PERIOD III.] PHARAOH'S HOST DROWNED. than that we should die in the wilderness." And Moses said unto the people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." By the command of God, Moses was to lift up his rod over the sea, and the water would divide, that the Israelites might pass through the sea. The angel of the Lord then went behind the camp of the Israelites; the cloud also removed from before their face, and stood behind them. And the cloud was darkness to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the people of Israel; so that the one came not near the other all the night. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the waters were divided. The children of Israel passed through the sea on dry ground. The Egyptians pursued them with their chariots and horses. Moses, by the command of God, again stretched his rod over the sea; the waters returned, and Pharaoh's host was drowned. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians. NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS. further instructions-all the congregation were to eat of the passover. Strangers and proselytes who were dedicated to God might eat of it; it was to be eaten in one house, roasted whole, & not a bone broken. sanctify-set apart; to devote; to keep from every employment but that of the Lord's public service. Less. 24,' instead.' memorial-a means by which the memory of an event or person is preserved; stones, pillars, statues, are sometimes erected as memorials. took-in obedience to Joseph's dying injunction (Less. 16); though they left Egypt in haste they did not omit this duty. went that is the visible tokens of God's presence, as their unerring, guide and protector, accompanied them; they were thus prevented from going astray, while they had evidence that they had a more exalted leader than Moses. repented-regretted; wished they had not let the Israelites depart: they had overcome their first grief and terror, and wished to have their slaves again in bondage. his host-a large number of warriors; a mighty army. encamping-preparing to pitch their tents that they might have some rest, for they had by this time walked about 100 miles. chariots-cars on which to ride; two kinds are mentioned in the Bible-those used merely to ride in, and war-chariots. thou-an ungrateful return to Moses for his pious and patriotic devotion to their national welfare. Such conduct is not to deter the great-minded from doing good as they find opportunity. tell thee-long-continued oppression had bowed down their spirits, and deprived them of those aspirations for liberty and independence which men naturally feel. MIRIAM'S SONG. fear, &c.-insensibility to danger is not here enjoined, but calm reliance on the power of God. divide-hemmed in by mountains, no escape was left them but by the miracle which was thus wrought in their behalf; the spot at which the waters were divided cannot now be pointed out with certainty. went behind-the pillar of fire which had gone before the Israelites was now removed to the rear; it gave light to the Israelites, while the cloud concealed them from the Egyptians. drowned-it is by no means clear that Pharaoh perished in the Red Sea with his army. [1635-1451 B.C. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. RED SEA-called also the Arabian Gulf, separated Arabia on the east, from Egypt and Abyssinia on the west; it is 1,400 miles in length, and averages 140 in width. PIHAHIROTH-' opening of the valley;' the route of the children of Israel was at first direct for Canaan, but when they came to the edge of the wilderness' God commanded them to turn, an order which they obeyed, and which led them into a narrow defile-the Red Sea being on their left, and a mountain range on their right, 'shut in by the wilderness' without any means of escape, unless through the sea. The Egyptians were thus tempted to follow them to their own destruction. SONG OF MIRIAM. "SING TO THE LORD FOR HE HATH TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY; THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER HATH HE THROWN INTO THE SEA." Ye daughters and soldiers of Israel, look back, Where where are the thousands who shadow'd your track The chariots that shook the deep earth as they roll'd The banners of silk, and the helmets of gold? Where are they-the vultures, whose beaks would have fed Give glory to God, who in mercy arose, And strew'd mid the waters the strength of our foes. When we travell'd the waste of the desert by day, But this morn and the Israelites' strength was a reed, O thou-who redeemest the weak one at length, To thee let our thoughts and our offerings tend, NEW YORK AMERICAN. PERIOD III.] MANNA AND QUAILS SENT. 21. THE BITTER WATER. AMALEK CONQUERED. Exodus xv.-xix. When Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore they feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses. Then the Israelites sang a song of praise to God. They entered the wilderness of Shur, and after three days' journey came to Marah, where the waters were bitter. They murmured, saying, "What shall we drink ?" The Lord shewed Moses a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, they were made sweet. They came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees; here they encamped. They left Elim, and came into the Wilderness of Sin. Here they murmured against Moses and Aaron, because they wanted bread. Then the Lord said unto Moses, "I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall gather it every day." On the sixth day they were to gather a double portion, because the morrow was the sabbath, when there should be none. A pot of the manna was laid up, and kept; so that their children might see the food with which the Lord fed them in the wilderness. God also gave them quails, saying, "At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread." The Israelites again murmured against Moses, because they wanted water. God told Moses to smite the rock in Horeb, and water should come out of it. He did so, and the Israelites drank. The Amalekites came against Israel at Rephidim. Moses stood on the top of the hill, and held up the rod of God during the battle; when he held up his hand Israel prevailed, but when he let it down Amalek prevailed. Moses' hands were heavy; and