The Tupelo journal., 1907-06-14
ISRAEL'S ESCAPE
FROM EGYPT
Sunday SchoolLessonfor June 16. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

the Egyptians, ana iSrael saw tHe ESypt-
ians dead Upon the seashore. EXODUS
1870.
TIME. - According to the common
chronology, B. C. 1881; according to
Brugsch, 1900; Price, 1916. Breasted places
Menephtah's death In 1915. The last of
March or the first of April.
PLACE.-They started from Succoth
and Rameses, in Goshen; Travelled north
eastward to the frontier district of Eft
ham, and then southwark to the head or
the Red Sea near the present Suez, or
perhaps near the present Bitter lakes, IL
the Red sea then extended SO far north.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Divine Guidance.-Ex. 13:17-
14:4. Three great routes led out OF
Egypt to the east. 1. The Philistia
road, or "the way of the land of the
Philistines" Eek. 13:1D, was the
northern road, and crossed the line
of the lakes which form the bed Of
the modern Suez canal just north Of
Lake Ballah, at a point still known as
El-Dantarah, "the bridge" 2.
The Wall Road, "the Way Of
Shur," i. e., wall Gen. 1870, is the
central road, starting from the north
ern end of Lake Timsah, near the
modern town Ismailia. 1t goes straight
into the desert, and leads to Palestine
by way of B~eersheba and Hebron. 1t
was probably along this road that
Abraham and Jacob went into Egypt.
But there was a long stretch of desert,
and it would require a continuous
miracle to sustain the people and
their focks. 8. The Red Sea Road,
the Way of the Wilderness of the
Red Sea" Eek. 1919, was the road
which swept across the wilderness,
between the two arms of the Red sea,
from the head of the Gulf of Suez to
the head of the Gulf of Akabah." 1t
is to-day the great route of the pill
grim caravans to Mecca.
The natural choice of Moses was
the first route, the northern or Philis-
tia road. He was not yet guided by
the pillar of fire, nor, in the first flush
of victory over Pharaoh, did he prob
ably realize the weakness of the
Hebrews, and their need of long dis
cipline before they could conquer the
Canaanites.
The pillar of cloud and Of fire made
its appearance at Ethan, never
again to desert that pilgrim band till
the Jordan was crossed and it had set
tied down to brood over the house of
God."-F. B. Meyer. 1t was the pres
ence of Jehovah, manifested in a
supernatural fire, which gave off a
lofty column of smoke, visible afar
over the host by day, while at night
the flames were reflected brightly
upon the smoke, like the inner fires
of Vesuvius that illuminate the cloud
cap of the volcano. Some such signal
was needed to guide the great mass
of people. Moreover, the cloud was a
protection against the heat of the
sun; and, best of all, it afforded a con-
slant assurance that God had not left
them to themselves.
Pharaoh's Pursuit. Elk. 1859.
Some time must have elapsed before
Pharaoh would have pursued the
Hebrews. The piety of the Egyp-
tians to the dead was so great that
the weightiest political affairs would
necessarily be neglected while the
king paid the last honors to his dead
son. Besides, the families of the Off
GERS and soldiery had also been uni
versally %bereaved." - Geikie. But
Pharaoh soon found time to repent
of having let the Israelites go. The
public works stood still for lack of
labor. Vast territories were sudden
ly ~unoccupied. There was a sudden
loss of revenue and service which he
could i'll dispense with."-F. B. Meyer.
The Divine Encouraeement.-Ex.
IA: 1918. The sea before and that
serried host behind,-it was a miser-
able alternative to men who could
neither fight MOI swim."-Hamilton.
Never before were a people in so
evil a case; to the right of them and
to the left of them rose lofty noun
tains, and behind them were the SOL
diers of Egypt. But n way was
open-the way upward, the way to
Gods throne and heart."-R. S. Mac
Arthur, D. D. The tickle and migrate
full people, however, turned upon
Moses with bitter r~eproaches. His
answer is one of the grandest ex-
hibitions of faith recorded in the
Bible.
The Miraculous Passage.-Vs. 1922.
The night came IN. The first part
was moonless, for it was at least
three or four, days after the full moon
of the Passover. In the light of the
pillar of fire, however, the Israelites
moved forward in obedience to Moses.
But that light would disclose to the
Egyptians the movements of the He
brew host, and therefore the great
cloud removed behind the Israelites,
turning toward them it's bright side.
but ~interposing between them and
their foes a barrier of impenetrable
black, like the plague of darkness
Which they had recently experienced.
Practical Points.
We have no miraculous pillar of
cloud and fire to guide us, but we
nave none the less the actual pres,
ence of God which was back of the
cloud and fire.
Often Gods guidance brings Chris
tians into positions of great difficulty,
from which they see nc escape. But
such a position sis a platform for the
display of Gods almighty grace and
power.'-F. B. Meyer.
when God leads us into danger He
will take us safely through it.-W. M.
Taylor.
Gods p%rovidences are never late.