Chapter 3

#27. Joseph in Prison.#--Once more, through no fault of his own, Joseph suffers further degradation. To prison he goes. We said "through no fault of his own." This is an understatement, for it was on account of his fidelity to his master that he was shamefully traduced, and so sent to jail. Yet even here his spirit of loyalty to duty did not desert him. Again we find him trusted and put in charge of all prison matters. (Gen. 39:22, 23.) But what has become all this time of God's plans for Joseph? Are they to be thwarted? Nay, wait until the fulness of time, and then note how God's plans ripen, and are fully perfected. In the meantime note Joseph's wonderfully sweet spirit. See how he notices the sad countenances of butler and baker in prison. Note how he sympathizes with them, and tries to help them. Here again, as in the case of Abraham, we see the exemplification of the Golden Rule, long before it was uttered. Had Joseph been like some modern men, he would have taken vengeance on the butler and baker, they being Egyptians. He would have said, "These Egyptians have enslaved and imprisoned me for no fault of mine. Now is my chance, and I will pay them back." But no such bitter thoughts seem to have entered his pure mind. In the meantime note his steadfast faith in God and his persistent loyalty to duty, however hard that might be.

#28. Joseph's Exaltation.#--This came with a leap. The story is familiar. But in studying the lesson, let the student not fail to read it once more, most carefully. If it seem somewhat incredible that Pharaoh should make a prime minister out of a prisoner at one stroke, bear in mind that in the East they do not do things in Western fashion. Even to this day

"East is East, and West is West, And never the two shall meet."

The writer during his boyhood knew of a case illustrating Eastern methods, which took place when he was living in his home in Constantinople. The Sultan had a dentist. One day while his dentist was off hunting, the Sultan got a toothache. He sent for his dentist, but could not get him. His courtiers then got hold of a poor dentist who could hardly make his living. He went to the palace and extracted the offending molar. At once the Sultan deposed his regular dentist, put this man in his place, created him a pasha, or peer of the realm, gave him a large stipend, and a palace in the city and another in the country. Thus at one stroke the man passed from obscurity to prominence, and from poverty to wealth. This is the manner of the East.

Now we begin to see God's plans working out manifestly. Yet all this time his brothers think that their plans have succeeded and that the "dreamer's" career is ended. No, the "dreamer's" career has just begun.

#29. The Seven Years of Plenty.#--Now follow years of great activity, and of much honor for the former prisoner. Up and down the land he goes and gathers grain in untold quantities. As he goes they all cry, "Bow the knee," and prostrate themselves in the dust before him. At seventeen years of age he was sold by his brothers. For thirteen years he was slave, or prisoner. Now for seven years he is prime minister. Yet all the time Jacob thinks that his boy is dead. How little did the old Patriarch suspect that during all these weary years God was working out his blessed plans for his people.

#30. The Seven Years of Famine.#--Once more Joseph and his brothers stand face to face. The last they saw of him was when they heard his bitter cry, and turned a deaf ear to his entreaty. Twenty years have made a great change in him and they do not recognize him. His treatment of them may seem harsh, but he knew what kind of natures theirs were, and that to do them good he must first humiliate them. Out of kindness he was stern. To mend them and their ways he must first break them.

#31. Israel in Egypt.#--God had told Abraham that his seed must go down to Egypt, and now comes the fulfilment of that prophecy (Gen. 15:13-15). During the life of Joseph all went well with the sons of Jacob. They had the best of the land, and dwelt in peace. God's plans have been carried out to the minutest details, and the plans of evil-minded men have miscarried. God has caused even the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder he has restrained. Joseph's brethren are content to bow before him, and even Jacob sees that his words of Genesis 37:10 were not wise. The wisdom of man is seen to be folly, and it has been proved that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men." (1 Cor. 1:25.)

