- 21-
children of Israel in Egyptbefore the time of Moses. For Moses" gathered the elders of
Israel together," to announce to themhis Divine commission, (Exodus 3:16; 4:29) and
through them he afterwards communicated to thepeople the ordinance of the Passover.
(Exodus 12:21) The mention of "scribes" as "officers" occurseven earlier than that of
elders, and to them, as the lettered class, the Egyptian taskmasters seem tohave
entrusted the superintendence of the appointed labors of the people. (Exodus 5:6, 14,
15, 19)
From the monuments of Egypt we know what an important part "the scribes" played
in that country,and how constantly their mention recurs. Possibly, the order of scribes
may have been thusintroduced among Israel. As the lettered class, the scribes would
naturally be the intermediariesbetween their brethren and the Egyptians. We may,
therefore, regard them also as therepresentatives of learning, alike Israelitish and
Egyptian. That the art of writing was known to theIsraelites at the time of Moses is
now generally admitted. Indeed, Egyptian learning had penetratedinto Canaan itself,
and Joshua found its inhabitants mostly in a very advanced state of civilization, oneof
the towns bearing even the name of Kirjath-sepher, the city of books, or Kirjath-
sannah, whichmight almost be rendered "university town." (Joshua 15:15, 49) In
reference to the religion of Israel,it is important to be in mind that, during the three
and a half centuries since the death of Jacob, alldirect communication from Heaven,
whether by prophecy or in vision, had so far as we know,wholly ceased. Even the
birth of Moses was not Divinely intimated. In these circumstances thechildren of
Israel were cast upon that knowledge which they had acquired from "the fathers,"
andwhich, undoubtedly, was preserved among them. It need scarcely be explained,
although it showsthe wisdom of God's providential arrangements, that the simple
patriarchal forms of worship wouldsuit the circumstances in Egypt much better than
those which the religion of Israel afterwardsreceived. Three great observances here
stand out prominently. Around them the faith and theworship alike of the ancient
patriarchs, and afterwards of Israel, may be said to have clustered. Theyare:
circumcision, sacrifices, and the Sabbath. We have direct testimony that the rite of
circumcisionwas observed by Israel in Egypt. (Exodus 4:24-26; Joshua 5:5) As to
sacrifices, even the proposalto celebrate a great sacrificial feast in the wilderness,
(Exodus 8:25-28) implies that sacrificialworship had maintained its hold upon the
people. Lastly, the direction to gather on the Friday twodays provision of manna,
(Exodus 16:22) and the introduction of the Sabbath command by the
word"Remember," (Exodus 20:8) convey the impression of previous Sabbath
observance on the part ofIsrael. Indeed, the manner in which many things, as, for
example, the practice of vows, are spokenof in the law, seems to point back to
previous religious rites among Israel.
Thus far for those outward observances, which indicate how, even during those
centuries of silenceand loneliness in Egypt, Israel still cherished the fundamental
(^)