Old Stories & Forgotten Lessons: The Bible Storybook for Adults (Volume Ii)

By Dr. R.W. Stallings

The message the world hears from the church in America is confusing. Many of us have drifted so far from biblical teaching that those seeking our help cannot find it in the church. The picture of God we present is so removed from biblical truth that even our own children are without froundation and are leaving in great numbers. I do not accept the premise that the non–churched world has rejected God; many have never heard the compelling unfiltered Gospel truth preached with love. When we discard the biblical text and do not teach it to our people we give away the power to help those really needing the church. The church must make her own peace with God before the world can hear the voice of God from the church. Old Stories & Forgotten Lessons, Volume two is a Bible storybook written for adults. Volume two contains the stories of Moses, Joshua, the Judges and the Book of Ruth. The stories are set in time and place with secular history and each is self–contained with lessons gleaned from the stories to help us live our lives in a world which often denies that God exist. These stories should give us courage to face a society which often has angry words for those of us who believe in God. Our children are facing a hostle world which is not their friend; they will often feel isolate because of their belief. They need to know how the heros of our faith lived and led successful lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Aug 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781489735225

Dr. R.W. Stallings

Dr. R. W. Stallings is a biblical historian with sixty years of teaching the stories of the Bible. His love for the Bible stories began at an early age in vacation Bible school and became his lifelong study. He received his Master of Divinity (MDiv) from Hamma School of Theology at Wittenberg University in 1978 and in 1982 received his Doctor of Ministry (DMIN) from United Theological Seminary. During his ministry he served as pastor, evangelist, college administrator, seminary lecturer, church development facilitator and was the regular speaker for a daily program on Christian radio in Dallas Texas. The Reverend Dr. Stallings is also the author of Old Stories & Forgotten Lessons, Volume one.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.

Scripture verses noted KJV taken from King James Version, which is in public domain.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-3521-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3520-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3522-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021907578

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 08/17/2021

Contents Kingdom Builders

Prologue: Tell the stories–– Lest we forget. From: Psalm 106

There is an All–Powerful Eternally Existing

Sovereign Holy God of Truth

to whom we must all give an accounting. Selah!

Introduction: Lest We Forget– They teach: When we repent

and call on God –– He will answer and forgive.

We Must Diligently Teach Them– Lest the church forgets!

Chapter 1 The Birth of Moses:

Exodus 1–2; Deuteronomy 6:1–12.

Lesson 1: Children of the Covenant tend to forget God in times of prosperity. (This must include us) Material Prosperity makes it more difficult to rely on God. Lesson 2: Covenantal commitment will diminish over time without periodic renewal. It doesn’t matter if it is your covenant with God, your covenant with your church, or your marriage covenant with your spouse.

Chapter 2 Moses: The Burning Bush: Exodus 3–4.

Lesson 1: When we call on God for help, He always hears and responds. To rescue us, He often waits until we tell Him we need Him. Lesson 2: God’s holiness requires total obedience. even when we do not agree or in arrogance fail to follow. Lesson 3: God is extremely patient with us and continues to work with us even when we resist Him. I do not mean He is a tolerant God; patience and tolerance are not the same; grace is the difference.

Chapter 3 Moses Returns to Egypt to Face the Pharaoh: Exodus 4:27–29

Lesson: The hardening of the heart (against God) usually begins with disobedience in a seemingly unimportant event. We brace ourselves against the big sins; thus, Satan first attacks in the small issues, only later will we discover his final purpose.

Chapter 4 The Plagues: Calluses on the Heart: Exodus 7:14–12:36.

Exodus: Chapter 7: #1– Nile turns to blood. Chapter 8: #2– Frogs, #3– Lice/Gnats, #4– Flies. Chapter 9: #5– Death of cattle, #6– Boils/Sores, #7– Hail/Fire. Chapter 10: #8– Locusts, #9– Darkness. Chapter 11: The preparations begins for the Final Plague. Chapter 12: #10– Death of 1st born, Passover (actual plague of death is recorded 12:21-30).

Lesson 1: Our God is not a tolerant God, but a God of mercy. Mercy and tolerance are not the same. Lesson 2: To take repeated liberties because of God’s mercy is to eventually lose our soul while believing we are OK. Please do not skip this lesson and go to the next story.

