“the Lord said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.’”-Genesis 15:13
At the close of the book of Genesis, Abraham’s grandson Jacob (also named Israel) and his twelve sons moved to Egypt. These Israelites lived under the favor of Pharaoh, but four centuries later their descendants numbered two million and things had changed. The new Pharaoh proclaimed, “the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them,”-Exodus 1:9-10. By shrewdly, he meant persecuting the Israelites and commanding their baby boys be thrown into the Nile River (Exodus 1:11-22). One Israelite boy was pulled from the Nile and raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:1-10). His name was Moses.
Moses And Deliverance: The LORD appeared to Moses in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-17) and gave him a message for Pharaoh; “Let my people go,”-Exodus 5:1. Egypt’s ruler refused and hardened his heart against God. The LORD sent ten plagues on the people of Egypt climaxing in the death of every firstborn in the land. The Israelites were protected from harm and God passed over every house with the blood of a lamb on the doorway (Exodus 12:1-51).
This final plague led the people of Egypt to beg the Israelites to leave their country. As the children of Israel made their exodus from Egypt, Pharaoh had a change of heart and sent his army in pursuit of them. Trapped by the Red Sea on one side and Pharaoh’s forces on the other, Israel lost faith. But Moses said, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD,”-Exodus 14:13. God parted the Red Sea and Israel walked through on dry ground. The army of Egypt followed but God released the waters and destroyed them all (Exodus 14:21-31).
The Ten Commandments: When Israel reached Mount Sinai, the LORD entered into a covenant with his chosen people. Israel would worship only the LORD and God would bless them as long as they obeyed his precepts (Exodus 6:7; 19:5-6). The LORD spoke directly to Israel and gave them the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). God also gave his people instructions for worship, hygiene, diet, and judicial precedent. This became known as the Law of Moses. From Sinai, God led Israel toward Canaan, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”-Exodus 13:5. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell the story of Israel’s journey and detail what God expected from his covenant people.
The Wilderness Wandering: Just before entering the land God promised to give them, Israel lost faith (Numbers 13:26-33). They feared the giants living in Canaan. Because of this lack of trust, the LORD forced the Israelites to meander in the desert for 40-years (Numbers 14:26-35). God provided for his people by sending them bread (manna) and quail from heaven (Exodus 16:13-15; 32-35). During the wandering, Moses sinned by disobeying and equating himself with God (Numbers 20:8-13). As a result of his transgression, Moses was not being allowed to enter the promised land. He was allowed a glimpse of Canaan (Deuteronomy 34:1-5), but it would left to another to lead Israel home.
Joshua And The Conquest Of Canaan: After the death of Moses, God chose Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land (Joshua 1:1-2). The LORD fought Israel’s battles in conquering Canaan. God dried up the waters of the Jordan River (Joshua 3:14-17), knocked down the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6:8-21), and even made the sun stand still (Joshua 10:1)! The book bearing Joshua’s name, teaches us the power of a people who believe in God when he says, “Be strong and courageous,”-Joshua 1:6.
Moses led Israel out of Egypt. Joshua brought them into the promised land. By the close of the sixth book of the Bible, God had made Abraham’s descendants into a great nation and given them the land of Canaan. The promise to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham remained (Genesis 18:18). The LORD would use the nation of Israel to fulfill his oath.
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