The Yale expositor., 1907-05-17
ISRAEL ENSLAVED
In EGYPT
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON TOT May ~, ISU
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

TIME.-According to Usshers chron-
ology Jacob went down into Egypt about
l7O6 b. c., and the sojourn in Egypt was
for 2l5 or 43O years from that time. For
the length OF captivity see Gen. 1913. "a:
Elk. l24O; Kings GIL: Gal. 3:l7.
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, Meneph-
tab !.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Chosen FamiIy.-Vs. Is. The
first seven verses are Introductory to
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 q
statement of the actual condition OF
affairs. Joseph Parker.
V. /. These are the names" The
II 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
31S armed men to rescue Lot (Gen
14:1D Isaac was mightier than some
Of the neighboring kings (Gen. &c: 16);
Esau and Jacob had to separate be
cause their followers were 80 numer
Gus (Gen. 1866, y.
V. >. And all were 20 souls
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. Dear
Payne Smith Champion Lectures) esti
mates that altogether, with their
households and retainers, they mum
bered 5000 souls. That so large
body should be favoraby received need
not excite surprise"
The Reasons for RemovaI.-"There
was need for Jacobs family being re
moved from Canaan as some of them
idolatry and pollution prevalent there
In Egypt, on the whole life was purer
Then there was a risk of their ANAL
gamating by marriage with the doomed
Canaanites; but the Egyptians were
SO different a race that there was no
such risk with them. To be among the
Egyptians would also. be benefit to
hnu in 9TH thax
learn much from people so skilled in
all the arts of life and so superior in
civilization. "-Blaikie. Even the af
flictions they were to suffer there we're
not the least of their gains from the
stay in Egypt, as we shall see.
A Period of Prosperity.-Vs. 6, Z. II
was wise providence of God 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 a 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 chain of Notifications along the
entire northeastern frontier of Egypt,
for 100 miles. BY his command i'm.
mense bikes were built on the lower
Nile and I'm the Delta. Canals were
dug and cities were built"-Prof. L. p.
Humphrey.
The Climax Of Crueity-Ex. 1:15-22
When Pharaoh found the Israelites
flourishing even under this terrible Cd.
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."-F.
Johnson. When the official midwives
evaded the kings command, "by a re-
finement of cruelty to which the Herod
of the future was not equai he re.
quired parents to execute the sentence
of death on their own children
Humphrey. This was indeed the cli-
max of affiiction.
Practical Points.
Prosperity is a great teacher" said
Hazlitt; adversely is a greater"
Addiction was called by Mallet the
wholesome soil of virtue" In which
patience. fortitude, and all the graces
take root and flourish.