The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-12-20
THE SUN DAY SCHOOL.
international Sunday School Lesson
for December ~, 1901
BY REV. FRANKLIN B. DWIGHT.
EXODUS XIV: 1927.
The Passage Of the Red Sea.

The Passage of the Red Sea.
We come now to the actual exodus
of the people of Israel from the land
of Egypt, the great event from which
the book we are studying takes its
name. They are going out mighty
host, six hundred thousand men on
foot beside children. Z Probably they
numbered in all more than two mill
ions. They are going to sacrifice to
Jehovah their God in the mountain
where God promised Moses that they
should do sacrifice, and then they are
going to march on to the good land
which has been promised to them for
centuries.
| We should not suppose that Moses
was commanded to deceive Pharaoh
in asking, as he did at first, for three
days absence. (iii :18) 1t is quite
true that iPharaoh's replies and all
the conversations between him and
Moses treat the subject as though a
three days absence was all that was
definitely contemplated. But as the
severity Of the plaques increases
Moses becomes more sweeping in his
demands. He stays the plague Of flies
upon the Kings permission to let
Israel go, but sfnot far away but
upon the recalling of this permission
three more plaques follow. and when,
after the hail and fire, Pharaoh says,
"Go now, We that are men" Moses
rejects the offer and demands that all
shall go and ''hold a feast to Jeho-
yah" tx: SID. Still later, after the
plague of darkness, when the permits
sion is. go, only let your focks and
herds be stayed" Moses repudiates
this compromise with scorn, saying,
there shall not an hoof be left be-
hind, and adds yelled allusion to
future unknown possibilities, in the
words, We know not with what we
must serve Jehovah until we come
thither. - *: 26). Moses was dealing
with an Oriental despot. What Elmer
son calls, the genius of coming
plump upon the fact, twas far renew
ed from the diplomatic methods OF
ancient courts, and although Moses
practised reservation in his demands,
there was certainly no deceit, sbecause
the magnitude of the attending cir
cumstances all pointed to the perma-
nent withdrawal of the Israelites.
And although the Kings words an.
swered the words off Moses, his actions
spoke with reference to the tevents
which were clearer and more impress
sive than words. He knew that Israel
was arranging to leave Egypt forever,
and Moses knew that the King knew
this; but it was in accord with .Orien-
tai methods to save the dignity of the
monarch by a public declaration of
only part of the truth. Reservation
may be the same as deceit, and there
fore immoral, but it is not so when
actions tell the whole truth.
And now God leads the people on,
mot through the way of the land of
the Philistines although that was
near :. but through the way of
the wilderness of the Red Sea. And
so God is ever doing with His people.
He that believeth shall not make
haste. - God knows what evils often
lie in the path of the short way, just
as He knew that the Philistines would
hinder the Israelites, and so He often
leads His children in way that they
know not.
We can see the great caravan NOV
ing onward toward the sea, and with
them they are carrying sacred trea-
sure, the body of Joseph, which, &C
cording to promise must be buried in
Canaan.
Notice how sacredly Israel was
taught to regard promises and to per
form oaths. (see Gen. l.: 25) The
Lord Jehovah is leading the people
by day in pillar of cloud, and by
night in pillar of fire, as we learn in
chapter xiii: 81, and our lesson xiv