p. 17 | The Bible Year

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 20, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 92, No. 4.

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The Bible Year

Assignment for January 23-29

JANUARY 23: Genesis 40 to 43. From prison to palace; “it is not in me;” the sons of Jacob buy corn of Joseph.

JANUARY 24: Genesis 44 to 47. The test; Joseph makes himself known to his brothers; joy of Jacob; Goshen.

JANUARY 25: Genesis 48 to 50. Last days and death of Jacob and Joseph. Review the whole book briefly.

JANUARY 26: Exodus 1 to 4. Israel in bondage; the chosen deliverer; waiting; the call; Aaron.

JANUARY 27: Exodus 5 to 8. Warnings and plagues.

JANUARY 28: Exodus 9 to 12. Plagues.

JANUARY 29: Exodus 13 to 15. The first Passover; by fire and by cloud; through the Red Sea; a song of triumph.

For Further Study

JANUARY 23: Study the geography of the journey of Jacob’s sons.

JANUARY 24: Name the six leading men of Genesis, and in a few words sum up the characteristics of each.

JANUARY 25: Make a list, with references, of special doctrinal points of the Seventh-day Adventist faith that you noted in your reading of Genesis.

JANUARY 26: Study the geography of the localities mentioned in Exodus 1 to 4.

JANUARY 27: Read (see Bible dictionary) some of the evidences still existing of the work of Israel in Egypt.

JANUARY 28: Read “Patriarchs and Prophets,” pages 257-280.

JANUARY 29: Study the geography of Israel’s journey from Rameses across the Red Sea.

A Liberal Education

“A fair knowledge of the Bible is in itself almost a liberal education, as many great masters in literature have testified. It has so entered into law, literature, thought, the whole modern life of the Christian world, that ignorance of it is a most serious disadvantage to the student.”—Charles Dudley Warner.

God’s Textbook

“The Bible is God’s textbook for the earthly training. It is not too much to say that this book he has chosen out of all the earthly writings of the world as that which especially concerns your life. This you need, this you are to study, this it is your duty to study. There is no rational reason why you should not come to have a wide and careful knowledge of it.”—Henry Churchill King.

Bible Biographies

Some of the biographies in the book of Genesis are better known, and have more strongly influenced the world for good,

than the lives of the greatest men of history outside the Bible record. The account of the life of Enoch, brief though it is, shows that evil surroundings need not hinder godly living. He is a type, too, of those who at the close of human history will live pure lives in a corrupt world, and who, like him, will not know death. Noah, a “preacher of righteousness,” is an example of loyal steadfastness of purpose in giving an unpopular message to an unheeding, careless people. The faith of Abraham, “the friend of God,” has been a strength to Christians in every age. The selfishness of Lot, and the destruction that overtook his worldly possessions, point the reader to the vanity of trusting in earthly riches. What character so stands for cunning as the crafty Jacob’s? or whose life so inspires confidence in God in the hour of trouble as that of this same man when his heart was changed, and he became a “prince with God”? Joseph has been the model for purity, brotherly kindness, and filial affection from the days of Moses. These biographies, so briefly told, are like stars shining in the darkness, and have guided many to the way of life.

The Book of Exodus

The book of Exodus takes its name from the Greek, and means the “going out,” referring to the departure of Israel from Egypt. The book may be divided into three parts: History (1 to 18); laws (20 to 24); worship (25 to 50).

Genesis closes with the family of Israel, comfortable and prosperous, pleasantly settled in Egypt. Exodus opens with that same family, grown “more and mightier” than the Egyptians, in bitter bondage and oppression. The book relates in detail the story of their great deliverance, and shows how they became a nation, with a thorough organization, efficient leadership, a complete code of laws, and an established form of worship.

The life of Moses, from his romantic rescue from Egyptian malice in his infancy, through all the thrilling years of his wonderful experiences as the chosen leader of Israel, is of absorbing interest.