§29. The Oppression of the Hebrews (Exod. 1:6-12, 22)

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 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."

Therefore, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. 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.

And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, "Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive."

§30. The Birth and Adoption of Moses (Exod. 2:1-10)

Copyright 1904 by Underwood and Underwood

THE SIXTY-FIVE-FOOT PORTRAIT STATUES OF RAMSES II

And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch: and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept.

And she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?"

And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go."

And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages."

And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses.

§31. The Young Man's Unwise Methods (Exod. 2:11-15)

And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, "Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?" And he said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?" And Moses feared, and said, "Surely the thing is known." Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses.

§32. Moses in Midian (Exod. 2:16-22)

Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the trough to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that ye are come so soon to-day?" And they said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock." And he said unto his daughters, "And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread." And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter, and she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a strange land."

§33. The Unhappy Hebrews (Exod. 2:23-25)

And it came to pass in the course of those many days, 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. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the children of Israel, and God took knowledge of them.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

84. In any nation one of the greatest heroes is the man who was the founder of the national life. The Italians look to the great Garibaldi, who delivered them from their enemies and brought about a united Italy. Americans call Washington the father of his country, because he was the leader in the great struggle to make America a nation. The Hebrews always looked back to Moses as their great deliverer, who brought them out of Egypt and made them a nation. The study of this hero takes us to the second book of the Bible, which is called Exodus, meaning "Going out," because it gives the story of the escape of the Hebrews from Egypt.

85 (§29). In the last chapter we were studying about a small tribe of people. Now we find that a long time has passed and the people have greatly increased in numbers. Consider how the negroes have increased in numbers since the War. There were then four millions. How many are there now?

86 (§29). There probably arose a new dynasty, or line of kings. What did the king fear might happen if the Hebrews grew too numerous? These Pharaohs were mighty builders. What great objects had some of the earlier Pharaohs built? They loved to have splendid palaces and temples and strong fortifications. As there was no machinery, this work required great numbers of men. In the wars of those days all prisoners were made slaves and compelled to work. So the Egyptians treated the Hebrews as if they were prisoners. What kind of labor were they compelled to do?

87 (§29). We get a glimpse into the awful harshness of that old slavery. As we see the pictures of the magnificent structures of those days we remember that they cost the lives of millions of human beings. We have done away with slavery, but are not people still compelled to work in awful conditions? There are very many occupations where the health of the laborers is broken down and their lives shortened. We have still a great deal to learn about how men ought to labor.

88 (§29). When the harsh slavery did not prevent the increase of the Hebrews, it was brutally determined to murder them. What was the plan? The girls were saved because they could not fight.

89 (§30). Doubtless many of the Hebrew children were drowned, but one mother was determined to save her boy. Tell the story of how he was hidden and found and saved.

90 (§30). By the happy plan of the mother and sister the boy could be brought up safely in his own home. But he was also to have the opportunity of training in the royal palace. What did it mean that he was adopted by the princess?

91 (§31). Which people would it have been most profitable for Moses to belong to—the Egyptians or the Hebrews? Sometimes we see a boy who is clever and fortunate separating himself from his family. How did Moses feel when he grew up and saw the sad condition of his people? What hasty thing did he do? Was Moses justified in that act? Let us see how it turned out.

92 (§31). The young man was not only anxious to save his people from tyranny but also from quarreling among themselves. What happened the next day? People are not always willing to take good advice. What danger was Moses in?

93 (§32). What was Moses obliged to do because he had killed the Egyptian overseer? Locate Midian. When Moses was off in the desert, a fugitive from justice, could he help his people? Was not his hasty act unwise? Do you remember someone attacking saloons with a hatchet? Can we often do good by violence? Sometimes we are very indignant because we see injustice, but in the long run we shall gain all good ends by peaceful means. Lynching is a poor way to secure justice.

94 (§32). Notice that the girls were in charge of the flocks. What did the rude shepherds do? Again Moses interferes to help the weak, but this time he seems to have done it without fighting. Why did the girls think Moses was an Egyptian? How did it all turn out?

95 (§33). Meantime everything looked very dark for the Hebrews. But God was preparing a man to save them. Would it have been a good thing for the Hebrews to have been happy in Egypt and to have stayed there and become Egyptians? Would it have been well if the Pilgrims had been well treated in England and had stayed there? Are our troubles ever good for us? Who is watching all the time?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Moses was obliged to be a shepherd instead of a wealthy Egyptian. So sometimes our plans are changed. But often it turns out for good. Ask your parents, or your pastor, or some friend, to tell you if anything ever happened to them that seemed at the time to upset all their plans of life, but which turned out to be of great value in their training. Write an account of it in your notebook.