The Book of Exodus - Deliverance

Exodus is the story of the deliverance of God's people from Egypt. For hundreds of years the Israelites had prospered in Goshen where they had settled since the time of Joseph. They had prospered in Goshen and become very fruitful and had increased in population. However the scripture says a new King arose over Egypt, who did not know [the legacy of] Joseph. He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. "Come, let us deal wisely with them, or else they will multiply and in the event of war, they will also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land" (Ex. 1:8-10). The Pharaoh decided on a plan of action that would reduce the number of Israelites in Egypt. He called for the extermination of all Hebrew born males. He also essentially made the Israelites slaves. "So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses (Exodus 1:10-11). "The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them" (Ex 1:13-14). 


This set the stage for Moses, who was raised in Egypt, to accept God's commission to deliver the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Moses went back into Egypt with Aaron his brother and set about to do God's will. Moses performed the greatest miracles ever performed until Christ including the death of every firstborn Son in Egypt on the day of Passover. As he left Egypt he was pursued by Pharaoh and his armies. Moses parted the Reed Sea (some translations Red Sea), the Israelites crossed but Pharaoh's army was drown as the waters came back. 


Moses set up camp with the Israelites in the desert wilderness. While there he received the Law of God on Mt. Sinai including the 10 commandments. The Law was instituted in the Israeli camp and Feast days were ordained. The details of Israel's stay in the wilderness are continued in the Book of Numbers.