#32. Joseph's Faith.#--On his death-bed Joseph takes an oath of his people saying that God will surely visit his people and bring them in due time to the land promised to Abraham. He charges them to remember his body when they march out, and take it with them, and lay it away in its final resting-place in the Land of Promise. Many years pass. Liberty is exchanged for oppression. The bitter cry of the people rises to God. All this time the body of Joseph (doubtless embalmed) is not finally buried. His real funeral has not yet taken place. This is the longest delayed funeral on record. Then at last comes the Exodus, and lo, they remember that oath that Joseph took of them, years before, and out with them goes his body. For forty years they carry it with them, and only then they lay it away in the Land of Promise. (See Gen. 50:24-26. Exod. 13:19, and Josh. 24:32.)

Test Questions

Into what two sections may we divide Joseph's life?

Why were his brethren envious of him?

What further intensified their hatred?

Give the plan of God and the plans of men with regard to Joseph.

What action did Joseph's brethren finally take with regard to him?

Into whose household did the lad come in Egypt?

What signs have we that in all this Joseph did not lose his faith in God, or lose his convictions as to duty?

How did Joseph's exaltation come so suddenly?

Give an illustration of this from modern Eastern life.

How long was it between the sale of Joseph and the first appearance of his brethren to buy corn?

Why did Joseph treat his brothers as he did when they first came to him?

What remarkable proof have we of Joseph's steadfast faith in God's promise?

What two most peculiar facts may be noted with regard to Joseph's body?

Lesson 5

Moses

Old Testament Division--Third Period (Continued)

LEADING PERSONS

#Moses.#--Son of Amram and Jochebed (Exod. 6:20). Adopted by Pharaoh's daughter (Exod. 2:1-10). Took the part of the oppressed and had to flee (Exod. 2:11-14). Shepherd for forty years and married (Exod. 2:21). Called to deliver his people, but was timid (Exod. 3:1-10). Had various contests with Pharaoh (Exod. 5 to 12). Led people out of Egypt triumphantly (Exod. 14). Received the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20). Built the Tabernacle (Exod. 25). Led the people to the borders of the Promised Land, but was turned back on account of their sins (Num. 13:1 to 14:34). Died on Mount Nebo (Deut. 34). Reappeared on Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:3).

#Aaron.#--Brother of Moses. Made high priest (Exod. 28 and 29). Sinned in the matter of the golden calf (Exod. 32). Died on Mount Hor (Deut. 10:6).

#TIME.#--1578 B. C. to 1458 B. C.

#PLACES.#--Egypt and Sinaitic Peninsula, then east of the Jordan valley.

#SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.#--The "going out" of the Hebrews from Egypt marked the beginning of their national life, and laws were given governing their relation to God and to each other. The breaking of God's laws cost the nation forty years of wilderness wandering before they entered their "promised land."

Moses--Leader and Legislator

#33.# By far the greatest man in Old Testament history is Moses. In point of moral uplift, no man in all the world, until Christ, can be compared with him. His life divides itself into three equal sections--

(1) Life at Pharaoh's court.--Forty years. (2) Life as shepherd in the desert.--Forty years. (3) Life in the desert as leader of God's people.--Forty years.

#34. Life at Pharaoh's court.#--Moses was born at the time of Israel's greatest oppression, when, as a measure of self-defense, Pharaoh had ordered all Hebrew male children to be cast into the Nile. Hence the Hebrew proverb, "When the tale of bricks is doubled, then comes Moses." As in the case of Joseph, we see at once the collision between God's plan and that of earth's greatest monarch. God's plan was that Moses must live; Pharaoh's plan, that Moses must die. Again we see the successful issue of God's plan, and the overthrow of the human plan. In carrying out his plan, God makes use of a mother's wit, a sister's fidelity, a woman's curiosity, and a baby's tears. For all this read carefully Exodus 2:1-10. These are the minute links in the chain of God's providence which, welded together, restore that babe to his mother's arms in less than twenty-four hours, now with the shield of royalty protecting him. Had any one of these links broken, Moses' fate might have been sealed.

