Heavenly Father, help us to learn about you. Your mighty power and control of the nations of the earth
[slide 1]
Ancient Egypt was a river-based society. The country was populated along the length of the River Nile, and once away from the flood plain it was sparsely populated, if at all. The main form of transport was the boat. This was usually built from reed. And all the agriculture in the land was dependant on the annual flooding.
The first biblical mention of Egypt was when Abram went down to Egypt to avoid the famine in Canaan. Lot chose Sodom because "it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." Gen 13:10
Historians record the chronicles of Egypt much earlier, but during the 'Old' and 'Middle' kingdoms, Egypt changed very little.
[slide 2]
Probably the greatest influence Egypt had was the Hyksos invasion, which took place in between the Middle and New kingdoms. In some ways it turned Egypt on it's head and instead of a contented agricultural people living a life tied to the river, it catapulted them into a world power. The main reasons for this were moving the people away from small holdings in into cities (the same factor that lead to the industrial revolution in this country) the resultant need for transport, and the advent of the chariot (the chariot was already used in Egypt – Gen 41:43 – but only as a means for rich people to be transported from their house to their boat! Basically it was a status symbol.)
The results of this invasion was that the Egyptians now had a standing army and the mobility to travel away from the river. Later chronicles show Rameses III fighting the Syrians in a number of pitched battles throughout Canaan and even in Syria itself. Egypt went from strength to strength until the time of the plagues.
[slide 3]
What else do we know about the Hyksos? They where know as the Shepherd Kings. They came from the north. Other than that historians disagree on other points. Some say there was a bloody conquest and they ousted the exiting Pharaoh and succeeded him before being ousted themselves almost a 100 years later. Others that it the Pharaoh was forced to relinquish power to them in a bloodless coup. I think both are wrong.
So where does Joseph fit in?
[slide 4]
If we add some elements from the Hebrew timeline it gives us a reference to biblical events. (One carving even depicts the Hyksos as wearing a coat of many colours.)
I'd suggest that the so-called Hyksos invasion was nothing more than Joseph's influence.
What is interesting is that the wars between Egypt and Syria devastated the cities in Canaan making Joshua's task of conquering it so much easier.
What is annoying is that historians persist in ignoring biblical records, even when the answers are recorded in black and white.
