«　WEEK 9　DAY 2　»

　　John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.

　　Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.

　　The world typified by Egypt usurps the people whom God created and chose for His purpose (Exo. 5:6-9). The children of Israel were enslaved to that aspect of the world which gave them their livelihood and afforded them their enjoyment. Whether they are rich or poor, many today are slaves to money. They work hard to earn a large amount of money, and then in a short time they spend all they have to indulge in the pleasures of the world. Thus many today do not serve God, but mammon….In Egypt [the ancient Israelites] made a good living and they enjoyed the riches of the world. But Egypt kept them from fulfilling the purpose for which God had originally called them. In Egypt the children of Israel became strong [Exo. 1:7] ….In one sense, to become strong is to become rich. Without money, a nation cannot be strong. For example, the United States is a strong nation because of its economy.

　　The children of Israel enjoyed the aspect of the world typified by Egypt….Because they were occupied by the riches and enjoyment of the world, they were kept from fulfilling the purpose for which God had created and chosen them. In the same principle, all the worldly people today have been usurped by Satan. As a result, they do not know God’s purpose. How we need to thank the Lord for delivering us from slavery in the world and for setting us free from the usurping hand of Satan! (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 16-17)

　　Because of their need to maintain their livelihood, the children of Israel fell into Egyptian tyranny (Exo. 1:10-11). The worldly people today are also under tyranny. Even their occupation with worldly amusements is a sign that they are under Satan’s tyranny. Forced to follow a course that holds them under Satan’s tyranny and that keeps them from God’s purpose, they have no freedom and do not make the proper choices.

　　The children of Israel were under the enslavement of Pharaoh (1:8-11, 13-14), who typifies Satan, the ruler of the world (John 12:31; Eph. 2:2). Because Pharaoh is the embodiment of Satan, he is a picture of Satan in Exodus, a book of pictures.

　　Exodus 1:13 says, “And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with harshness.” …Harshness indicates that the children of Israel had no liberty, no rights, and no rest. No matter what their circumstances were, they had to labor as slaves. They had to do what Pharaoh demanded. Verse 14 continues, “And they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and in brick and in all kinds of labor in the field; all their labor with which they made them serve was with harshness.” Pharaoh made the lives of the Israelites bitter with hard labor. Today, in the eyes of God, all the people are laboring in the “field.” You may work in a hospital, factory, or office, but actually you are laboring in the “field” making “bricks” and cementing them with “mortar.”

　　As slaves in Egypt, the children of Israel “built storage cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses” (v. 11). Pithom means “mouth of integrity,” and Raamses means “thunder of the standard.” These names indicate that Pharaoh’s treasure cities were built for pride and boastful display, just as the pyramids were. I believe that, under Pharaoh, the Egyptians had these treasure cities built in order to boast of their integrity, honesty, and goodness and also to propagate their cultural standard….Every race and nation boasts of its goodness. Furthermore, every country, developed or undeveloped, is proud of its standard of attainment. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 17-18)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1971, vol. 3, pp. 332-335