Egypt’s Bondage

Background Scripture: Exodus 1
Lesson Scripture: Exodus 1:8-14; 2:23-25

Introduction

With the exception of the Easter lesson, the lesson scriptures in this quarter are taken from the Old Testament. They are a mixture of history and teaching from the law, with a couple lessons taken out of the book of Job.

The value of studying the Old Testament lies hidden just beneath the surface. As a number of the lesson writers make clear in this quarter, much of the history and sojourn of God’s Old Testament people is an allegory for Christian believers. Jesus understood it, the apostles taught by it, and it greatly enhances and illustrates New Testament teaching and doctrine.

Christian spirituality itself is best clarified by an allegorical representation. Its meaning must be drawn out and demonstrated by some other object or device because it remains unseen. The great Christian allegories, like The Pilgrim’s Progress, use the same literary tool that is found within the Bible. Although the story is important, there is greater depth and meaning found between the lines of the printed page. It is not the written words that carry the message—it is the unseen, underlying theme embedded within the story.

Being spiritually alive can be defined in this same sense. The real essence of the gospel teaching is not in the black and white words of doctrine but in the keeping and practice of these sacred biblical principles. The word and teaching of doctrine are important, like the story line in an allegory, but their real meaning is found deeper. When the actual meaning embedded within the Bible’s doctrines becomes alive, suddenly the outward aspects of living the true faith take on a different hue. It is like reading an allegory whose meaning is shrouded initially but then is later considered, contemplated, and understood. The satisfaction of having at last understood becomes personal and will cause one to appreciate the story all the more. Too many Christians are only surface-reading the black and white print of doctrines and not perceiving the real meaning lodged within them.

These lessons will make a case for spirituality by using the examples that were recorded for our admonition (1 Cor. 10:11).

Egypt’s Bondage

Lesson 1

March 5, 2023

Background Scripture: Exodus 1

Lesson Scripture: Exodus 1:8-14; 2:23-25

Introduction

This lesson is about the servitude and slavery that the children of Israel encountered during their sojourn in the land of Egypt. Though Egypt had been a place of refuge in the time of need, the Israelites slowly became more and more enslaved. Pharaoh oppressed them, seeking to keep them from returning to Canaan, the land which God had promised to them for a homeland.

Satan likewise seeks to bind us. His objective is to keep us in captivity to pleasure and sin so that we fail in our journey to God’s land of promise. Once we have begun our journey, the Evil One hinders us, offering solutions that only lead us back into bondage. May the study of this account give us vision to recognize his tactics. Jesus Christ is the only one who can deliver us from bondage and grant us the wonderful freedom of the redeemed!

Key Verse

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage (2 Pet. 2:19).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Our lesson identifies a time in history when God’s people suffered intense persecution. We do not read that it was caused by sin and disobedience; rather, it appears that despite their best efforts to please Pharaoh, their plight continually worsened.

The arrival of the Hebrew people in Egypt some 400 years before was an incredible event. God, performing his will through the evil and jealous actions of Israel’s sons, had sent Joseph into the land of Egypt. In infinite wisdom, God was opening up a way that the family of Jacob could be spared from the devastating famine that was about to strike the land.

Historians have not been able to ascertain which of the Pharaohs was reigning when Joseph arrived in the land of Egypt. Some speculate that he was one of several Pharaohs who were conquerors from another region. This may explain why Pharaoh so readily appointed Joseph, a foreigner, as ruler. Nonetheless, the account of Pharaoh’s dream, the chain of events that drew Joseph from prison to reveal it, and the favor which was suddenly bestowed upon him were clearly miraculous.

As governor of Egypt, Joseph began an ambitious program of collecting grain. Soon great stockpiles of grain had been accumulated. Eventually the stores were so abundant they lost all track of their inventory. All too soon the seven years of plenty were past, and the seven lean years began. It was not long until the people’s resources began to run out, and they came to Joseph, hungry and pleading for relief. Two years into the famine, Joseph’s brothers came searching for food, which led to the resettlement of the whole family of Jacob in Egypt. As Joseph opened the storehouses to supply the Egyptians’ needs, a deep indebtedness grew in their hearts toward him for saving them from starvation.

Surely the Hebrew people were also thankful that God had preserved their lives. Despite the blessings of their new dwelling place, it seems that neither Joseph nor his father Israel lost sight of Canaan, which God had promised them as a final homeland many years before. Israel made Joseph swear that he would be buried back in Canaan where God had promised him a home. Joseph prophesied before his death that God would visit his people and take them to Canaan. The Israelites promised under oath to bring Joseph’s bones with them on that journey.

No doubt the gratitude toward Joseph was also extended to the rest of the children of Israel who had settled in the land of Goshen. It is noteworthy that the Egyptians mourned seventy days for Jacob when he passed away. How long this favor toward God’s people lasted we do not know, but they became very prosperous. Perhaps with the appreciation shown to them and the prosperity they were blessed with there was a time when the promise of Canaan faded from their minds. Were they tempted to feel like it was their own land and that they were possessors rather than transitory citizens?

