3. _Isolation._ There was great danger to the morals and religion of the Is'ra-el-ites in the land of Ca'naan. A'bra-ham had sent to his own relatives at Ha'ran for a wife for I'saac (Gen. 24. 3, 4) in order to keep both the race and the faith pure. One of I'saac's sons married Ca'naan-ite wives, and as a result his descendants, the E'dom-ites, lost the faith and became idolaters (Gen. 26. 34, 35). Ja'cob sought his wives among his own relatives (Gen. 28. 1, 2). We note a dangerous tendency in Ja'cob's family to ally themselves with the Ca'naan-ites (Gen. 34. 8-10; 38. 1, 2). If they had stayed in Ca'naan the chosen family would have become lost among the heathen. But in E'gypt they lived apart, and were kept by the caste system from union with the people (Gen. 46. 34; 43. 32). It was a necessary element in the divine plan that Is'ra-el should dwell apart from other nations (Num. 23. 9). 4. _Civilization._ The E-gyp'tians were in advance of other nations of that age in intelligence, in the organization of society, and in government. Though the Is'ra-el-ites lived apart from them, they were among them and learned much of their knowledge. Whatever may have been their condition at the beginning of the sojourn, at the end of it they had a written language (Exod. 24. 7), a system of worship (Exod. 19. 22; 33. 7), and a leader who had received the highest culture of his age (Acts 7. 22). As one result of the sojourn the Is'ra-el-ites were transformed from shepherds and herdsmen to tillers of the soil--a higher manner of living. Hints to the Teacher 1. Let the map of the Old Testament world be drawn by a pupil on the blackboard, and let all the lands and places referred to in this lesson be noted upon it. Indicate on this map the regions of the deluge, the four empires, the journey of A'bra-ham, and the route of the Is'ra-el-ites to E'gypt. 2. Let the references be read and their connection with the lesson be shown by the students. 3. Place on the board (and in the scholar's notebook) the outline of the lesson, and let additional details from the book of Genesis be given. 4. See that each pupil can read the Blackboard Outline and answer the Review Questions given below. Blackboard Outline I. =Del.= 1. Fac. Scrip. trad. 2. Cau. wick. rac. 3. Ext. 4. Pur. 1.) Des. ev. 2.) New ep. II. =Disp. Rac.= 1. Inst. mig. 2. Evid. 1.) Bib. 2.) Trad. 3.) Lang. III. =Rise Emp.= 1. Eg. 2. Chal. 3. Ass. 4. Sid. and Tyr. IV. =Mig. Abr.= Causes. 1. Mig. inst. 2. Pol. cau. 3. Rel. mot. V. =Jour. Patr.= Str. in Pal. Shep. Hom. Relat. VI. =Soj. in Eg.= Obj. 1. Pres. 2. Gro. 3. Isol. 4. Civ. Review Questions