+

THE GOING OUT FROM EGYPT

+ + + MOSES + + +

Long after the time of Joseph and his brothers, a Pharaoh came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph. "See how many Israelites there are!" he said. "If we are not careful, they will join our enemies and take our country away from us. We must make them our slaves."

But no matter how badly the Egyptians treated the Chosen People, their numbers grew and grew. One day Pharaoh thought of a way to stop them from increasing so fast. He said, "Whenever an Israelite boy is born, he must be thrown into the River Nile!"

One Israelite woman, from the clan of Levi, had a baby boy. She could not bear to let her son be drowned, so she hid him from the Egyptians for three months. When the baby grew too big to hide, his mother put him in a small basket of reeds. She put the basket among the bulrushes by the river and told her little daughter to wait nearby to see what happened.

That day Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe in the river.

She found the baby in the bulrushes. "This must be one of the Israelite children," she said. "What a nice baby! I would like to keep him and bring him up."

The baby's sister came up to her and said, "Shall I go and get one of the Israelite women to look after him for you?"

"Yes, do," said the Princess happily.

Of course, the little girl ran and got her own mother! "If you will take care of this dear child for me, I will reward you for it," said the Princess. The baby's mother was delighted.

Pharaoh's daughter adopted the baby as her own son, and when he was old enough, she took him to live with her in the palace. The Princess called him Moses, which means "rescuer".

Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his works and deeds.

But one day, as Moses was walking in the Israelites' part of the city, he saw an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian. Moses loved his own people and hated to see them ill-treated. He ran up and hit the Egyptian. He didn't mean to, but he hit so hard that the man died. Moses was frightened when he found what he had done. He buried the Egyptian secretly by the river.

The next day Moses came upon two Israelites fighting with each other. "Stop!" he cried. "Isn't there enough misery? Why should you fight among yourselves?"

"Do you mean to kill me, too," said one of the men, "as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?" Moses was terrified. "I did not think anybody saw me," he thought.

Pharaoh heard about it and wanted to put Moses to death, but Moses fled to the nearby country of Midian.

When he reached Midian, Moses sat down to rest by a well. While he was there, the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came to draw water for their sheep. There were shepherds there, too, and some of them rudely pushed the girls away. But Moses stopped them.

He himself drew water for Jethro's daughters' flock. When the girls went home, they told their father about this kind man. Jethro said, "Tell him to come and eat with us."

Moses not only came to supper with them, but he married one of the seven girls, Sephora. Their first son he called Gershom, which means, "I have been a stranger in an alien land."

Meanwhile, the Israelites in Egypt, groaning in their slavery, cried out for help and from the depths of their slavery their cry came up to God.

God took pity on them. He had not forgotten the Promise He had made to Abraham and Isaac and Israel, that this people would be His own people and blessed above all others.

Far away in Midian, Moses often took his sheep to graze on Mount Horeb. One day he saw a very strange thing there: a flaming bush. It was on fire but did not burn away. Moses was curious and came closer to look.

A Voice called out of the flames, "Moses! Moses!"

Moses answered, "I am here, at your command."

The Voice said, "Do not come any nearer, and take off your shoes; you are standing on holy ground."

The Voice went on, "I am the God of your fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel. I have seen the bitter sorrow of My children in Egypt and I have listened to their prayers. I mean to rescue them from the power of Pharaoh and lead them to a beautiful land, a land where milk and honey flow.

Moses said to God, "Who am I, that You should send me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?"

God said, "Do not worry. I will be with you. If the Israelites ask why you come to them, tell them that GOD WHO IS has sent you to them, the God of your fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob."

"I am no good at making speeches," said Moses. "How can I persuade Pharaoh to let the Israelites go?" "Why," said God, "who gives a man a voice or takes it away, if not I?"

Moses said, "Have patience with me, Lord, but .... don't You think some other man would be better?" The Lord's anger blazed against Moses. He said, "Very well, your brother, Aaron will go with you. He can speak for you. Be sure to take your staff with you; you will work miracles with it."

Moses took his family and set out for Egypt. God sent Aaron to meet them and the brothers were happy to see each other again.

As they all continued on their journey, Moses told Aaron about the message God had given him. When they reached Egypt, Aaron and Moses gathered together all the Israelites and told them that the Lord had promised to rescue them from their terrible slavery.

Then Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh.