Chapter 5 Moses: Night of Death––Birth of the Nation: Exodus 11–13.

"From this day forward this day is to be considered

the first day of your becoming a nation.

This month shall be the first month

of the first year of your new existence."

(This time corresponds somewhat with our early April)

Lesson 1: The Shedding of Blood is the price for sin. Without the blood, there is no remission of sins; just believing God is good is not enough. Lesson 2: When we spurn (snub, total rejection with contempt) God’s grace through hardness of heart destruction is certain. Lesson 3: Protection from the death angel was only provided while they were in the house with the blood on the door. Being a child of the covenant was not enough.

Chapter 6 A Mighty Rescue: Exodus 13–15.

Lesson 1: We really do walk by faith–– not by sight. That is so simple, yet, so profound, and so easy to forget. I am 84, and I sometimes tell God––I need to see! Lesson 2: God’s desire: First and foremost, is to be honored; to be worshiped as God.

For better understanding, we look at Malachi 1: 6–14

Chapter 7 Conflict in the Camp: Exodus 16–17.

Lesson: When we grumbling; murmuring inside the fellowship against God’s leadership is murmuring against God. This includes lay leadership in the church as well as clergy; because it always destroys the joy in the fellowship and our witness in the greater outside community.

Chapter 8 Moses Receives the Law: Exodus 18–20.

Lesson 1: The Laws of God are designed to aid governmental effort in maintaining a civil life for her citizen. That is the founding premise of the United States. Lesson 2. The Laws of God are not to restrict our living, but to protect and enhance our lives. Why do so many of us rebel over laws designed for our good? Lesson 3: Churches untethered from Levitical Law will inevitably drift into apostasy. Any people who have cast off the authority of an external law soon discover they are not the king of the mountain, but rather a pawn.

Chapter 9 Our Golden Bulls/Calves: Exodus 32:1–6, also Deuteronomy 9; reveals our lack of faith in God.

Lesson 1: Pride in our personal righteousness is the first sign that our faith in God is weak. In America there is a Pride of Righteousness which plagues the evangelical churches and preempts all spiritual growth. Lesson 2: Once God’s glory is seen, nothing less than His presence can satisfy the human heart. (Reread verses 13–23 of chapter 33)

Chapter 10 Kadesh–barnea Next Stop: On to final destination!

Background reading: Numbers 10–12.

Lesson 1: The most spiritual harm to our children usually comes from inside the church; not outside influence. We lose our children while they are still attending the church; not after they leave. Lesson 2: Distrust of God is the root cause of our doubts and anxieties. The first sin in our Bible was caused by Satan getting Eve to distrust God’s nature; that is still his primal attack.

Chapter 11 Giants Are There and We Are afraid: Numbers 13:17–14:45. There are several references to giants in our Bible with many different names.

Lesson 1: There is a danger of becoming so enamored with the dream that we lose interest in its fulfillment. In our dreams we see no giants in the path! Lesson 2: When we come face to face with God and reject Him–– something changes inside the human soul; a hate–filled rage takes control. This is not a new truth from me, but one Jesus implied in the parable of the house swept and cleaned, Luke 11:24–26.

Chapter 12 The Rebellion of Korah: Numbers 16. A spirit of rebellion against God will destroy any person and every fellowship group.

Lesson 1: The human family has a hard time remembering there is an eternally existing sovereign holy God to whom we must give an accounting. Just a casual reading of our Bible reveals warning after warning given by God to try to help us lest we forget. Lesson 2: All those who defy God, will pay the ultimate price; no one is exempt. Look at Revelation 20:11–15.

Chapter 13 Moses is Dead: Joshua 1:1–9. The Children of Israel still have not reached the land promised to Abraham over 600 years earlier. Now, someone else must lead.

Lesson 1: Willful disobedience of a known law of God has long–term consequences; especially for the elect. What is the purpose of God’s law, now that we are under GRACE? Lesson 2: The purpose of God has never changed; generation to generation it is the same. He wants to bless others through my life; my occasional sin will be an obstacle they must overcome. Lesson 3: God will never give up on us, even in our failure He stays with us. That does not mean He condones my sin or tolerate my disobedience; He is still holy, but His holy love still reaches out to us in grace.

Chapter 14 Joshua: Finally We Cross Jordan: Joshua 2–3. Moses is dead, but there is still a river to cross and a land to possess.

