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CHAPTER 2: The Children Of Israel In Egypt - Their Residences,
Occupations, Social Arrangements,Constitution, And Religion - " A New
King Who Knew Not Joseph." Exodus 1. To End.
THREE centuries and a half intervened between the close of the Book of Genesis and
the eventswith which that of Exodus opens. But during that long period the history of
the children of Israel isalmost an entire blank.
The names of their families have come down to us, but without any chronicle of their
history; theirfinal condition at the time of the Exodus is marked, but without any
notice of their social or nationaldevelopment. Except for a few brief allusions
scattered through the Old Testament, we should knowabsolutely nothing of their state,
their life, or their religion, during all that interval. This silence of threeand a half
centuries is almost awful in its grandeur, like the loneliness of Sinai, the mount of
God.Two things had been foretold as marking this period, and these two alone appear
as outstandingfacts in the Biblical narrative. On the boundary of the Holy Land the
Lord had encouraged Israel:
"Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation."
(Genesis 46:3)
And the Book of Exodus opens with the record that this promise had been fulfilled, for
"the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and
waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." (Exodus 1:7)
Yet another prediction, made centuries before to Abram, was to be fulfilled. His seed
was to be "astranger in a land not theirs," to be enslaved and afflicted. (Genesis 15:13-
16) And as the appointedcenturies were drawing to a close, there "arose up a new king
over Egypt," who "evil entreated ourfathers." (Acts 7:19) Thus, in the darkest period
of their bondage, Israel might have understood that,as surely as these two predictions
had been literally fulfilled, so would the twofold promise alsoprove true, "I will bring
thee up again," and that "with great substance." And here we see a closeanalogy to the
present condition of the Jews. In both cases the promised future stands in
markedcontrast to the actual state of things. But, like Israel of old, we also have the
"more sure word ofprophecy," as a "light that shineth in a dark place until the day
dawn." The closing years of the threeand a half centuries since their entrance into
Egypt found Israel peaceful, prosperous, and probably,in many respects, assimilated to
the Egyptians around. "The fathers" had fallen asleep, but theirchildren still held
undisturbed possession of the district originally granted them. The land of Goshen,in
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