They said to Pharaoh, "We have this message for you from the Lord God of Israel: Give My people leave to go and offer sacrifice in the desert."

"Who is this 'Lord'?" said Pharaoh. "I do not know him, why should I obey him? You just want the workers to be idle."

Pharaoh made the Israelites work even harder than before. "Why did you send me to Pharaoh, Lord?" said Moses to God. "Our people are worse off than ever." But the Lord said, "I will punish Pharaoh. Such terrible things will happen in Egypt that he will beg the Israelites to leave. Go and see him again."

So Moses and Aaron went again to see Pharaoh. Aaron said to him, "This time I will prove to you that the Lord has sent us." He took Moses' staff and turned it into a serpent.

Pharaoh only laughed and said mockingly, "My magicians can do that, too!"

The next day God told Moses to strike the river with his staff. He did and the water turned into blood; no one could drink it.

Out of the river came millions of frogs. There were frogs everywhere, even in Pharaoh's bed.

Still Pharaoh would not listen to Moses. Then God turned the dust of Egypt into gnats.

They covered everything, men and beasts.

God then sent flies which swarmed everywhere and got into everything.

But Pharaoh would not change his mind. Next, all the Egyptian cattle died.

Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go.

God told Moses to sprinkle ashes in the air. The ashes flew everywhere and all the Egyptians who were touched by them got terrible boils. But still Pharaoh would not change his mind.

Then God sent hail. It destroyed everything out of doors and broke trees like little sticks.

None of these awful things hurt the Israelites or any of their possessions.

Then God sent an east wind that brought millions of locusts.

These settled all over Egypt. They ate all the green growing things and all the fruit on the trees. Pharaoh was frightened but still he would not let the Israelites leave.

Then the Lord said, "I mean to send one more plague on Egypt, and after that Pharaoh will let you go."

Moses and Aaron said to Pharaoh, "The Lord sends you a warning. At midnight He will go through Egypt and every first-born will die, all your eldest children, and the first-born of your cattle. "

The Lord told Moses that each family of the Israelites was to kill a lamb that evening.

They were to smear the doorposts with its blood, and eat the lamb, roasted, with unleavened bread. And they were to be ready to start on a journey as soon as Pharaoh gave leave.

God said, "Every year you are to keep a feast: roast lamb and unleavened bread, in memory of this night when I brought you out of the land of Egypt, and passed over your houses and killed the Egyptians, leaving you unharmed." Also, in memory of this, every first born of the Israelites was to be dedicated to God.

At midnight, God passed by the Israelites' houses, and they were safe, but He struck down all the first born of the Egyptians. In every Egyptian house that night there was great sorrow.

While it was still night, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said to them, "Go! Go as quick as you can. Out of my kingdom, you and all the people of Israel with you!" And so all the Israelites left Egypt, about 600,000 men with their wives and families.

But when Pharaoh learned that all the Israelites had gone, he changed his mind. "What madness," he said, "to let our slaves go free! Harness my chariot and call up my army. We will follow them and bring them back."

The Israelites were encamped by the Red Sea when Pharaoh and his army caught up with them. "Why did we leave Egypt? they cried. "Now we must die in the desert or drown in the sea."

But God said to Moses, "Lift your staff over the sea and part it for the Israelites to walk through the sea on dry ground. From this sign the Egyptians will learn that I am God." Moses lifted his staff and the waters parted.

The Israelites walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, its waters towering up like walls on each side.

Pharaoh and his army followed them, but when they were in the middle of the sea, Moses lifted his staff again and the sea closed over the Egyptians and Pharaoh, soldiers, horses and all.

Then Moses and the Israelites sang a song to God in gratitude for saving them:

A song for the Lord, so great is He and so glorious!

He has thrown horse and rider into the sea.

The waters have covered them;

they have sunk to the bottom like stones.

The Lord is our salvation.

He will reign forever and ever.

+ + + Wandering in the Desert + + +

The Israelites traveled away from the Red Sea toward the Promised Land, and the Lord led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.

They went through the desert for three days without finding water. At last they came to a place called Marah where there was water, but it tasted bitter. The people complained to Moses. "We should have stayed in Egypt," they said.

Moses prayed and God showed him a tree whose wood made the water taste sweet.