Lesson 1: Faith (Trust in God) is demonstrated by an active persistent use of our resources. If you watch how a person uses their time and money; you will know what is important to them. Lesson 2: True faith in God takes the teaching of the next generation seriously, and makes plans for a successful church tomorrow. Children are not just the life of the church today; they are the church tomorrow. Tomorrow often comes before today is prepared.

Chapter 15 Joshua: Covenant Renewed in Canaan: Joshua 4:19–5:1. .

Lesson 1: Miracles from God are Bestowed as a witness to God’s greatness". Does that mean we should not pray for healing? Not at all! It does mean we should honor Him with praise. Lesson 2: The binding obligations and benefits of covenant are only for those who confirm the covenant. Circumcision, representing the covenant, is a good analogy of what must happen to every generation. There is a new covenant every generation must accept and confirm (Jeremiah 31:31–33).

Addendum:

Chapter 16 Trouble in Canaan: Joshua 6:17–7:6. No life apart from God is easy, even before eternity. In eternity where there is no God, Hell is on parade.

Lesson 1: While sin may take many forms, it is only one temptation: The temptation is to obey God, or disobey God. We want to make a list of thing to do and things not to do. We do not have that privilege, that is too subjective. Lesson 2: When defeat comes to the local church, we do not need to look beyond ourselves for the cause of the failure. Jesus said, ‘I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it’ (Matthew 16:18b). Lately, I have become aware of how similar my reactions have been to Joshua’s response after the defeat at Ai.

Chapter 17 Victory in Canaan: Only After Sin is Removed: Joshua 8:30– The blessings of the promised land are predicated only for an obedient people. Even in the promised land the curses for disobedience are as real as the promised blessings.

Lesson 1: The key to living successfully in Canaan is not guaranteed by crossing the Jordan, but is learned in the lessons at Ai. Many leaders of our churches have been satisfied to exist in the culture of the church, without giving God control of their life. Lesson 2: To receive the blessings of the new life in Canaan requires us to live by the laws of Canaan; for unconfessed disobedience there is still a penalty.

Chapter 18 The Day the Sun Stood Still: Joshua 9–10. I am always amazed at the faith level of the biblical characters. I would like to believe that I am like them; in this area of faith I often fail miserably. .

Lesson 1: One failure is never final; don’t give up, with God there can always be victory after defeat. This Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. Lesson 2: Faith can say to the sun, Stand still and to the moon, Stop and it will be so. God can change things. Do we really believe that? I must pray, O God, increase my faith.

Chapter 19 Give Me My Inheritance: Joshua 14:6–15:19. Conquest for he land dragged on for years. Because of disobedience, the process was slow.

Lesson 1: Trust in God’s clears the soul; but doubt always distorts our vision. Our first example is as early as Genesis chapter three. Look at Jesus’ teaching: John 8:31–47. Lesson 2: The courage to speak the truth is always rewarded, but– often the reward is slow in coming. The aggressive rage of the politically correct police has taken all the oxygen out of the room; honest decent is not allowed. Out of fear, many have become silent in the churches.

Chapter 20 Joshua’s Final Instructions: Conquest Must Continue! Joshua 23–Judges 3. The entire period of the Judges was a time of rebellion. To save the nation, God raised up Judges, some even foreign, many were corrupt.

Lesson 1: When the influence of the righteous is lost, for what–ever–reason; evil quickly assumes control. It can be as simple as a silent church; silent because of intimidation or lack of faith. The stabilizing force of every new generation is always found in the spirit and wisdom of the prior one. Lesson 2: Evil is like a deadly virus; it always kills its host. Evil will eventually be cast into the lake of fire, but until then, Christ blood is the only protection.

Chapter 21 Deborah: A Prophetess and Judge: Judges 4–5, Joshua 11.

A reluctant general afraid to go against nine hundred iron chariots; two fearless women gave the victory.

Lesson 1: The person who seeks to follow the will of God will be open to opportunities and possibilities others cannot see. We must be patient with those slow to see. Lesson 2: To defeat that strong enemy in your path, God has a multitude of option. In this battle against nine hundred iron chariots all He needed was a little mud.

Chapter 22 Gideon: A Three Hundred Man Army: Judges 6:33–8:28. For God’s people to win all the weapons of war that are needed to give victory are: trumpets, torches, broken pitchers, and of course, obedience.

