The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-11-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
Lessss IN tie International Series
for November 10. IOOi-usraso
Oppressed In EgyDt.
rHE LESSON TEXT.


Exodus 1:i-1t)
l. New there arc the names 81 the chii.
dren Of Israel. which came into Esypt;
every man end his household came with
Jacob.
= Reuben. simeon. Levi. and judah.
Z Issachar. zebulun. and benjamin.
4 Dan. and Naphtall. Cad. and Asher.
\ q. And all the souls that came out OF the
ioins OF Jacob were seventy souls: for JOS
eph was In Egypt already.
8. And Joseph died. and all his brethren.
and all that generation.
y T. And the children Of Israel were fruit
full, and increased abundantiy, and multi
piled. and waxed exceeding mighty; ARD
the land was filled with them.
s. Now there arose up new king over
Egypt. which knew rot Joseph
.. And he said unto his people. behcld,
the people OF the children OF Israel are
more and mightier than We:
10. Come on. let us deal wisely with them:
lest they multiply. and IL come TO pass.
that. when there falleth out any war, they
Join also unto our enemies. and fight
against us. and get them up out Of the
land.
H. Therefore they did set over them task
ni-ytsrs TO afiiict them with their burdens.
And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities.
Pithom and Raamses.
l2 But the more they afflicted them the
more they multiplied and grew. And they
were grieveo because OF the children OF
Israel.
Is. And the Egyptians made the children
Of Israel TO serve with rigour.
IA. 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 rigour.
GOLDEN 1EXT.-God heard their
grooming. and God RENE mbercd His
covenant.-Ex. 2;xi.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The lesson will properly include
the entire first chapter Of Exodus.
The Growth Of Israel Tvs. To-
These first verses of Exodus are .
summary of the conditions under
which Israel grew from family TO
a people. Goshen was not very fer
tile. but fit for the pasturage OF large
hocks. Here the conditions for rapid
growth were favorable. because of the
abundance Of room. OF air and OF food.
The number 20 is not exactly accurate
al the time of Jacobs removal to
Egypt, but it is sufficiently so for
counting the number of the first gen.
Grafton. The number that left Egypt
after the first pa ssover was about Co.,
900 I2:37). The time during which the
nation grew to this size is differently |
calculated. A period Of 430 years is |
mentioned In several passages (12:4o;
Gal. 3:17: compare Gen. 1919. But
IN one case IL seems to be reckcaec |
from the covenant with Abraham, AID /
in the other from the entrance OF
Jacob into Egypt. The Greek version
of the Old Testament inserts in Tx
12:40. the words lin the land Of
Canaan" after the word Egypt" so
that the period covered includes also
the time when Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob lived in Canaan. and the ectus.
residence Of Israel in Egypt was a>~.s
2f5 years. or about seven generations.
To increase in that period from 20
to 100000 would require that in each
family an average of about seven chill
dren should grow up and marry. Such
growth would indeed be phenomenal;
and II students of Egyptian history
are right. the longer period must be
taken as correct.
The Oppression Tvs. s-14).-The
new king" of verse was not merely
another ruler, but was a member OF
q new dynasty. He is generally be-
lieved TO have been Harnesses H.. who
was one of the greatest builders that
ever ruled Egypt, and very success
full administrator. 1t was an indica.
ton of his care in administration that
Il -
crease of the Hebrews. The social
contempt in which shepherds were
held prevented the Hebrews from mix
Ing with the Egyptians. OF course. in
that situation friction and jealousy
would be common. The result which
the king expected was therefore quite
possible. The policy Of the Hebrews.
u they could form an alliance against
Egypt, would probably be to weaken
Egypts power and then select neigh
boring territory for the founding Of
new government. Egypt would not
De so well of IL they went away, a.
knew. The slavery to which
The Hebrews were reduced was not
u individual to individual, but OF peo-
pie to king. The use Of forced labor
vas common in Egypt; even native
Egyptians were subjected to it, and
~ its means great works like the
pyramids were built. The same meth
ID was used by Solomon in building
he temple. Hard work seldom en-
hangers the increase Of . nation. II
had known hcw best to pre-
Tent lsrael's growth, he would have per-
uaded the young and vigorous people +,
o live in pampered idleness. Israers
treatment was hard TO be- r, not SO
much because the work taxed their
trength as because they were under
nconsiderate and harsh taskmasters.
The "rgour" Of verses 10 and IL a
ough and abusive treatment.
Cruel Measures Tvs. 22).-The en-.
eavor to stop increase by the murder !
4 infants was hardly more successful !
han that to stop IL by oppressive bur.