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June 1943
IN T E R N A T IO N A L L E S SO N Comm en ta ry Outline and Exposition Blackboard Lesson Children’s Division Object Lesson Golden Text Illustration By B. B. S u tc liffe By G r e t c h e n S ibley By M ildred M . C ook By E lm er L. W ilder By A l a n S. P earce Points and Problems By H omer A. K e n t , Professor at Gracé Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, Ind.
who knew not Joseph, was raised up by God . for this purpose (cf. Rom. 9:17). The passage does not mean that this man was raised up to life, but to the office, to fulfill the purpose God had for instructing the world. The character of the distress is indi cated by the word “taskmasters” (vs. 11-14), The Egyptians were acting, as they thought, “wisely,” and the Israel* ites were slaves in this bondage be cause they had forgotten their God, These slaves had no independence, no sense of national Unity—nothing but long years of wageless labor. . III. T h e C r y of t h e P eople (2 :2 3 -2 5 ) “It came to pass . . . that the king of Egypt died” (v„ 23). But the death Of that king brought no relief to the slaves in their rigorous bondage. He had caused them to serve in bitter ness “many days” -(R. V.), and his successor became imbued w i t h the same fear,- because the more these people were mistreated, the more they multiplied. The time had arrived for God to bring them out of Egypt and into their own land which He had given them. Moreover, their bondage had! brought, them at last'to a readi ness to leave the land of bondage. “They cried,” but no evidence is given that they cried unto their God. Their idolatry had dulled their mem ories of their fathers and their fathers’ God. Being beset by the taskmasters, they simply were crying out in their despair by reason of their bondage. Bui? that “cry” came up before God, a n d He remembered His covenant with their fathers, and He looked upon them and \“took knowledge of them” (R. V.). Language like this is used concerning God, only because it is written for human beings to under stand. It does not in any sense im ply that God must either “forget” or “remember” anything. He is ever the Omniscient One. Even though the peo ple’s cry was not directed to Him, He heard it, and His providences were set in motion on their behalf. How long- suffering and faithful is our God! Points and Problems 1. "And the children of Israel were fruitful . . . increased . . . multiplied ...mighty" (Ex. 1:7). Archaeology and history verify the remarkable pros perity of Israel in the land of Egypt, and they give the background for the phenomenal rise of Joseph to power.
JULY 4, 1943
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A PEOPLE IN DISTRESS E xodùs 1; 2 :23-25
II. T h e D istress of t h e P eople . (1:8-14) “A new king . . . which knew not Joseph” arose (vs. 8-10). This king was of another family or dynasty than the former one; and Joseph, being in high f a v ç r with the former ruler, would not now be remembered favor ably (cf. Acts 7:18, “ another” of a different kind, or family). The new king: became afraid of the increasing number of the Israelites. They might, he thought, in a time of war either join forces with the enemy or even at tempt to seize the kingdom from him. There was a deeper fourfold cause of their distress. First, there was the ignorance shown by the Egyptians. Their acting “wisely” was folly, be cause it was according to human rea soning (cf. Jer. 10:23). This reasoning of the king made his nation lawless and cowardly to the extent that all male children, were to be put to death (cf.. v. 22), but thé damage he thought to ilo to Israel reacted upon him and his people. Second, there was the in iquity of the Amorites which was now full. The Amorites dwelt in Canaan, and God dealt with them justly, not arbitrarily. He waited for them to change their evil ways, but finally their iniquity abounded, and He could then allow His own people to drive them out of Canaan (cf. Gen. 15:16; 1 Ki. 21:26). Third, the idolatry of Israel had to be judged. Egypt was full of idolatry, extending from the worship of creeping things and beasts of the field, up to the sun itself. Israel had forgotten God and had t u r n e d to many of the gods of Egypt (cf. Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:5-9). And fourth, there ■was a need for instruction for the world. This Pharaoh, or king of Egypt, BLACKBOARD LESSON
Exodus 1:6 And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. 7 And the children of Israel were fruit ful, and Increased abundantly, and multi plied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them'. 8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, th,e people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their bur dens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them; the morts they multiplied and grew. 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 bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor. 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his Covenant with Abra ham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. LESSON T E X T : Ex. 1:6-14.; 2:23-25. GOLDEN T E X T : “They cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage’7 (Ex. 2:23). DEVOTIONAL READING: Psa. 61. Outline and Exposition I. T h e G r ow t h of t h e P eople ( 1: 6, 7) ^ » HE ISRAELITES w e r e unmo grew in numbers and gradually be-, came content to settle down in Egypt. As long as this condition continued, God’s purpose would be defeated. He had promised that His people should leave Egypt and dwell in a land of their own, a land that He would give them. The time of the fulfillment of the promise drew near. [Lesson material is based on outlines of International Sunday School .Lessons copyrighted by the International Coun cil lested in Egypt as long as Jo seph lived; at last he and all his generation died. But the people A t
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