The Tupelo journal., 1907-05-17
ISRAEL ENSLAVED
in EGYPT
Sunday School Lesson for May l9. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper.
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

them out of their distreSseS. psalm
107:13.
TIME.-According to Ussher's chron-
ology Jacob went down into Egypt about
1T06 B. c., and the sojourn in Egypt was
for 215 or 43o years from that time. For
the length of captivity see Gen. 1913, IA;
Ex. 12:4o; Kings 6:1; Gal. 3:17.
RULERS.--It is quite generally agreed
by scholars that the Pharaoh of the
oppression was Rameses H., and the
Pharaoh of the Exodus his son, Mereph-
tab l.
Comment and Suggestive Thou Jht.
The Chosen FamiIy.-Vs. Is. THE
the whole book. In accordance with
the almost invariable custom of the
writer, there is first a brief recapitu-
lation of preceding events, and then a
statement of the actual condition OF
affairs. s."-Joseph Parker.
V. 1. "These are the Names" The
12 sons of Jacob only are given, the
heads of the families or clans. Every
man and his household" THE house
hold according to the Hebrew idea,
included not merely wife and children,
but men-servants and maid-servants,
dependents and retainers, even hire
lings who might quit the service and
go elsewhere when it pleased them" :"
-Rawlinson. How numerous these
households were can be surmised from
the fact that Abraham could muster
318 armed men to rescue Lot (Gen:
14:14; Isaac was mightier than some
Of the neighboring kings (Gen. 6:16); /;
Esau and Jacob had to separate be-
cause their followers were SO numer-
Gus (Gen. 1876, y.
v. D. Anu dll were ~ SOuIS.
The list is given in Genesis 46, where
two women are included, Dinah, ia
cob's daughter, and Serah, a grand
daughter. Perhaps, as Canon Cook
suggests, these were named because
they remained unmarried. Dean
Payne Smith Champion Lectures) esti-
mates that altogether, with their
households and retainers, they num-
bered 5000 souls. THAT so large a
body should be favoraby received need
not excite surprise. Egypt was always
open to refugees from foreign lands,
were such as secured this particular
body of immigrants a warm welcome" "
-Rawlinson. These circumstances
were the popularity and power of their
kinsman, Joseph, and the fact that the
throne was occupied by one of the
Ii M q
region as the Hebrews, not unsympa-
thetic with them in religion, and ready
to count the accession of all aliens a
help in maintaining the subjugation of
the restive Egyptians.
The Reasons for Removal.-"There
was need for Jacobs family being re-
moved from Canaan, as some of them
were becoming much tainted with the
idolatry and pollution prevalent there.
In Egypt, on the whole, life was purer.
Then there was risk of their ANAL
gamating by marriage with the doomed
Canaanites; but the Egyptians were
so different race that there was no
such risk with them. To be among the
Egyptians would also be benefit to
them in other ways, for they would
learn much from a people so skilled in
all the arts of life and so superior in
| civilization '-Blaikie. Even the af-
fiictions they were to suffer there were
not the least of their gains from the
stay in Egypt, as we shall see.
A Period of Prosperity.-Vs. 6, 7. 1t
| of Cod that in.
troduced the period of bondage in
Egypt with a period of liberty and
prosperity; otherwise, the Hebrews
would not have remained in Egypt
after the end of the famine.
A Period of Adversity.-Vs. S-14
The period of prosperity through
which the Israelites passed was from
| Jehovah; but so, no less certainly,
| was the period of adversely which fol.
| lowed as soon as they were strong
enough to endure it. Both were parts
of Gods great process of development
and training.
Rameses II. as Builder.-"This
| king was the most enterprising builder
! of all the Pharaohs, and that means
| the sacrifice of tens of thousands OF
lives. He built temples and reared
monoliths and colossal statues. His
| temples were approached through long
| avenues of sphinxes. Out of the solid
| rock at Ipsambul he hewed two spa.
cious subterranean temples, and set
| up at their doors four human figures
| 60 feet high. Among his public works
| was a chain of Notifications along the
entire northeastern frontier of Egypt
| for 100 miles. BY his command i'm
| mense dikes were built on the lower
| Nile and in the Delta. Canals were
dug and cities were built" Prof. E. P
| Humphrey.
The Climax of Cruelty.-Ex. 1:15-22
When Pharaoh found the Israelites
fourishing even under this terrible op
preston, he resorted to measures still
more severe, ordering the destruction
| of their male infants as soon as they
were born. The females would be
harmless, and would prove valuable
slaves. "A similar policy was pursued
by the Lacedemonians toward the
helots, by Mithridates toward his Ro
man subjects, and by the Caliph
Hakem, toward the Egyptians. IF.
Johnson. When the official midwives
evaded the kings command, "by a re
finement of cruelty to which the Herod
of the future was not equa1, he re
uuired parents to execute the sentence
| of death on their own children. -
Humphrey. This was indeed the eli