
of the eight times repeated "And he died" Of
ofu uoh ~ apnnfntp6
unto men once to die" But we remember
that two men have been excused from keep
ing this appointment. Enoch and Elijah, and
all believers alive on the earth at the coming
of Christ will not sleep, but be changed In
moment and caught up to meet Him IN tho
air II Cor. xv., 81, 50; Thess.. iv. 16-189
7.,"And the children OF Israel were fruit
full and increased abundantly and multiplied
and waxed exceeding mighty, and the land
was filled with them God had said to
Jacob, "Fesr not to go down into Egypt,
(Gen. XVII, 81. And He had done 1t accord
ing to His word. for Hath He said, and
shall He not do 1t? or hath He spoken, and
shall He not make 1t good" (Num. xxzti1.,
19)? When such increase is seen in all the
earth, then shall Gen. l.. 2S be obeyed. and
the blessing OF the Lord be made manifest.
Confidence in God and obedience to His
word will always bring showers OF blessing.
S. sNow, there arose new king over
EgYpt, which knew not Joseph" That was
not the worst OF it, for his own testimony
was, ;'I know not Jehovah" (Ex. v, p. In
this he was surely guilty, for he could not
help knowing about JosephA and the God OF
Joseph, and the great deliyerance wrought
by God through Joseph for his land and peo-
pie. The presence Of these children OF Israel
In his land was a witness on behalf of JOS
eph and his God.
8. "Ani he said unto his people, Behold,
the people OF the children CT Israel are moro
and miehtier than we" This is equal to a
confession that he knew Joseph In the sense
OF knowing all about him and his people, but
he was determined not to acknowledge any
obligation to Joseph or these. his people.
This Is the sense In which those who have
heard the gospel know not God. They Will
not regard Him nor acknowledge their oblt-
cation to Him.
10. "Come on. let US deal wisely with
them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass
that when there falleth out any war they
Join also unto our enemies and fight against
us and 80 get them up out Of the land" He
in his wisdom would fight against the very
thing God had said He would do, II will
surely bring thee up again. (Gen. XVI. -
Satan's way Is to go directly against Go1, as
In the beginning. when God said. Thou
shalt surely die" the serpent said, "fe Shall
not surely die"
II. Therefore they did not set over them
taskmasters to af1ict them with their bur-
dens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure
cities, Pithom and Raamses." This also had
been foreseen and foretold, for God had said
to Abram that In the strange land his sesd
should be afflicted, but that afterward he
would bring them out with great substance
(Gen. 1v., is, ~. It seems strange to US
that God should allow satan to afflct His
people. but 80 IT Is. Consider Job and the
captives taken to Babylon for their good
(Jer. xiv, s. and the church at Smyrna
(Rev. H., 1O) and ses Pet. iv.. IL, 13.
IL. But the more they afflicted them the
more they multiplied and grew. And they
we're grieved because Of the children of Is
rael." Thus the Lord laughed at mans 90
forts to frustrate His purpose. It Is so with
the word OF God. and with the church. and
with the individual Christian. The more
persecution the more 1t grows the more We
die the more We live. Except a corn Of
wheat fall into the ground and die It abideth
alone, but II 1t die 1t bringeth forth much
fruit" (John xu., 24). Their grief because
OF Israel makes US think OF those who were
exceedingly grieved because man had come
to seek the welfare Of the children OF Israel
(Neh. L., 1O) and OF the time Wlen JeruSA-
lem shall be- burdensome stone for all peo-
ple-all that burden themselves with 1t shall
be cut In pieces Czech. XII, 81.
13, IA. "And the Egyptians made the chill
dren OF Israel to serve with rigor. and they
made their lives bitter with hard bondage In
mortar and in brick and In all manner OF
service In the field, all their service wherein
they made them serve was with rigor." In
Mt least three places this Is called the iron
furnace OF Egypt (Daut. iv., 20. Kings, viii.,
81 ;Jer. xi., ~, and in Isa. Xviii, 10, the
Lord says: "Behold, have refined thee,
but not with silver. + have chosen thee IN
the furnace OF affection From Eek. xii. f.
1922, and Zech. xiii, 9, and elsewhere It
looks as If there would be more furnace work
than ever for Israel ere they oil know the
Lord from the least to the greatest. AS to
our individual lives, when We are IN the fur
mace we may be sure that the Lord has His
eye upon us, looking lovingly 20 see His own
image moro clearly reflected In US (Mal. ILL.,,
81. The remainder OF this chapter tells how
In spite OF the or,iers TO kill all the male
children rs soon as born the people multi
piled and waxed very mighty.
Helper.