Lesson 1: When we fail God, even stumbling often; if we repent and call on Him; Our help is always near. "Then the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. Lesson 2: No one can serve two masters: These are the words of Jesus.

Chapter 23 Ruth: A Moabite Widow Finds a Home in Israel: Book of Ruth.

Lesson 1: God expects our love for him to be mirrored in how we treat others. God’s love should be what others see when we are approaching. Lesson 2: I believe, thus, I am a Christian: Vs. I believe, thus, I will be faithful. Our great sin: Believing grace releases us from the obligations of the law. Lesson 3: Love lived out is never lived in vain, it will reap a harvest. Stay true, others are watching and are needing you to be faithful.

Personal Notes on Ruth:

Chapter 24 The Sons of Gideon: Judges 9–11.; The elders are all dead, God is forsaken. Sinful decisions; much danger to come. .... 260

Lesson 1: The road to spiritual security for our children is only found in the Scripture. Any departure from it, distortion of it or substitute for it, leads to confusion, tragedy and failure for them. Lesson 2: There is a limit in time to God’s grace. Life is short; His grace is only available for a season.

Chapter 25 Samson, the strong man: Judges 13:24–16:31.

Lesson: God’s departure from the soul may go unnoticed. But he knew not that the Lord had departed from him (Judges 16:20b). An overwhelming number of youth leave the church when they leave home; parent do not give up hope, your voice they will hear when trouble comes.

Appendix: The entire period of the Judges is best described as intentional disobedience.

Chapter 26 Postlude: Tell the Stories– Lest We Forget: The human family has always had difficulty accepting the basic foundational truth about God. That was Eve’s problem, and is always the first step away from Him.

TELL THE STORIES:

Lest We Forget.

The first premise on which all social order must rest:

There is an All-Powerful Eternally Existing Sovereign Holy God

of Truth––to whom we must all give an accounting. Selah!

"Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord, or show forth all His praise? How blessed are those who keep justice, Who practice righteousness at all times"

(Psalm 106:1–3, italics added).

"They quickly forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but craved intensely in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. So The Lord gave them their heart’s desire, but sent leanness into their soul"

(Psalm 106:13–15; NASB and KJV, italics and bold added).

"They did not destroy the people, As the Lord commanded them, but they mingled with the nations, and learned their practices, and served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with the blood.

Thus they became unclean in their practices, and played the harlot in their deeds. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against His people, And He abhorred His inheritance. Then He gave them into the hands of the nations; and those who hated them ruled over them"

(Psalms 106:34–41, italics added).

Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to Thy holy name, and glory in Thy praise. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, ‘Amen.’ Praise the Lord

(Psalms 106:47–48).

Acknowledgments

To the many laymen/women of the church who have encouraged me, prayed for me and forgiven my weaknesses across the years, and especially my wife Priscilla of 54 years and my children I dedicate this book. The lay people of the church have been the support and inspiration for my ministry and I applaud them.

I have preached these stories for over fifty years and thus the material for this book is a compilation of work over a long period of time. I have tried to be faithful to others whom I have read or heard speak to give credit for material not my own. Many teachers, preachers and laymen/women have taught me much and if I have not identified material from others I apologize and if brought to my attention I will give proper credit.

I accept the Scripture as the revelation of God and I have tried to present the stories as written in our Bible for I accept them as Divinely inspired. My desire has been to be faithful in my own life to the Word; not always totally successful, but my desire has been to follow God with all my heart and I am thankful He loves me and has always been faithful to forgive and strengthen.

Introduction

Lest We Forget

"‘But My people have changed their glory for that which does

not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shutter, be very

desolate,’ declares the Lord. ‘For My people have committed two

evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, to hew

for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, that hold no water.’"

Jeremiah 2:11b–13

We are now in the waning days of God’s grace for the Christian church in America. Unless there is a mighty outpouring of His Holy Spirit sufficient to bring serious repentance to the adult leadership of our churches, the slide into death of the American church is unstoppable. If a mighty outpouring of God’s conviction does not occur, we will be overwhelmed by an immoral culture, which will precipitate severe persecution of the church. In our lifetime there will be a massive falling away from the church with the first fruit of our apostasy being our own children. All of this will happen because we have forgotten to honor God as God and have surrendered in our own spiritual lives. As a nation, we have literally walked away from Him. This is an urgent call to the church to return to teaching the Scripture.

