International S. S. Lessons.
"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." —Neh. 8:8 LESSON VII.—SUNDAY, MAY 13, 1894.
[NOTE.—The questions which follow are merely suggestive for the student on the leading points of the lesson; it is presumed that the thorough student will think of many more as he studies the subject. References, where verses alone are given, always refer to the lesson scripture printed above. All other references are given in book, chapter, and verse. The text printed is that of the Revised Version, not because it is especially preferred, but because it is not found in every family, as is the common version.] 1. NOW THESE are the names of the sons of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. 2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;4143. Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; 4. Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 5. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls; and Joseph was in Egypt already. 6. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. 8. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10. Come, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land. 11. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor; 14. And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor. Golden Text: "Our help is in the name of the Lord." Ps. 124:8. - Give a synopsis of the intervening events between this and our last lesson. Note 1.
- Name the sons of Israel who went down into Egypt with their father. Verses 1-4.
- How many did they and their households number exclusive of Joseph? Verse 5.
- Where was Joseph? Same verse. Note 2.
- In the course of events what occurred? Verse 6. Note 3.
- What is said of the increase of the children of Israel?
- Who arose in Egypt? Note 4.
- What did the Egyptians say as the children of Israel increased? Verse 9.
- How did they consult together? Verse 10.
- What plan did they adopt? Verse 11. Note 5.
- In their bondage what did they do?
- What effect did the affliction have upon the Israelites? Verse 12.
- How did this make the Egyptians feel? Same verse.
- How did they further show their hatred toward Israel? Verses 13, 14. Note 6.
- In whom alone is real help? Golden text.
1. Our lesson covers a period of time from the death of Joseph, B.C. 1635 (Usher's Chronology) to about 1571 B.C., a period of about 64 years. But the chronology is not material. During the first part of the children of Israel's sojourn in Egypt, just as long as the work of Joseph was remembered, they were prosperous and happy and increased in number rapidly. This lesson is found in the book of Exodus. The word "Exodus" means "departure," and the book is so called because of the exodus, or departure, of the Israelites, upon which the book treats. It is sometimes called the second book of Moses. The chronology of the Egyptians, which is often used by infidels to overthrow the Bible account, is exceedingly uncertain and indefinite. While the general order is clear, the exact dates are not known. In fact, in the best books on Egypt the dates vary greatly among themselves. Peloubet says, "There is no certain chronology in the Bible or in history until about 1000 B.C." Now in regard to the duration of the bondage in Egypt. It is given in Ex. 12:40 and Gal. 3:17 as 430 years. This includes 215 years of wandering in Palestine by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and 215 years of bondage in Egypt. The Samaritan, Alexandrian, and Septuagint Versions of Ex. 12:40 read as follows: "Now the sojourning of the children of Israel and of their fathers, which they sojourned in the land of Canaan, and in the land of Egypt, was 430 years." It will be seen that a little portion of the original was omitted by mistake from the Hebrew text upon which our Common Version is based. In our lesson to-day it will be noticed that not all who went down into Egypt were given, but just simply the heads of the tribes. 2. Were seventy souls.—These seventy are given in detail in Genesis 46. It will be noticed that of these sixty-eight were men; their wives and daughters were additional. In Acts 7 the number is given as seventy-five, evidently including Joseph and his family. The fact of the numbering only of the men must be taken into account in the great increase of the Israelites. The women surely outnumbered the men, for many of the men had more than one wife. 3. And Joseph died.—His age was 110 years (see last lesson). Seventeen of these years he lived a boy at home in Hebron, ten years were spent as a slave, three years in prison, and for eighty years a ruler in Egypt. Evidently the cares and burdens and trials through which he passed shortened his wonderfully eventful life. 4. A new king.—Literally a new dynasty. It is supposed that this dynasty was the nineteenth, and that the Pharaoh of the oppression was the great Rameses II., the Sesostris of Greek history, whose reign extended over sixty-seven years, and whose son, Menephthah I., was the Pharaoh of the exodus. There have lately been made some very remarkable discoveries throwing light on this portion of the Bible: First, the body of the actual Rameses II. has been found, and is now in the museum of Bulaq, near Cairo, Egypt. It was discovered in July, 1881, together with thirty-five other mummies of kings, queens, princes, and high priests, in the ruins of a temple near Thebes, by Professors Maspero and Brugsch. By written papyri preserved with the mummy, and markings on the case and bandages, it was easily identified. He is said to have been the greatest builder of all the Pharaohs, and Mariette says that there is not a ruin in Egypt or Nubia that does not bear his name. The body of his son, the Pharaoh of the Exodus, has never been found, but memorials of him exist. Another discovery is identified as the treasure city built by the oppressed Israelites. The religious name of the city was Pi Tum, meaning devoted to Tum, from which we have Pithom. Its civil name was Succoth, built of hard, unbaked brick. Says Harper: "The lower courses of these walls, and for some distance up, are of well-made bricks with chopped straw in them, but higher up the courses of brick are not so good, the straw is long and scanty, and the last courses have no straw at all, but have sedges, rushes, and water plants in the mud." "And some were without straw or rushes." We have also the mention of the Hebrews under the name "Habiri" on various tables which speak of the gradual encroachment of that people. All of these and other proofs go to show the Bible account to be correct. 5. They did set over them taskmasters.—Their policy was shrewd and wicked, but it was not wise. They thought to fight against God, but the very hardships of the Israelites made them stronger physically, and the Lord used that as a means of increasing their numbers. 6. The hatred of the Egyptians even went so far as to destroy all the male children, in hope of destroying Israel. It was evidently Satan's plan, in order that the promised seed might be destroyed, and so the plan of salvation deferred; but God was with his people, and the tribulation worked out for them salvation.