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CHAPTER 1: Egypt And Its History During The Stay Of The Children Of
Israel, As Illustrated By The Bible &Ancient Monuments Exodus 1:1-7
THE devout student of history cannot fail to recognize it as a wonderful arrangement
of Providence,that the beginning and the close of Divine revelation to mankind were
both connected with thehighest intellectual culture of the world. When the apostles
went forth into the Roman world, theycould avail themselves of the Greek language,
then universally spoken, of Grecian culture and modesof thinking. And what Greece
was to the world at the time of Christ, that and much more had Egyptbeen when the
children of Israel became a God-chosen nation. Not that in either case the truth ofGod
needed help from the wisdom of this world. On the contrary, in one sense, it stood
opposed toit. And yet while history pursued seemingly its independent course, and
philosophy, science, and thearts advanced apparently without any reference to
revelation, all were in the end made subservient tothe furtherance of the kingdom of
God. And so it always is. God marvelously uses natural means forsupernatural ends,
and maketh all things work together to His glory as well as for the good of Hispeople.
It was, indeed, as we now see it, most important that the children of Israel should have
been broughtinto Egypt, and settled there for centuries before becoming an
independent nation. The early historyof the sons of Jacob must have shown the need
alike of their removal from contact with the peopleof Canaan, and of their being fused
in the furnace of affliction, to prepare them for inheriting the landpromised unto their
fathers. This, however, might have taken place in any other country than Egypt.Not so
their training for a nation. For that, Egypt offered the best, or rather, at the time, the
onlysuitable opportunities. True, the stay there involved also peculiar dangers, as their
after historyproved. But these would have been equally encountered under any other
circumstances, while thebenefits they derived through intercourse with the Egyptians
were peculiar and unique. There is yetanother aspect of the matter. When standing
before King Agrippa, St. Paul could confidently appealto the publicity of the history
of Christ, as enacted not in some obscure corner of a barbarous land,but in full view of
the Roman world "For this thing was not done in a corner." (Acts 26:26) And
soIsrael's bondage also and God's marvelous deliverance took place on no less
conspicuous a scenethan that of the ancient world-empire of Egypt.
Indeed, so close was the connection between Israel and Egypt, that it is impossible
properly tounderstand the history of the former without knowing something of the
latter. We shall thereforedevote this preliminary chapter to a brief description of
Egypt. In general, however historians maydiffer as to the periods when particular
events had taken place, the land itself is full of reminiscencesof Israel's story. These
have been brought to light by recent researches, which almost year by yearadd to our
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