Aaron and Hur seated him on a stone and stayed up his hands until the going down of the sun, when the Amalekites were discomfited. And the Lord said unto Moses, "Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven." After leaving Rephidim the Israelites came into the Wilderness of Sinai. God called to Moses out of the Mount Sinai, saying, THE PEOPLE TO BE SANCTIFIED. [ [1635-1451 B.C. "Thus shalt thou tell the children of Israel, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine, and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation." The Lord then commanded that the people should be sanctified, for the third day he would come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, came to him bringing with him Zipporah, Moses' wife, and her two sons, Gershom and Eliezer; Jethro rejoiced with Moses for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel. By the advice of Jethro Moses appointed rulers to assist him in the government of the people. Jethro returned to his own land, and Moses went up into the Mount Sinai. NOTES AND EXPLANATIONS. murmured-grumbled; complained; re- | God,' because of its connexion with the proached Moses again. miracles performed by the Lord in Egypt and in the wilderness. bread-the dough and other food which they had brought with them out of Egypt had now been consumed. prevailed-overcame; gained the advantage. Hur-one of the chief men in Israel; he heaven-the sky; the clouds. Lesson 1, was the son of Caleb. Less. 25, 26, and 32. 'heaven,' and 'firmament.' double-two-fold; the quantity required for two days. This miracle was repeated weekly for forty years in order to preserve inviolate the Sabbath, or rest of the Lord; and in attestation of its sanctity. manna-the name of the bread from heaven' on which the Israelites were fed for forty years. When first it was seen by them they exclaimed Man-hu, 'What is it?' from this question arose its name. quails-the quail is a bird similar in form and habits to the partridge, but not so large. At this season, spring, the quails migrate in immense flocks from Asia into Europe; a strong wind would therefore take them out of their direct route, and bring them over the camp of Israel, about which they fell from fatigue. rock-St. Paul refers to this rock as a type of Christ. 1 Cor. x. 4. rod of God-that which was once the humble staff of Moses when tending the sheep of Jethro, is here called the rod of discomfited-routed; compelled to flee. write-Moses was commanded to write in a book-this is the first mention of writing that we find in Scripture. memorial-a thing to be remembered by. Lesson 20. rehearse-repeat; make it known; let it not be forgotten. Joshua- the Lord saves;' he was the captain of the army of Israel at the battle with the Amalekites; he is called the minister of Moses, and he was the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. Lessons 29 and 30. utterly-completely; none shall remain. remembrance - the remembrance of their country which cannot now be determined with certainty; while that of their deeds and doom was written by Moses. peculiar-particular; pre-eminent; select; having special advantages. treasure-wealth; riches; they should be the preservers of the riches of divine revelation, and of the true worship of God. PERIOD III. MARAH'S WATERS HEALED. priests-their sacrifices being according to God's appointment were acceptable unto him; while the sacrifices of the heathen were abomination in his eyes. Gershoma stranger;' his father thus named him, "because," said he, "I have been an alien in a strange land." Eliezer-God my help:' at his birth Moses felt secure from the "sword of Pharaoh," therefore he expressed his gratitude to God in the name he gave to his second son. rejoiced-this shows that Jethro was a worshipper of the true God; it is generally believed that he was a descendant of Abraham. The Kenites and the Rechabites descended from Jethro; they afterwards lived among the Jews and became proselytes. rulers-by Jethro's advice they were to be able men, such as fear God, men of truth and hating covetousness. GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES. SHUR-a sandy tract of wilderness, west of Arabia Petrea, and between Canaan and Egypt. Hagar fled to this wilderness the first time she left her mistress. MARAH-' bitterness;' a place in the Wilderness of Shur to which the Israelites came after three days' journey from the Red Sea, and where they found the waters so bitter that neither they nor their cattle could drink of it. It is supposed that the bitterness was not permanently removed, for travellers inform us of a well, named Hawarah, the waters of which are now bitter, the locality also corresponding with that of Marah. ELIM-the place in the wilderness of Sin at which the Israelites encamped after they left Marah. WILDERNESS OF SIN-the wilderness which the Israelites traversed between Elim and Mount Sinai. In this wilderness God first sent the Israelites manna, and commanded the observance of the Sabbath. HOREB-refers to a mountain district, or group of mountains, from one of which, called Sinai, an extensive and terrible wilderness derived its name. The Mount Horeb where Moses fed Jethro's flocks was another part of this mountain chain. Lesson 17. AMALEKITES-a powerful tribe, living chiefly by predatory warfare; they were descended from Ham; their country lay towards the southern extremity of the land of Canaan. They were the first of nations to oppose the Israelites in their progress to Canaan. Their existence, as a nation, was endangered by Saul, and extinguished in the time of David. Lessons 45 and 53. REPHIDIM-One of the noted encampments of the Israelites in the wilderness, near to Mount Horeb, where they wanted water, and complained bitterly to Moses for bringing them out of Egypt. WILDERNESS OF SINAI-the desert which the Israelites traversed between Rephidim and Taberah. In this wilderness Jethro visited Moses, judges were appointed, the Tabernacle was erected, and Aaron and his sons were consecrated. This wilderness had its name from one of the principal mountains of the Horeb range named Sinai. THE HEALING OF MARAH'S WATERS. "THEY COULD NOT DRINK OF THE WATERS OF MARAH FOR THEY WERE BITTER. Marah! whate'er the tree might be Through love's divine discipleship |