This 18 part series explores the main moments in the Bible. This is a long story that takes place over thousands of years. It’s the story of all the ways that God has been trying to rescue and bless and love God’s people since the beginning of time. It’s the story that has been passed down and shared with billions of people. It’s a story that was written for everyone to hear, and at the same time it’s a story written specifically just for you. This chapter of the story is called Led to Freedom.
God kept the promise to Abraham and Sarah. They had a son named Isaac who had two sons named Jacob and Esau and Jacob had 12 sons which would become the 12 tribes of the great nation of Israel; God’s chosen people. But before they could become a great nation, the Israelites experienced over 400 hard years of oppression as slaves in Egypt. They worked every day in the hot desert sun, crying out to God for a change.
And God heard their cries and God chose a man named Moses to lead the chosen people out of their slavery. Moses had grown up in the Pharaoh’s house, but he was a Hebrew. Moses had seen the suffering and pain of his people and fled Pharaoh’s palace to live and work as a shepherd in the wilderness.
But God spoke to Moses and called him to shepherd the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the promised land. Moses and his cousin Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Let my people go.” But Pharaoh said no. And so God sent great catastrophes upon the land called plagues: rivers of blood, clouds of locusts, colonies of lice, armies of frogs, fiery hail, and more. But still Pharaoh said no.
And so God sent the angel of death to the land, to kill the first born son in every family. But God also instructed the Israelites on how to spare their families. All the Israelites placed lambs’ blood on the top of their doorposts. And that night, the Angel of Death passed through Egypt, but it passed over every house marked with lamb’s blood.
And so finally, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to go free, although he quickly changed his mind. Moses led God’s Chosen people out of Egypt and he parted the waters of the Red Sea so that they could cross through the waters to freedom on the other side. And Moses closed up the sea so that Pharaoh’s army could not pursue them any further and God’s people sang and danced with joy for now they were free. And Moses’ sister Miriam led the dancing.
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