1796 B.C. Joseph was hated by his brothers not only because he was shown more affection from their father but also because of his divinely inspired dreams which suggested that the whole family sometime in the future would bow down to him. Joseph brothers were very jealous of Him, and nine of the brothers sold Joseph to travelling merchants, who resold him as a slave in Egypt. God's purpose for his life had begun. GENESIS 37. His brothers told their father, Jacob, that they had found Joseph's coat covered in blood. Jacob had believed he had been killed by wild animals. They did not know the great plans God has for Joseph ahead of him in Egypt.

After Joseph proved himself honest and trustworthy to his owner, he was imprisoned by a false accusation, but the Lord was with Joseph in Egypt. The Pharaoh had a dream and sent for Joseph to interpret it. God showed Joseph that the dream meant seven years of plenty in the land and seven years of drought and suggested that the food be stored ready for the famine that was to come. The Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of this and made him ruler of Egypt, only Pharaoh alone outranked him. GENESIS 41

Joseph had stored enough grain to last during the seven years of famine. Many people came and bought grain including Joseph's brothers who had travelled to Egypt to buy the food. At first Joseph did not tell his brothers who he was, but during their second visit for grain he did, and all his family together with Joseph's father, Jacob/Israel joined him and lived in Egypt. God used Joseph to save and keep the nation of Israel through-out the severe time of hunger for Israel was the nation to which was given His Promise. Jacob's descendants lived in Egypt for 430 years. GENESIS 42-50.

1570 B.C. Many years after Joseph died, the Israelites grew large in number; 600,000 men (not including women and children). The new Pharaoh felt he had no obligation to them as over 400 years had passed. Fearing the number of males Pharaoh was concerned that they might overtake the Egyptians, so he decided to make them slaves because they were becoming too powerful. The Pharaoh ordered that all male babies be thrown into the River Nile. During this era of bondage and cruelty, an Israelite woman from the tribe of Levi, Jochebed, ( COLOUR IN CAMEO) managed to hide her son by putting him in a basket amongst the reeds of the river. One of Pharaoh's daughters found him and called him Moses. He was brought up in the palace but he always knew he was an Israelite. EXODUS 1-2.

1531 B.C. The Israelite people worked as slave labour on public projects and were treated very harshly while Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptian culture and taught by their finest teachers. One day Moses went to visit the Israelites, and after seeing a fellow Hebrew being mistreated by an Egyptian Task Master, Moses killed him and through fear fled Egypt and went to the plains of Midian. EXODUS 2.

1492 B.C. Moses married a shepherd's daughter in Midian and spent the next forty years as a shepherd. One day Moses saw a burning bush that was aflame on Mount Sinai and he went closer to see why it had not been burnt. God spoke to Moses there. Moses was terrified to go to the Pharaoh of Egypt and ask him to let God's people go, so God allowed his brother Aaron to help him. God promised him, "The Lord will fight for you, you won't have to lift a finger".God had not forgotten His Plan. EXODUS 2-4.

Pharaoh refused Moses and Aaron's petition, so God sent 10 plagues against the Egyptian's many false gods that the nation worshipped. The water of the River Nile became red, as blood, God sent a plague of frogs, a plague of gnats, a plague of flies, caused the death of live stock out in the pasture. He sent a plague of boils on men and animals, a plague of hail and lightening on men and fields, a plague of locusts, a plague of darkness for three days. Not only were the Egyptians punished for enslaving the Israelites as told to Abraham but God proved His Sovereignty over all the Egyptian idols that were worshipped as Gods. The final plague of death to all the first-born Egyptian males mellowed the Pharaoh's stubbornness towards the Israelites.

This night began the Celebration of The Passover, a continuing sign of deliverance. Each Israelite's house door frame had to be sprinkled with blood of a lamb so they would live and be saved from death. The Lamb slain an impressive reminder that over 2,000 years later Jesus, Son of The Living God, died for us at The Passover Celebration to deliver and save both Israelites and Gentiles, protected and covered by His Own Blood. EXODUS 7-12.

Pharaoh relented and let the Israelites go, but after realising that Egypt's system depended upon manual labour, he wanted them back. Six hundred chariots and with a division of the Pharaoh's Royal Guard pursued the Israelites. As the Egyptians got closer God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the Red Sea and all during the night the east wind blew and the waters piled up both sides and the Israelites went through on dry ground. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Israeli side.

The Egyptians followed into the sea and at the Divine Command Moses stretched his hand across the sea and the parted water flowed inwards, drowning the Egyptian army. This spectacular rescue and deliverance, and awesome miracle, was displayed for the people of Israel, and this gave them reverence for God and they put their trust in Him and His servant, Moses. God marked out the path for the Israelites to take, a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God led them this way for the next forty years. EXODUS 14.

