"EGYPT IS RUINED"
“EGYPT IS RUINED”
I need not make any apology for speaking because I believe the brethren are glad to have me speak; but I want to speak of something that may be helpful to us. I wish, particularly, to stress verse 7: “How long shall this man be a snare to us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God, dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined?”
Now, dear brethren, I feel quite at liberty to refer to the ruination of Egypt, because Egypt is typical of this present evil world. It is not much of a country now, but still, it was used by the Spirit of God to typify this world. Pharaoh’s bondmen said to him, “How long shall this man”, which as we know was Moses, “be a snare to us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God”. Why do you hinder them? Why do you interfere with them? The matter is very plain, why do you not let them go? “Dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined?”.
That is a very solemn word, dear brethren — the ruination of a country! If any one goes into the world, we speak of him as going into Egypt. If you want the world you go to Egypt. But the word is, “Dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined?”. So that the world is a ruined state of things. You may say that you are well off in business. But you have no resources if Egypt is ruined! If the world is ruined, and you are in it, you are ruined! It is an awful thing to think about, but I should like, especially, to enlarge on it to the young people here today. If you are seeking after the world, or building yourself up in it, the word here is, “Dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined?”. Can I say anything plainer than that? It is, more or less, a repetition of what I have already said, but it is very remarkable,
[p. 106] very plain, very humbling, and very solemn: “Dost thou not yet know that Egypt is ruined?”.
It says that Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. This is a second court, so to speak. The devil is making another attempt — to build the world up again, perhaps. I say to every one, Be on your guard against building up Egypt. To faith it is ruined already and there is no reason why you should be building up Egypt.
And so, dear brethren, it says, “Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh. And he said to them, Go, serve Jehovah your God”. But the sequel shows that Pharaoh was not honest about it, as is often the case amongst men. He said, “Go, serve Jehovah your God”, but he was not sincere as to it at all. He asks, “Who are they that shall go?”. Moses answered, “We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters; with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we have a feast of Jehovah”. It is wonderful what feasts the brethren have. Think of what the brethren feast upon at the present time! It would appeal to us all. How precious it is to have our feasts week by week, as we might say, on the first day of the week. And so the word is, “we will go with our young and with our old”. The children — all of them — will go to keep that holy feast of Jehovah! The children must go. They must be let go. But it rests with each young man and young woman not to seek Egypt, for Egypt is ruined.
Of course, men are going on with their businesses, and doing well in a certain sense, but then, spiritually, the world is ruined. Therefore, let us not be found in it. Let us not seek after it. Let us keep out of it and go on according to God and God will be with us.
Pharaoh said to them, “Evil is before you!”. This is just a threat! It is double mindedness! “Not so:
go now, ye that are men ...” says Pharaoh. But it is remarkable that the sisters have acquired such a great place amongst us, and that they should be with us at such a time as this. They have part in the feast, also! But, in what Pharaoh says, the men are brought forward here. If any are to go, the men are to go. I am sure that there is not a young man here who would not be stirred up at a time like this, “Serve Jehovah! for it is that ye have desired”. You have desired to go. You have desired to get out of the world. And there is nothing, spiritually, in Egypt. It is very solemn! The whole world is ruined, in principle. But you “have desired” to go out of it. “They were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence”. Pharaoh has no use for you. The world has no use for you. If you want the world you may get it, but you will find that it is ruined. And there is very little time now, dear brethren; let us go on with the assembly. It is remarkable how the truth of the assembly has developed in these our days, so that it is greater than ever before. God has wrought and the truth has come out, and the Spirit of God is working to lead the brethren on. Egypt is ruined; let us take this to heart and get well out of it and get on with what God is doing!
We have enjoyed what is outside of the world as together here, by ourselves, with the brethren here, rejoicing. We are holding a feast of Jehovah, I must say that I have a great joy with the dear brethren here at this time.