Lesson 27 Israel In Egypt

 Lesson 17

 ISRAEL IN EGYPT 

Reading Portion: Exodus: 1 - 15 ch

                                         : Palms 15: 16-38

Memory Verse: Romans 9: 4-5

We can read in Genesis 45: 5-8 the circumstances which led to the coming of Israel to Egypt. It was God who brought famine to Cannan and send Josepth before them to Egypt (Psalm 105: 16,17). Israel dwelt in Goshen, one of the most fertile lands in Egypt. Israel kept their separation from gentiles

Israel's Slavery in Egypt

The Pharoh who ruled Egypt during Joseph's time was Hixsoz. He was very friendly to the Israelites. After some years, other Pharoh came into power and he started to trouble Israel, because:

1. The new Pharoh never know Joseph and he never heard the good things done by Joseph for Egypt ( Exo. 1:8).

2. Egyptians were afraid of the tremendous increase in the population of Israelites. The 70 people who came to Egypt increased and became about 3 million by about 200 years ( Exodus 1: 7, Acts 7: 17). The castles of Israelites also increased in number. To stop this increase of Israelites, Egyptians started to suppress them.

3. Egyptians became afraid of the strength of Israel ( Exo 1: 12)

Afflictions 

1. Israelities were made to do hard tasks and Egyptians burdened them with work.

2. Egyptians asked the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill the male Children of Hebrew women. But the midwives feared God and did not do as the King commanded them.

3. Pharoh charged all the people to cast every newborn male child into the river.

Moses 

Moses was born, when the above order of the King prevailed. Moses was born as the youngest son of Amram, belonging to the tribe of Levi. His mother's name was Jochebed.

In Exodus 2, we can see the history of Moses - parents protecting Moses seeing that he is a proper child and later casting him into the river, he was brought to Pharoh's palace and a mother getting a salary for feeding hir own son, etc.

 Moses - His Name 

'Mose in Hebrew means 'to draw or to pull'. In the Egyptian language 'Mesu' means 'baby'. So the child who was drawn out of the ark of 'bulrushes from the river, came to called 'Moses'

Moses was brought up in the Egyptian palace and became well-versed in all knowledge. He became nature in words and deeds. At the age of 40, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoh's daughter and choose to suffer affliction for God instead of enjoying the pleasures of the place ( Heb. 11: 24 -27). But his own people, the Israelites never accepted him as their savior and they rejected him. Thus, Moses fled to Midian, where he married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. Two sons were born to Moses. He spent 40 years in the desert of Midian tending the flocks of Jethro. This was a period of training for Moses. 

Moses Gets God's Appointment

 By this time, the sufferings of the Israelites in Egypt became terrible and they started crying to God. When Moses came to Mount Horeb, with his flocks, God appeared to him in the burning bush. There God appointed Moses to bring out Israel from slavery in Egypt. When Moses complained that he was slow of speech and of a slow tongue, God gave him Aaron as a helper. 

Moses and Aaron went to Egypt and gathered together the elders of Israel, and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Later they went to Pharoh and told to release Israel to worship their God. But instead of releasing the people, Pharoh multiplied their afflictions. He hardened his heart and disobeyed God's word. The responsibility of hardening the heart was fully of Pharoh ( Exo 8: 15, 32  9:34) - Pharoh willfully rejected the will of God and thus his heart grew to harden and harder. Therefore it is written that God hardened Pharoh's heart. 

Plagues and Deliverance 

God sent 10 plagues, one after another, on the Egyptians (Exo 7: 12). The plagues were 

1. Water of river changed to blood

2. Frogs 

3. Lice 

4. Flies

5. Pestilence of Livestock

6. Boils 

7. Hail - Rain

8. Locusts 

9. Darkness 

10.Slaughter of Firstborn

During the last plague, Israel was released after the slaughtering of the Passover lamb. Pharoh gave Israel permission to leave Egypt. This was the 4th generation of Israel ( Jacob). It was Jacob and his sons who went to Egypt. Kohath, the son of Levi was of the second generation. Amram was the fourth generation ( I Chron : 6: 1-3). This was the fulfillment of what God said to Abram in Genesis 15: 13-15. That his children would go to another nation and serve them and return to Canaan after 400 years.

Period of Slavery 

It is not clear whether Israel spent 400 years in Egypt. it is written in Gals. 3: 16-18 that the period between Abraham's call and Moses receiving the laws was 430 years. Abraham got the calling when he was 75 years old. Issac was born 25 years later. Jacob was born to Isaac when he was 60 years old. Jacob went to Egypt when he was 130 years old. Therefore the period between Abraham getting the call and Jacob going to Egypt was 25+60+130 = 215. But in Galatians, we see that the period between Abraham getting the call and Moses receiving the law is 430 years. So the period of Egyptian slavery was 430-215 = 215 years. Therefore, after 215 years of slavery, the fourth generation of Jacob came back to Canaan.

God always had a chosen group of people. The church is the elected people of God in the New Testament times. (1 Peter 2:9). God has delivered us from the slavery of this world, Egypt, through the blood of Christ, our Passover lamb. 

 

Are you experiencing the deliverance through the blood of Christ?