On their march through the desert, the Israelites soon ate all the food they had brought with them. They were hungry and complained bitterly to Moses, saying again, "We should have stayed in Egypt. You have brought us into the desert only to die of hunger." Moses said, "You will see that it was the Lord Who rescued you from Egypt. He means to give you meat to eat this evening, and bread tomorrow." That evening a flight of quails flew right into the camp, enough to provide meat for everybody.

Then next morning the Israelites found fine white stuff lying all about on the ground. It tasted like bread and honey. Moses said, "This is the bread which the Lord has sent you. Let everyone pick up enough for one day only." Some of the people took more and tried to save it, but it spoiled.

Each day, the Israelites found this food, which they called manna, except on the Sabbath day. On the sixth day of every week, they gathered two days' supply and that did not spoil. The Lord fed the Israelites manna for forty years: all the time they were in the desert.

At Rephidim, the Amalekites tried to stop them from passing through their country.

Moses said to a man called Joshua, "Gather together an army to fight the Amalekites. I will take my stand on the hilltop with my staff in my hand to protect you."

During the battle, Moses was on the hilltop with his hands lifted over the Israelites.

Whenever Moses got tired and rested his arms, the Amalekites began to win. So the Israelites found a stone for Moses to sit on and they held up his hands for him, and Joshua and his men won the battle.

After they had thanked God for their victory, they continued on their way to the Promised Land.

When the Israelites reached Sinai, they pitched their tents at the foot of the mountain.

The Lord told Moses that He would come down to Mount Sinai. A dark cloud covered the mountain; lightning shone out and the trumpets of angels were heard. Moses went alone to the top of the mountain and talked with God. God told Moses Ten Commandments or rules by which all the people were to live.

He told Moses that the people should love Him and keep His Commandments; if they did, He would always look after them.

The Ten Commandments that God gave the people through Moses:

I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves.

You must have no gods except Me.

You must not bow down to other gods and serve them.

You must not speak My Name without honor.

You must keep the seventh day holy.

You must honor your father and mother, so that you will have a good life in the land that God gives you.

You must not kill.

You must not commit adultery.

You must not steal.

You must not tell lies about anyone.

You must not desire what does not belong to you.

The Israelites watched in awe from the foot of the mountain while God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses.

Moses came down from the mountain and told the people all God had said. The people cried out, "All that God asks us, we will do."

Moses built an altar and offered sacrifice to the Lord.

Then Moses went up to the mountain again and the Lord gave him tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments had been written by the very finger of God. He also told Moses all the rules for services honoring God, and exactly how to build a tabernacle for Him.

The peak of the mountain was covered with fire while they talked.

Moses stayed on the mountain for forty days and nights.

Meanwhile, the Israelites began to get impatient; they were afraid Moses would never come down from the mountain. They said to Aaron, "We have no leader. Moses may never return." So Aaron said, "Bring me your gold earrings." When this was done, Aaron melted them all down and made a golden calf, like the Egyptians' idols.

An altar was built in front of the golden calf and the Israelites offered sacrifice to their new "god".

The people sat down to eat and drink their fill, and then got up to play.

Moses came down from the mountain with the stone tablets in his hand, the Ten Commandments written on them by the finger of God. When he saw the golden calf and realized what the Israelites had done, he was very angry. He threw the tablets on the ground and smashed them into little bits.

Moses cast the golden calf into the fire and destroyed it. Then he asked his brother, "Aaron, Aaron, what have these people done to you, for you to bring such a great sin on them?"

"Do not be angry with me," said Aaron. "You know these people are always doing wrong. They thought you were never coming back, and they insisted on having a god like the Egyptians' god."

The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord and beg Him to forgive your crime."

So Moses went to the Lord and begged, "These people have sinned a great sin. They have made themselves a god of gold. But now, if You will forgive their sin - if not, I beg You, blot me out of Your book." God answered, "I will blot out of My book those who sinned against Me. But you, Moses, you lead the people you brought out of Egypt from this place, to the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their children and to their children's children.

“I will send an angel in front of you, and I will help you against your enemies. Go to the land where milk and honey flow. Tell the people: I, the Lord, will not go with you Myself, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you along the way."

When the people heard these stern words, they took off any ornaments they were wearing, and never wore them again from that time on.

Now the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

So Moses said to the Lord, "Lord, You Yourself have said to me, 'I know you by name, Moses, and I am pleased with you.' If You are not going with us Yourself, Lord, do not make us leave this place. For how shall we, my people and I, know You are pleased with us, if not because You are always with us? This is what makes us special, and different from all other people on earth."