Many years went by, and a new Egyptian king arose who did not know Joseph. He had no respect for the historic account of Joseph saving the nation from starvation. This new king began to see these people as a threat to national security, for they had become greater in number and mightier than the Egyptians. He reasoned that in the event of an enemy attack, the Israelites might defect to the enemy and use the opportunity to escape the country.

Pharaoh subjected the Hebrew people to slave labor to suppress them. Heavy burdens and hard taskmasters were put in place to weaken and break them. Despite the persecution, the Hebrews continued to multiply, so Pharaoh turned to harsh measures and cruel oppression, which included drowning their baby boys. God’s people groaned under their burden. Their cries reached the ears of a loving God who had been watching all along and had prepared a way of deliverance. God chose this darkest, most hopeless hour to deliver his people from bondage.

Practical Truths for Today

The chronicle of the people of God in the old dispensation is an effective allegory for Christians in the gospel age. It is presented and given to us by God through the Holy Word. Through the Old Testament biblical record, we can learn much about Christian life. “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Cor. 10:11).

The account of the Israelites’ sojourn in the land of Egypt and their miraculous escape is one of the clearest allegories found in the Word. It directly relates to the bondage of sin, followed by a new-birth experience as a way to escape from the sinfulness into which we are born. Every accountable person must pass through this door to be saved.

The land of Egypt became a place of refuge for Israel’s family in the time of famine and could typify a childhood home. Though children are born in sin, it is not imputed until the time of accountability before God. A God-fearing home is a place of preparation for Christian life. In a world starving for the knowledge and respect of God, the Christian home is a great refuge. Children can develop in the shelter of that environment without suffering the heartrending effects of sin before they have matured enough to make a choice between good and evil. Unfortunately, not all children are blessed with a Christian home. Even in a home where God is not recognized, He is still there seeking to provide for the innocent one’s needs. Some, though raised in an ungodly environment, have come to know the Lord, which further verifies the miracle of God’s saving grace.

As the darkness of slavery deepened, the children of Israel were awakened to their vulnerability and bondage. Surely a sense of helplessness swept over them as they realized they had become trapped and enslaved in a foreign land. This slavery grew worse until life became unbearable. Likewise, innocent children, wayward prodigals, and sin-sick souls become awakened to the bondage of sin and reach a time when God calls them to Him. The unsaved one may have feelings of inexplicable sadness, or sin becomes increasingly captivating, and small transgressions keep leading to more and greater sins. He may begin to hear a gentle call from God, and when he is disobedient to that quiet voice and indulges in worldly pleasures, the call fades. He may find himself slipping ever deeper into attitudes and ways of life that would have shocked him earlier but finds himself powerless to overcome. As the children of Israel slowly descended into slavery, so we are increasingly bound and oppressed by a cruel master whose ultimate design is to steal, kill, and destroy.

Just as God heard the cries and saw the tears of the oppressed children of Israel, so He hears and understands our cry for release from the burden and bondage of sin. Sin causes immense heartache and suffering, for “the way of transgressors is hard” (Prov. 13:15). It is also as binding as Pharaoh’s grip on God’s people. The way of repentance and new birth offers freedom, peace, and a bit of heaven on this earth. A heart that has been crushed by sin and bondage can leap with joy when the Master comes and breaks the shackles that have bound it.

The route of deliverance led the children of Israel through the Red Sea. It marked the point where they left the land of bondage and followed the Lord through the wilderness with Canaan as a final goal. At the figurative Red Sea of repentance, we also leave the land of bondage behind and begin traveling through the wilderness of this world as we seek the heavenly Canaan as our final home.

Just as we wonder why the children of Israel had to suffer so long in Egypt, sometimes we wonder why we need to cry so long before God comes and rescues us. God knows our hearts, and He will not leave us struggling longer than is necessary. At times, God uses adversity for conditioning our hearts to accept his way.

After their deliverance, the Hebrew people had a strange affinity for the land of their captivity. Even when Moses sought a release for the people to worship, some of the Hebrew officers were upset. They would have preferred to appease Pharaoh. As they traveled through the wilderness, there were times they were hungry, thirsty, or fearful of approaching enemies. In these times they lusted for a return to the old country, naming the familiar fleshly pleasures and comforts. When they finally reached the Jordan River at the threshold of the promised land, they became discouraged by the report of the unfaithful spies and decided to make a captain who would take them back to Egypt.

As foolish as their rebellion seems, we must conclude that the nature of man has not significantly changed since then. We, who have been miraculously delivered from bondage, are just as prone to turn back to the things our flesh once fed on. Some have even arranged to be led back to the house of bondage where they again serve under the taskmasters of the Evil One. Now, as well as then, it takes a committed heart to arrive safely on Canaan’s shore.

Questions

1. God could have chosen to alleviate the famine and avoid the whole Egypt experience. Why did He choose the hard way?
2. When the Israelites longed for the abundance of Egypt, did they forget that it was accompanied with the terrors of slavery, or was their desire for comfort and pleasure so strong that it no longer mattered?
3. Sometimes we do not want anybody to correct us or tell us what to do. The Bible says we serve either God or Satan. Where does that attitude put us in regards to whom we serve?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).