PART TWO

II. A new chapter in Bible history opens at Gen. 12. 1. Here we find one family of the race is selected and made the subject of the divine revelation. This was not because God loved one family more than others, but because the world's salvation was to be wrought through that family (Gen. 12. 2, 3). Hence we call this the =Period of the Chosen Family=.

1. This period extends from the =Call of A´bra-ham= (Gen. 12. 1), B. C. 2280?, to the =Exodus from E´gypt=, B. C. 1270?.

2. In this period we notice the recognition of _the family_. God deals with each family or clan through its head, who is at once the priest and the ruler (Gen. 17. 7; 18. 19; 35. 2). We call this period, therefore, that of the =Patriarchal Administration=.

3. We subdivide this period into three epochs:

1.) =The Journeyings of the Patriarchs= (Gen. 12. 5; 13. 17, 18; 20. 1, etc.). As yet the chosen family had no dwelling place, but lived in tents, moving throughout the land of promise.

2.) =The Sojourn in E´gypt.= In the lifetime of the patriarch Ja´cob, but at a date unknown, the Is´ra-el-ite family went down to E´gypt, not for a permanent home, but a "sojourn," which lasted, however, many centuries (Gen. 46. 5-7; 50. 24).

3.) =The Oppression of the Is´ra-el-ites.= Toward the close of the sojourn the Is´ra-el-ite family, now grown into a multitude (Exod. 1. 7), endured cruel bondage from the E-gyp´tians (Exod. 1.13, 14). This was overruled to promote God's design, and led to their departure from E´gypt, which is known as "the exodus," or going out.

4. From the names of men in this period we select the following:

1.) =A´bra-ham=, the friend of God (James 2. 23).

2.) =Ja´cob=, the prince of God (Gen. 32. 28).

3.) =Jo´seph=, the preserver of his people (Gen. 45. 5).

Blackboard Outline

+------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------+ |I. Per. Hu. |II. Per. |III. Per. |IV. Per. |V. Per. | | Ra. | Ch. Fam.| Is. Peo. | Is. Kin.| Je. Prov.| +------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------+ | C. M. | C. A. | | | | | C. A. | E. E. | | | | +------------+------------+ | | | | Dir. Adm. | Patr. Adm. | | | | +------------+------------+ | | | | Fa. | Jou. Pat. | | | | | Del. | Soj. Eg. | | | | | Dis. | Opp. Isr. | | | | +------------+------------+ | | | | A. E. N. | A. J. J. | | | | +------------+------------+-------------+------------+-------------+

Review Questions

What is the name of the second period? Why is it so named? With what events does the second period begin and end? What kind of divine administration do we notice in the second period? Into what three epochs is the second period divided? What were the beneficial results of the bondage in E´gypt upon the Is´ra-el-ites? Name three persons of the second period? For what fact or trait is each of these three persons distinguished?