NOW what do we learn from Egypt? We learn in the Book of Revelation that it is the place "where also our Lord was crucified." Can we desire to belong to it? It is a picture, of this world, and the Apostle John exhorts us, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now what is there in the world? We are told of three things: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
There are indeed few, or perhaps none, too young to understand the lust of the flesh; we may perhaps call it self-indulgence, the desire for what we have not got, something good to eat, it may be. The mixed multitude who came out of Egypt fell a lusting and also wept again and said, "Who shall give us flesh to eat?" They remembered the fish which they did eat in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic, and they despised the "manna," God's food, which was a type of the Lord Jesus, who sustains us through the wilderness.
Ah! God gave them their desire, until it became loathsome to them. Have you never felt such a thing as this, desiring something very much at first, and in the end it becomes horrible to you? The lust of the flesh, I think, is a desire to enjoy oneself, to minister to self, to the flesh. Is it not so? The good things of this life, so called, but what a misnomer!
Now what is the lust of the eyes? Let us take an illustration. Supposing as you go down the street you see some things you would, like, they may be pretty dresses or ornaments, or even useful things, and this leads you on to covetousness, which is idolatry, of which the world is full. You may see beautiful pictures, too, and have a desire to possess some, and there are people who will spend enormous sums of money to get some masterpiece of man. Then what about picture amusements? Are they good? Do they not often cause evil thoughts and suggest to the mind, that which is the reverse of good? Yes, indeed they do.
And what is the pride of life? Even little children know something of the pride of life. Does not boasting belong to this order? One child may have richer parents than another, and be proud of it; another may boast in a title, or in some worldly position, or in dress or ornaments. Seeing then that all that is in the world 'is not of the Father, but is of the world, shall we, not pay attention to 'the words of the Lord, "Go ye not into Egypt." (Jer. 42:1919The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day. (Jeremiah 42:19).)