#35.# As illustrating these links, in a different sphere, read the following: Professor Darwin tells that he noticed that pansies would not grow wild near English villages, but would grow far away from them. Investigation revealed that in English villages dogs go at large. Where dogs go at large, cats must stay at home; where cats stay at home, field-mice abound; where field-mice abound, bumblebees' nests are destroyed; where bumblebees' nests are destroyed, there in no fertilization of pollen. Therefore, where there are dogs, there are no wild pansies. Apply this to the case in hand. No mother's wit, no ark of bulrushes; no ark no sister's watch-care, and no chance to arouse the curiosity of the princess. Therefore, no discovery of the babe weeping. Consequently, no saving of the future deliverer of his people. Thus God worked through natural agencies to thwart the decree of Pharaoh. During these forty years Moses enjoyed all the educational advantages of the most civilized nation of that day. So he was prepared by the king himself to deliver the Hebrews from his control.

#36. Life as Shepherd in the Desert.#--Moses' life at court came to a sudden end, through his patriotic effort to deliver one of his race from the cruelty of an Egyptian. As a result he had to flee for his life, as even Pharaoh could not defend him for slaying one of the ruling race for cruelty to a mere slave. For forty years we find him on the Sinaitic peninsula, herding sheep. These must have been years of deep thought. Often he must have wondered why God had given him such deliverance, only to let him languish in the desert while at the same time his people, whom he might have helped, were ground down under the heel of the taskmaster. At the same time these years of solitude must have been rich in opportunity for meditation and communion upward. The city is not the best place for deep thought. Elijah was no city man, neither was John the Baptist. In solitude these men learned much that the city never could teach them.

#37. Life as a Leader of God's People in the Desert.#--His life of solitude came to a sudden close, when God called to him out of the midst of the burning bush, and bade him return to Egypt and deliver his people. At first Moses begged to be excused, for he doubtless well remembered that because of his effort to deliver _one_ Hebrew, he had been an exile for forty years. How then could he succeed in delivering _a nation_? But on God's promise to be with him, he and his brother Aaron undertook the task.

#38.# Here we note the collision between God's plan and that of the king. God's plan is, Let my people go. Pharaoh's plan is, they shall stay right here. So the battle was joined. Note that Pharaoh, as a result of the consecutive plagues, relents and tries compromises. For these read carefully the story of the plagues, noting especially these passages: Exodus 8:8, 15, 25, 32; Exodus 9:28, 35; Exodus 10:11, 20, 24, 28. And at last, when his pride is utterly broken, comes Exodus 12:31.

#39.# Then came that night, much to be observed, on which Israel marched out in triumph, while Egypt mourned, and Pharaoh repented ever resisting the divine command. To this day all Jews observe that great night, called the night of the Passover.

#40.# Under the crags of Mount Sinai, Moses spent one year with his people. That was a most significant year, as there he received the ten commandments, and the instructions as to the building of the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. There, too, he received directions as to the sacrifices that were to be typical of that great sacrifice on Mount Calvary, hundreds of years later. There, too, he had his bitter experience with his people in the matter of the worship of the golden calf; a presage of much that was to follow in the history of that wonderful but stiffnecked people as they continued their journeys through the wilderness.

#41.# Mark in the life of this wonderful man the incredible contrast between his highest and his lowest moods. In his agony over the idolatry of his people while he was on the Mount receiving the ten commandments, Moses pleads with God for them, and even goes so far as to beg that, if need be, his own name might be blotted out of God's book. If he or the people must perish, let it be he, and not the people. This is most noble, and reminds one of what Paul later on said, in the same strain (Rom. 9:1-3). Yet later on Moses yields to incomprehensible murmuring, when the people have again transgressed. "Moses was displeased. And Moses said unto Jehovah--Have I conceived all this people?... that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom?... I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand" (Num. 11:10-15). Is this the same man who speaks in the matter of the golden calf, as we saw above? And in this extraordinary fall we learn a lesson of humility and self-distrust. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

#42.# At last, after forty years of wandering, Israel is on the borders of the Land of Promise, but on account of his unadvised speech, Moses is not permitted to enter. On Mount Nebo he dies, alone, and there God lays his body away until the great resurrection day.

#43.# But again we see Moses. This time not outside of the Land of Promise, but in the midst of it. On the Mount of Transfiguration he appears, and this time with Israel's great prophet, Elijah, and with Israel's Messiah. There they talk of the death so soon to be accomplished in Jerusalem. Then he and the prophet return to the spirit world.