God answered Moses, "I will do as you have asked, because I am pleased with you, and I know you by name."

At the Lord's command, Moses carved two new tablets of stone and took them up to the mountain top. While he was on the mountain, God said to him, "I will give you My Promise. I will work great signs before your people; through you all the people around will see what God can do."

Moses stayed there for another forty days and nights and God again wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two stone tablets in his hands, his face shone with such radiance that no one would come near him. But Moses called to them, and when they came closer, he told them all that God had instructed him to say. Then he put a veil over his face.

After that, Moses would take the veil off when he talked to the Lord. As he told the Israelites what God had instructed him, they would see his face shining with radiance. Then he would put the veil back on until he talked to the Lord again.

+ + + THE TABERNACLE + + +

The Israelites now built the tabernacle, according to the directions the Lord had given Moses.

To carry the stone tablets of the law in, they made an ark of acacia wood covered, inside and out, with pure gold. Then also put an urn with manna in it inside the ark, to keep them mindful of how God fed them during their wanderings. Over the ark was a throne of mercy, where God promised to come to meet Moses and Aaron. This golden throne had a golden cherub on either side.

Later, Aaron begged God to stop a plague He had sent to turn the people from their sins.

God showed His favor to Aaron by letting Aaron's staff sprout; overnight, buds opened, flowers blossomed, and there were even ripe almonds on it. After that, Aaron's staff was kept before the Ark of the Covenant.

The inner sanctuary was called the Most Holy Place, and was covered with a veil.

The directions given by the Lord also included a golden lampstand with seven branches, and the lamps were shaped like almond blossoms.

When the tabernacle was finished, God covered it with a cloud and it was filled with the brightness of the Lord's presence. Whenever the cloud was lifted from the tabernacle, the Israelites would march. When the cloud rested on the tabernacle, they would halt.

+ + + The Promised Land + + +

Moses and the Israelites finally neared the land the Lord had promised Israel, the land of Canaan. The Lord told Moses to send out men to survey it. Moses chose twelve men, one from each tribe, and sent them to look over Canaan. He told them to see how many people were living there, whether they were strong or weak and if the land was prosperous. He also told them to bring back some fruit, so they could see what kind of crops grew there.

The men were gone for forty days. When they returned, they brought with them fruit from the Promised Land, ripe pomegranates and delicious figs, and a cluster of grapes so big it took two men with a pole to carry it. "We found it a rich land indeed," they said, "as these grapes will prove. But there are many people there already and they live in strong, walled cities. Some of the men were as big as giants; we looked like grasshoppers beside them."

When they heard this news, the people began crying and complaining. "We should have stayed in Egypt," they said. "We will all be killed or taken captive by these people."

Caleb and Joshua said, "The Lord will find a way for us, and the rich land will all be ours." But the people still complained.

The Lord was very angry and said to Moses, "Will My people never learn to trust Me?"

"Forgive them, Lord," said Moses, "as You have always forgiven them."

"Since you ask it I forgive them," said the Lord. "But none of all these people whom I have rescued out of Egypt and saved again and again, and who yet disobey Me, will enter the Promised Land. Only Caleb and Joshua will, because they trust Me. For forty years you must wander in the desert, a year of penance for each day you surveyed the Promised Land."

+ + +

Once in their wanderings, when the Israelites were again close to the Promised Land, Moses begged God to allow him to enter this land. "But," Moses told the Israelites, "because of you, God would not agree to this."

Instead, God said to Moses, "Climb to the top of the mountain, and look well at this land, for you yourself will not cross the Jordan River. It is Joshua who will lead the Israelites into the Promised Land." So knowing that death was near, Moses again reminded the people of all the great and wonderful signs God had worked for them in bringing them out of Egypt.

"Hear, Oh Israel," Moses said to them, "our God is One God. You must love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Let these words be written on your heart. Repeat them to your children. Say them over to them at home, and away from home, as you lie down to sleep, and as you rise from sleep. Do not forget God Who brought you out of Egypt, out of slavery. Serve God and live by His Name.

"God has chosen you, and given you His Promise: He will be your God; and you will be His people - but only if you follow His ways, keep His commandments, and listen to His Voice. If you do this, you will be a people dedicated to God."

Moses died there on the mountain and the Israelites mourned him for thirty days.

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