The 10 Commandments

How’d the Israelites get to Egypt?

Remember back in Genesis what is going on?

Joseph was sent to Egypt because his brothers sold him to slave traders.

After being relatively successful in Egypt, he is approached by potiphar’s wife who tries to seduce him into being with her, but since he did not submit, he was imprisoned.

He interprets the dreams of the previous cheif cupbearer and his baker accurately revealing what would happen to the men (one being executed {cupbearer} and the other being freed {baker})

Gen 40

This would make its way to the troubled Pharaoh who had been dealing with dreams of death and famine but would be lifted to power by Pharaoh because of the interpretation he has (7 years prosperous crops, 7 years famine). Joseph would be raised to the second highest position in Egypt because of the plan that he came up with to help relieve some of the pressure of the famine that was coming

Store a portion of crops during the good years so they have food during the famine!

This leads to Joseph’s brothers coming to get relief from Egypt during the famine. The very same brothers who put him up for sale!

Initially Jospeh shows no mercy. He imprisoned the brothers for three days, and then 9 of the brothers were sent back and Simeon stayed in jail. They were sent back with their money and with provision.

They were instructed to come back with Benjamin, and Israel (Jacob) refused to send him because Joseph was killed before. But they did come back with the money. Joseph prepared a meal for the brothers.

This is where we see Jospeh test his brothers by putting a silver cup in Benjamin’s bag as he was sending the brothers back to the land of Canaan. The test was to see if the brothers would sell out their youngest brother or if they would stand up for him. They had changed, they volunteered to stay in Egypt as Joseph’s servants so that Benjamin could go home and Jacob would not die. Joseph then reveals who he is.

This leads into Israel prospering and growing in Egypt. They were honored because the Pharaohs knew who Joseph was and honored his people.

Moses called

First, Moses was a Hebrew boy raised in the home of the pharaoh’s daughter.

Named Moses because she “drew him out of the water”

Moses grew up, and in his adulthood murdered an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew worker. Moses would then confront two Hebrew men who were fighting:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

11 One day, zwhen Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their aburdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.3

12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he bstruck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

13 When che went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”

14 He answered, d“Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.”

15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But eMoses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by fa well.

This would send Moses to Midian, where he would meet his wife Zipporah and have children after Moses had come to protect Jethro’s seven daughters (Zipporah was one of those).

During Moses’s exile to Midian, God’s will would begin to unfold

English Standard Version Chapter 2

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

Moses was called by God to free the Israelites. To be the messenger of God and to be the first messiah (savior) of God’s people.

Moses would plead before Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and continued to harden. This would lead to the 10 Plagues.

from: https://internationalambassadorsforchrist.wordpress.com/the-word-of-god/the-ten-plagues-of-egypt/

1.The Plague of Blood Exodus 7:14-24 turning the Nile to blood, was a judgment against Apis, the god of the Nile, Isis, goddess of the Nile, and Khnum, guardian of the Nile. The Nile was also believed to be the bloodstream of Osiris, who was reborn each year when the river flooded. The river, which formed the basis of daily life and the national economy, was devastated, as millions of fish died in the river and the water was unusable. Pharaoh was told, “By this you will know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 7:17). 2.The Plague of Frogs – Exodus 8:1-15 from the Nile, was a judgment against Heqet, the frog-headed goddess of birth. Frogs were thought to be sacred and not to be killed. God had the frogs invade every part of the homes of the Egyptians, and when the frogs died, their stinking bodies were heaped up in offensive piles all through the land (Exodus 8:13–14). 3.The Plague of Gnats – Exodus 8:16-19 were a judgment on Set, the god of the desert. Unlike the previous plagues, the magicians were unable to duplicate this one and declared to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). 4.The Plague of Flies – Exodus 8:20-32 was a judgment on Uatchit, the fly god. In this plague, God clearly distinguished between the Israelites and the Egyptians, as no swarms of flies bothered the areas where the Israelites lived (Exodus 8:21–24). 5.The Plague on Livestock – Exodus 9:1-7 was a judgment on the goddess Hathor and the god Apis, who were both depicted as cattle. As with the previous plague, God protected His people from the plague, while the cattle of the Egyptians died. God was steadily destroying the economy of Egypt, while showing His ability to protect and provide for those who obeyed Him. Pharaoh even sent investigators (Exodus 9:7) to find out if the Israelites were suffering along with the Egyptians, but the result was a hardening of his heart against the Israelites. 6.The Plague of Boils – Exodus 9:8-12 was a judgment against several gods over health and disease (Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis). This time, the Bible says that the magicians “could not stand before Moses because of the boils.” Clearly, these religious leaders were powerless against the God of Israel. Before God sent the last three plagues, Pharaoh was given a special message from God. These plagues would be more severe than the others, and they were designed to convince Pharaoh and all the people “that there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). Pharaoh was even told that he was placed in his position by God, so that God could show His power and declare His name through all the earth (Exodus 9:16). As an example of His grace, God warned Pharaoh to gather whatever cattle and crops remained from the previous plagues and shelter them from the coming storm. Some of Pharaoh’s servants heeded the warning (Exodus 9:20), while others did not.

7.The Plague of Hail – Exodus 9:13-35 attacked Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, the crop fertility god; and Set, the storm god. This hail was unlike any that had been seen before. It was accompanied by a fire which ran along the ground, and everything left out in the open was devastated by the hail and fire. Again, the children of Israel were miraculously protected, and no hail damaged anything in their lands. Before God brought the next plague, He told Moses that the Israelites would be able to tell their children of the things they had seen God do in Egypt and how it showed them God’s power.

8.The Plague of Locusts – Exodus 10:1-20 again focused on Nut, Osiris, and Set. The later crops, wheat and rye, which had survived the hail, were now devoured by the swarms of locusts. There would be no harvest in Egypt that year. 9.The Plague of Darkness – Exodus 10:21-29 was aimed at the sun god, Re, who was symbolized by Pharaoh himself. For three days, the land of Egypt was smothered with an unearthly darkness, but the homes of the Israelites had light. 10.The Plague on the Firstborn – Exodus 11; 12:1-30 was a judgment on Isis, the protector of children. In this plague, God was teaching the Israelites a deep spiritual lesson that pointed to Christ. Unlike the other plagues, which the Israelites survived by virtue of their identity as God’s people, this plague required an act of faith by them. God commanded each family to take an unblemished male lamb and kill it. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared on the top and sides of their doorways, and the lamb was to be roasted and eaten that night. Any family that did not follow God’s instructions would suffer in the last plague. God described how He would send the destroyer through the land of Egypt, with orders to slay the firstborn male in every household, whether human or animal. The only protection was the blood of the lamb on the door. When the destroyer saw the blood, he would pass over that house and leave it untouched (Exodus 12:23). This is where the term Passover comes from. Passover is a memorial of that night in ancient Egypt when God delivered His people from bondage. 1 Corinthians 5:7 teaches that Jesus became our Passover when He died to deliver us from the bondage of sin. While the Israelites found God’s protection in their homes, every other home in the land of Egypt experienced God’s wrath as their loved ones died. This grievous event caused Pharaoh to finally release the Israelites.

The Passover

Exodus 12

The Passover would be the symbol that God remembered His people. They (the Israelites) symbolized this taking an unblemished lamb, killing the lamb, and putting the blood of the lamb over the door posts of their homes and then feasting on the lamb. This would also be the symbol of the new year.

The Passover would be passed down via word of mouth and tradition, and when asked about the tradition, they would remember that God brought them out of Egypt Ex. 12:25-27

Exodus 12:25–27 ESV

And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.