#44.# Yet once more Moses is brought to our attention. On the Isle of Patmos, John in vision sees and hears much of what goes on in the eternal world of bliss. And lo, he hears the ransomed sing the song of Moses and the Lamb (Rev. 15:3). To this man is given the privilege accorded to none other of the sons of men, to have his name coupled with that of the Son of God in the glad songs of heaven. Truly a privilege so exalted that we cannot possibly magnify it too much!

Test Questions

Into what three divisions does Moses' life fall?

State the plan of God and man in relation to this babe.

Give the links in the carrying out of God's plan, on the birth of the child.

What illustration is given to make these links more clear?

What event terminated Moses' life at court?

How long did his desert life as shepherd last?

What brought this period of his life to its close?

Give again the conflict between the plan of God and that of Pharaoh with regard to the people.

Give the various attempts at compromise on the part of Pharaoh.

Where did Israel spend the first year after the Exodus?

What two great revelations did Moses receive at Sinai?

Give the two instances of Moses' action that are apparently contradictory to each other.

Where did Moses die?

Why could he not enter the Land of Promise?

Where do we next meet him?

Give the final mention of this man in the Word.

Test Questions for Review

Introduction to Lesson 5

1. Give the reasons why the following periods are important. Patriarchal; Mosaic; of Elijah and Elisha; of the Messiah.

2. Name the four periods in which the narrative amplifies and miracles multiply.

3. Give the extent of the first, second, and third periods.

4. Give two divisions of period four.

5. What was the cause of the division of the United Kingdom?

6. Give the names of the chief actors in the first period of Bible history.

7. Name the great characters of the Old Testament up to David.

8. Who were buried in the Cave of Machpelah?

9. Into what two sections may we divide Joseph's life?

10. Into whose household did Joseph go in Egypt?

11. What two peculiar facts may be noted with regard to Joseph's body?

12. State the three divisions of Moses' life.

13. Where did Israel spend the first year after the Exodus?

14. What two great revelations did Moses receive at Sinai?

15. Where did Moses die?

Lesson 6

Joshua to Samson

Old Testament Division--Third Period (Concluded)

#Conquest of Canaan.#--Joshua became leader (Josh. 1:2). Received command from God (Josh. 1:6-9). Victory at Jericho (Josh. 6), followed by defeat at Ai (Josh. 7). Central Palestine conquered, and a great assemblage held at Shechem (Josh. 8:30-35). Southern and northern Palestine partially conquered (Josh. 10:1 to 11). Joshua's farewell (Josh. 23 to 24:27) and death (Josh. 24:29-33).

#Israel under Judges.#--Othniel delivered the people from Mesopotamia (Judg. 3:5-11). Ehud delivered from Moab (Judg. 3:12-30). Deborah and Barak delivered from Canaanites (Judg. 4:1 to 5:31). Terrible oppression under the Midianites, delivery by Gideon (Judg. 6:1 to 7:25). Jephthah delivered from Philistines and Ammonites (Judg. 10:6 to 12:7). Samson delivered from Philistines (Judg. 13:1 to 16:31).

#TIME.#--1458 B. C. to Samuel, 1121 B. C.

#PLACES.#--Palestine.

#SIGNIFICANCE OF EVENTS.#--The Jewish nation under Joshua achieved success just so long as they obeyed fully the commands of God. The Judges, as leaders, were direct representatives of God--who was the actual head of the nation--and so far as God's laws were strictly obeyed, the nation prospered.

Joshua and the Judges

#45. Joshua Becomes Leader.#--At the death of Moses we see Israel on the east side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho. Joshua succeeds Moses as leader. To him comes God's command, "Moses, my servant, is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan." (Josh. 1:2.) Note here no sign of discouragement. Moses may be dead, but God still lives, and will work through Joshua as well as through Moses. Notice in the orders given by God to Joshua that no mention at all is made of sword, spear, or bow, but only of obedience. This is emphasized again and again and rightly, for in obedience to God's law lay Israel's hope (read Josh. 1:6-9).

