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and marks the beginning of oppression for the Israelites who had been favored by the Hyksos. 3. “ Lest . . . they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us” (v. 10). After the expulsion of the Hyksos or Shep herd Kings, the Egyptians lived in dread of another invasion by these roving princes. Knowing the friendship existing between the Hyksos and the Israelites, and knowing that such an invasion would enter Egypt through the land of Goshen, we can easily understand the new Pharaoh’s determina tion not to permit the Israelites to become too numerous or powerful. 4. “ They built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses” (v. 11). The translation “ treasure cities” is somewhat misleading. These cities, archeology has discovered, were powerful military posts established on the edge of Egypt next to the district of Goshen from whence the invasions were feared. The American Re vision translates “store-cities," a term which clearly indicates their purpose. In them the Egyptians stored grain and other military supplies as the first line of de fense. In the building o f these cities by slave labor, the Egyptians hoped to accom plish two results: first, to fortify them selves; and second, to weaken the Israel ites as potential allies of their enemies. Sometimes the Lord’s answer has really come, but we have not prayed for eyes to see it. It has not come quite in the dress we expected, and therefore we did not know it. A friend was appointed to meet me at a railway station. He looked for a man in clerical attire, and we wandered about, little knowing that we were brush ing shoulders with each other all the time. He thought I had not arrived, but I was there in another dress. And, therefore, it is well to look at our ordinary circum stances when they do not come to us in familiar and expected guise.— J. H. J owett in the Christian Guardian, A Prayer for Help E xodus 1:1-22; 2:23-25 Memory Verse: “The Lord will hear when I call unto him” (Psa. 4:3). Approach: Two hundred years have passed in our story since Joseph brought his fam ily down to Egypt to live. You remember that the Israelites were quite a large fam ily when they moved to Egypt, and now, Golden Text Illustration I saiah 65:24
save Egypt from the famine. This Pha raoh was not glad to have Joseph’s big family living in his land. Lesson Story: Because of these two rea sons, then, the family of Israel were not having a very happy time in Egypt. You. see, when people are afraid of each other, the ones who have power to do it, often treat the ones that they are afraid of in a very mean and cruel way. This is just what happened in Egypt. Pharaoh said to himself something like this: “ Suppose these Israelites should get angry with us and help our enemies fight us. There are so many of them that they might win in a . war against us.” So, because he was afraid of this, Pharaoh made slaves out of the Israelites. They had to do all the hard work of making bricks to build the great walls and large houses of the Egyptians. The Israelites were not used to this work. They were shepherds, used to living in the quiet country. This work was too hard for them. Besides, the Egyptians didn’t give them enough material to work with, and when the poor Israelites couldn’t get their work done, the Egyptians stood over them and beat them. What could the Israelites do? In their trouble they cried out and God heard their cry, and our story next week will tell us how He answered. Object Lesson H eavenly B ottles Objects: Six bottles, graduated in size, different in shape, partly filled with water, and corked. Lesson: Did you know that bottles are mentioned in the Bible? In Psalm 56:8 we read: “Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” This is a part of David’s prayer when he was in great trouble. God knew about all of David’s
sorrows and cared so much about him that it was as if He kept David’s tears in a bottle, thus reminding Him of David’s sorrows. These bottles are different in size and shape. Some are nearly full, and others have very little in them. Some are large and some are small. Not all people have the same amount of tears and sorrow. Isn’t it wonderful to realize that God knows all our sorrows and keeps a record of our tears? People often think that God has forgotten them when they are going through great sorrow, but he has not. These tear bottles remind me of the children of Israel when they were in the land of Egypt. They were slaves and had to work hard. They were beaten if their work was not done according to the com mands of the Egyptians. In this great sor row they cried out, and God heard their cry and sent Moses to deliver them. God not only heard them, but He also was able and willing to deliver them. He is ready to help us, too, if we will call upon Him. God’s Place o f Help “The wrong side of the bed” for most of us is that side where we never kneel down and ask God’s help at the beginning of the day.— S elected . attempt at leadership for God. But in the solitude of the wilderness Moses learned that there is never any true advance when one runs ahead of the Lord. Moreover, the training which the world may give is valuable, but the training which God im parts is absolutely indispensable. Without an acceptance of God’s revelation, human education ends only in the refinement of nature, with the mind darkened to the truth of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14). And the further the refinement is carried, the dark er the mind grows. The wilderness seemed an unlikely place for a meeting with God, but for Moses it was the place of duty—and that is where God meets men. The Lord never forgets where His chosen ones are, and when the proper time arrives, He will make Himself known to them. The day be fore this great appearance, Moses prob ably had no idea that the morrow would alter the whole tenor of his life. Suddenly the drab aspect of the wjldemess was changed into glory when the Lord mani fested Himself.
JULY 11, 1937 GOD PROVIDES A LEADER E xodus 2:1-22; 3:1-12
Lesson Text: Ex. 3:1-12. Golden Text: “ Come now therefore, and I will send thee” (Ex. 3:10). Outline and Exposition I. T he P resence of the L ord (1-6) F or forty years, Moses had been tend ing fiocks in the wilderness. Perhaps sometimes he was discouraged and be moaned his mistake in having slain the Egyptian (Ex. 2:11,12) in a premature BLACKBOARD LESSON
after two hundred .years, there were ever so many more of them. There were so many Israelites that the Egyptians saw that soon there would be more o f the Israelites than there were of themselves, and they began to be afraid of them. The
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