God had parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape from the Egyptian army. The army followed them but were drowned as God closed the path He had made foe the Israelites. Moses, Miriam's brother led the people in a song of adoration to God. Miriam (COLOUR IN CAMEO) led the dancing and worship, playing her timbrel (tambourine) praising God for the victory. Miriam was the Nation's Lead Singer as they set out for the Promised Land. Her gift of singing helped lift others to remember all God had done for the children of Israel.

1491 B.C. God provided water and manna for food for His people in the wilderness. Moses kept leading them until they came to Mt. Sinai, where God gave them The Ten Commandments, the instruction for making The Tabernacle for the Dwelling of The Lord and The Religious and Civil Laws which revealed values and morals. The Law was not a way of Salvation. Salvation doesn't come by obedience, but by belief and trust, it is a gift from God which cannot be earned. The building plan of the meeting tent symbolised many things to the Israelites. 1) The pattern of things in Heaven. 2) The shadow of good things to come and the gift of salvation through Christ, God's grace. 3) The work of Christ's Life, set in order, His death, resurrection, ascension, the gift of The Holy Spirit and His renewing work. The Ark symbolised The Throne of God with cherubim at each end facing each other, made of pure gold.

There were many miracles that showed God's complete provision for His people; these were continuous so as to support a large nation in the wilderness of such a long period of time. Health was preserved throughout the journey and God nurtured the Israelites from Egyptian idolatry to faith in Himself. The One True God. EXODUS 15-40

As the Israelites came closer to Canaan, The Promised Land,one member of each tribe was chosen to go and spy on the area except the tribe of Levi, the Priesthood tribe, who would not be owning land, so Joseph's two eldest sons became two tribes as their grandfather had said. The spies brought back much fruit, and a cluster of grapes so large that two men had to carry it on a pole. Out of the twelve members, only two responded positively, believing that God would give them this land but the others had negative reports and this made all the people too afraid to go on into the land that God had promised to them. Because of their constant rebellion against Him, God did not allow that generation of Israelites to enter The Promised Land, except Caleb (COLOUR IN CAMEO) of Judah and Joshua of Ephraim, who were the two spies who believed God would give them the land; the people had to stay in the wilderness under the guidance of God until the next generation of Israelites. NUMBERS 13-14.

Tribal Leaders were continually rebelling and complaining to Moses against Aaron's authority as high priest and his family being priests unto God. To demonstrate that Aaron's family was chosen by God himself for priesthood God instructed that each tribal leader bring his staff with his tribal name inscribed upon it including Aaron's own personal staff to the Tabernacle to be placed in front of 'the ark of testimony' which represented the presence of God. In the morning Aaron's staff had sprouted, budded, blossomed, producing flowers and bearing the fruit of almonds! An awesome reminder to the people that Aaron was God's chosen authority. NUMBERS 17.

Balaam (COLOUR IN CAMEO) was hired to curse the Israelites. To convince Balaam that he must only speak what The True God Almighty says, an angel was sent to confront him. The angelic being stood with a drawn sword, blocking the pathway and Balaam's donkey refused to continue on. His life at that point was saved by the donkey who avoided the armed angel. The donkey saw the angel, but Balaam's spiritual eyes were closed to the true spiritual things of the Living God of creation, and could not see the angel who had blocked the pathway. God will not be mocked and Balaam was made to look the fool because he was supposed to be an animal diviner. Balaam had not yet come to realise that God of Israel was not a demon-god of a heather nation, and very much unlike what her was used to dealing with. Balaam's real motives and intentions were known to The Lord God Almighty and God forbade him to curse Israel.

The future of all God's people continually depend upon God's love, with emphasis on His mercy, as far as a necessary balance on behalf of God's refining process. When God's people are rebellious and disobedient, God will judge those who refuse to repent. To receive God's forgiveness and kindness, the transgressor must seek God, when this is done, God's mercy will be found and proof of His committed love.

Moses glimpsed a sight of The Promised Land, Canaan, before he died, he also laid hands on Joshua of Ephraim to be leader of Israel. Joshua was filled with the Spirit of wisdom. Moses spoke a Prophecy of Christ-"The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him"
Deuteronomy 18:15.

Moses was told by God he was to die and Joshua was to take his place and then another for the next generation and so on. This is a collective reference to the prophets that would follow, it was also the Messianic expectation in the fulfillment of Jesus Christ. No-one until Jesus was superior to Moses. Jesus is The Redeemer, Rescuer, Saviour from bondage for all people in the world as Moses was for the Nation of Israel.

Moses' work was to illustrate those things that would happen later because of Christ, God's faithful Son, for as Moses led the people out of bondage of slavery to the Egypt, representing the world. Jesus offers us freedom from the captivity of being born in slavery of the world which is separated from God. DEUTERONOMY 34.