#46.# Now follows the contest for the possession of the land. Jericho is taken, but at Ai defeat is experienced, on account of disobedience. So Israel learns a costly but salutary lesson. Then follows the conquest of the central part of Palestine, ending at Shechem. Next in turn came southern Palestine, and then the northern part of the land (Josh. 10:1 to 11). Yet at the close of Joshua's life, not all of the land had been taken possession of. Still the heathen tribes held on in various places; and, indeed, they were not thoroughly subdued until the time of David.

#47. Reading the Laws of Moses.#--Worthy of note was the great assemblage at Shechem, between the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, in the very center of the land, where the law of Moses was read, with its blessings and curses, to all the people (Josh. 8:30-35). Noteworthy also is the final address of the aged Joshua to his people, at Shechem, beseeching them to obey the law of Moses, recorded in chapter 24.

#48. The Period of the Judges.#--After the death of Joshua, the people seem to have become more or less disorganized. The tribes ruled themselves--at times well, and at times ill. During the times of the Judges the general trend of their history was as follows: Israel would fall into sin, and then as a punishment God allowed their foes whom they had spared to rule over them. Then in due time Israel would "lament after the Lord," that is, repent and call on the God of their fathers for deliverance. Then God would allow them respite, and by the hand of some one of the judges, whom he raised up, would give them deliverance (see Judg. 2:11-18). The chronology of the book of Judges is not very clear, and it is most probable that there were times when the "oppression" was not felt over all the land, but was only sectional. Just the lines for a right chronology are uncertain.

#49. Comparison of Periods of Oppression and Deliverance.#--Now if we desire in a general way to judge as to the proportion of godliness as compared with idolatry, that prevailed in these times, we can do so by adding up the years of "oppression" and those of deliverance. This will afford us a rough criterion as to the way in which Israel obeyed and disobeyed their God. For remember that the "oppressions" were the result of disobedience, while the "deliverances" were the result of true repentance. Worked out in this way, we have the following statement, in which the name stands for the country to which the people were in temporary bondage:

Mesopotamia, bondage 8 years,--rest 32 years. Moab, bondage 18 years,--rest 22 years. Canaan, bondage 20 years,--rest 20 years. Midian, bondage 7 years,--rest 32 years. Philistia and Ammon, bondage 18 years,--rest 7, 10, and 8 years. Philistia, bondage 40 years,--rest 20 years.

Adding all these up, we find that the people were in bondage in whole or in part for 111 years, while they had "rest" as the result of their repentance for 151 years. Without pressing this mathematical calculation too far, we must nevertheless conclude that for more than half the time the nation at large obeyed God fairly well.

#50. Great Leaders among the Judges.#--Deborah and Barak, who, by their combined forces drove out the oppressors of Canaan, under Jabin their king. This man had mightily oppressed the people, he having nine hundred chariots of iron, against which poor Israel could bring no corresponding force. Yet when the Lord's time came, he was able to overthrow the armies of Jabin, through the courage and combination of the two persons named. Then the land had rest for forty years. (For a wonderful setting of the song of triumph that Deborah and Barak sang, let the student turn to Professor Moulton's "Literary Study of the Bible," pp. 133-142.)

#51.# After this came the terrible oppression of the Midianites, who, with their camels, their flocks, and herds came on the land like grasshoppers, and ate up everything. Fortunately this oppression lasted only for seven years, otherwise there would have been nothing left. The deliverance from the hosts of Midian came through Gideon, whose three hundred men with torches and trumpets wrought havoc among the Midianite army. What the three hundred at Thermopylae were to Greece, that this three hundred were to the people of Israel.

#52.# Another terrible experience of Israel was that which came to them in connection with their oldtime foes, the Philistines and the Ammonites. Study the story as told in Judges 10:6-18, together with the narrative of their deliverance under Jephthah. Here the student will see clearly set forth the cause of the "oppression," verses 6-9, and the cause of the deliverance, verses 10-18. Jephthah was a rude man of his times, but then we must realize that rude times call for violent men.