LESSON 11: Release of Israelites from Egyptian Bondage

We had previously learned that God chose a person to bring back the Israelites to Canaan from the Bondage in Egypt. (Lesson 8) Who did God choose to bring the Israelites back to Canaan? God chose Moses. Moses, who as a baby, was found floating in the water in a reed basket and was brought up in the king’s palace. Moses, the son of Amram and Jochebed from the tribe of Levi, reached Midian and accepted the job of taking care of sheep. In the meantime, he married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro the priest of Midian and settled there. When he became a young man, he had to flee to Midian under circumstances.

Moses Becomes Leader

When Moses was grazing the sheep of Jethro, God appeared to him as a flame coming from a bush in Mount Horeb and ordered him to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and lead them to Canaan.
When he heard God’s command Moses made excuses and said to God, “I am nobody, a stammerer, a poor speaker, slow and hesitant.” But God sent his brother Aaron to help Moses. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that the Lord, the God, had commanded him to let Israelites go. But Pharaoh did not listen to Moses and Aaron. He hardened his heart and showed no mercy towards the Israelites.

Then God sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians one after the other which are:

1. He turned the water of their only river Nile into blood.
2. Frogs covered the land of Egypt.
3. The land was filled with lice.
4. The whole of Egypt was covered with flies.
5. A terrible disease fell on all the animals, and they died.
6. Boils covered the bodies of all the Egyptians.
7. Hail fell on the places where the Egyptians lived.
8. Locusts destroyed all the crops.
9. There was total darkness for three days.
10. The angel of death killed all the first-born sons of the Egyptians.

When each of these plagues came, the pharaoh announced that he would let Israelites go free. But, after the plague got over, he hardened his heart and withdrew from his promise. Finally, when the first-born sons of all Egyptians died, including his own son, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to go free. All the Israelites followed Moses to Canaan with their livestock and all their possessions with them. Thus 430 years of foreign stay in Egypt came to an end.