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THE K I NG ' S BUSINESS
History reveals, and archaeology con firms the fact, that about the time of Abraham, a dynasty of foreign kings overthrew t h e Egyptian government and reigned for about 500 years. These foreign monarchs were cálled Shep herd or Hyksos kings. These kings were favorable to the Israelites be cause they had much in common with them, b e i n g shepherds themselves. Very likely they came from the same part of the w o r l d , and were the descendants of Shem. Josephus, the Jewish historian, calls them “our an cestors,” that is, the ancestors of the Israelites. This being true, it can be seen readily how Gpd used this for eign dynasty to minister to the bless ing of God’s people Israel. Under them they were privileged to grow into a mighty nation. 2. “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph" (v. 8). Some years after the death of Joseph, the foreign rule of the Shep herd kings - was overthrown. T h e n there arose a new period of oppression and bondage for the children of Israel. These new native Egyptian r u l e r s abominated all shepherds and thus abominated the Isráelites (cf. Gen. 46:34). T h e y feared Israel’s rising power lest they might ally them selves with some other, nation and so o v e r t h r o w the Egyptian rule. The character of this new dynasty as com pared with the former easily explains the rigorous treatment accorded the Israelites. 3. “The children of Israel sighed by r e a s on of the bondage" (Ex. 2:23). Bondage to sin always brings a sigh. The sigh is suggestive of suffering, sorrow, yearning, sickness, disappoint ment, and unsatisfied longing. Are not all of these the result of sin? Think of the sighs of today’s world, of in nocent l i t t l e children, of depressed women, of enslaved men, of war-rav aged nations. In their bondage Israel sighed. Thank God for a Saviour .who Can t u r n sighing into singing! He sighed and suffered when here upon earth that all through eternity men who put ,their trust in Him shall sigh no more. Some one said to a life-saver at New port, R. I.: “How can you tell when any one is in need of help when there are thousands of bathers on the beach making a perfect hubbub of noises?” The life-saver answered: “No matter how great the noise and confusion, there has never been a single time when I could not distinguish the cry of distress above all. ,1 can always tell it.” That is exactly like God. In the midst of the babel and confusion, He never fails to hear the soul that cries out to Him for help amid the breakers and s t o r m s of life.— Five Golden Text Illustration E xo du s 2 j 23
Thousand Best Modern Illustrations, by Hallock. Sister Miriam E xo du s 1 ; 2-.U10, 23-25 MEMORY VERSE: “Even a child is known by his doings” (Prov. 20:11). APPROACH: Sometimes there a r e several children in a family, but we know one of them better than the* others. Nearly everybody knows who
as He wants to teach us, that He cares for all who'will trust Hiria. Object Lesson B ottles in H eaven 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 in thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” This is a part of David’s grayer when he was in great trouble. God knew a b o u t 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 Himself 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 sorrows. 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 bottles remind me of the chil dren of Israel when they were in the land of Egypt. They were slaves and had to work hard. They were beaten: when their work was not done accord ing to the commands of the Egyp tians. In this sorrow 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 call upon Him.
Moses was, b u t not e v e r y b o d y knows about his sister, Mi r i a m . Moses, w h e n he was grown, was a g r e a t leader of t h e children o f I s r a e l , but did y o u k n o w he m i g h t not have b e e n a g r e a t
leader at all if God had not helped Miriam to be kind to him when he was still a tiny baby? LESSON STORY: Miriam was’walk ing beside the river not far from her home. Her eyes were on a basket-boat that rocked smoothly on the water. Miriam knew that something precious was inside. She knew, too, that God was-taking care of that little basket, just as He was taking care of her mother arid her father and herself, be cause they loved Him. She was not afraid of the Wicked king, though he had said all boy babies should be killed.*By and by, a princess and her helpers came to the river. They saw the basket-boat, and the princess wanted to have it. When they looked inside, there was baby Moses! Miriam ran quickly to the princess. The heavenly Father who had told her to watch the basket told her now what to say. She must have looked at the princess kindly and said something like this: “Wouldn’t you like some body to take care of the baby?” W h e n the princess said, “Yes,” Miriam ran and called Moses’ very own mother, and she took care of him just as she would have done in her own home. God was teaching Miriam, Exodus 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Mid- ian: and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not- burnt. 4. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And h£ said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither:
JULY 11, 1943 GOD CALLS A LEADER E xo du s 2 :1 to 3 :1 2
put off th.-> shoes from off thy feet; for the place whe. con thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, ^nd Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard, their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their »sor rows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Am-
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