This is the Bible storybook written for adults: Volume II of Old Stories & Forgotten Lessons, and is titled Kingdom Builders. It contains stories of Moses, Joshua, the Judges and others as they worked with the Children of Abraham to move them from a people of slavery into a nation of God’s own people; a theocracy in the land God promised to them 600 years earlier.

Many of us know a little about the stories and can identify with them; they are part of the story of the human family’s attempt to respond to God. The call is always initiated by Him; the larger story is our effort—really, our struggle—to fulfill that call. It is everyone’s blessing and everyone’s burden as we labor to live the way God expects in societies controlled by Satan. Triumph and toil are very common in these stories as is the love, faithfulness, and forgiveness of God. These stories should be a source of encouragement to all of us.

They teach: When we repent and call on God ––

He will answer and forgive.

We Must Diligently Teach Them To Our Children– Lest they forget!

PERSONAL NOTES

Chapter 1

The Birth of Moses

Exodus 1–2

Archaeological records tell us the first well–developed civilization was the ancient Sumer Kingdom in the lower delta of the Tigris and Euphrates River area; we now know this southern area as Iraq. The Greeks called the area Mesopotamia, meaning between the rivers. I dealt with this at some length in Old Stories & Forgotten lessons, Volume One. There seems to have been some areas of earlier development in northern Mesopotamia, but much more primitive.

These Sumerian people were farmers; cattle as well as grains were harvested as they began building small towns in the area between the rivers sometime after ca. 8000 BC. This background is important because their culture, including a written language called Cuneiform (meaning, wedge–shaped), would influence most of the Middle East more than 2000 years before Abraham. An ancient counting system was thousands of years older.

In the Old Testament the word Shinar occurs eight times in the Text and refers to the area that includes the Sumerian homeland. It is first mentioned in Genesis 10:10 as the place where the city of Babel was built.

The second area of early recorded civilization was in Egypt. The earliest dates for the Egyptian civilization are ca. 3500–3200 BC. The first several hundred years were agricultural-driven in nature along the Nile. In fact, in the early days of development there were two Egypts: Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt. In this period some major strides were made that gave rise to the greatest ancient civilization. The early years of recorded Egyptian history actually date from about ca. 3100 BC. Egypt’s greatness began with the Third Dynasty about ca. 2686 BC. Some scholars date the beginning of the third dynasty as early as ca. 2800 BC, and for the next 500 years Egypt was the glory of the ancient world. No one rivaled Egypt.

The great building projects, including the pyramids, would be undertaken during the Old Kingdom. Because of some late discoveries, some recent scholars believe that many of the building projects happened even earlier. After the end of the Old Kingdom, it would be more than 500 years before Egypt would again rival its ancient past. The Pyramid Age would come to a close about 2181 BC, and a series of weak kings (Pharaohs) was followed by an Intermediate Period of almost 200 years, when no one really ruled Egypt.

The Middle Kingdom of Egypt started to rise about the time of Abram’s birth in Ur, which was in the old area of Shinar (Sumer Kingdom), an area which had already seen major civilizations and decline. But the Middle Kingdom of Egypt would never rival the glory or power of the Old Kingdom. Its real power didn’t last over 200 years, and following a series of weak pharaohs, an outside force gained control of Egypt for the first time. This outside force, the Hyksos, gained control of Egypt during the 17th century BC; some date it at ca. 1670 BC. Keep this date in mind—ca. 1670 BC—for it can help us understand how a foreign people could gain control of Egypt for the first time. The Hyksos gained control by introducing the warhorse and war chariot as the way to wage war. They were really Amorite (Canaanite).

I am inclined to believe they were the Hittites, probably from an area of Turkey, Syria, or north Palestine. Many of the people of this area had undoubtedly migrated from the old Sumer Kingdom, from the lower delta of Mesopotamia during the declining chaos into an area we now know as Syria and eastern Turkey.

We know that Ur, the birthplace of Abram, was in major decline at the time of Abram’s birth. This southern region was being overrun by desert people that many scholars believe to be Amorite, not Arab; people began migrating up river to get away from the hordes of desert people. Terah, Abram’s father, took his family and migrated several hundred miles up river to Haran. (Genesis 11)

Remember, the scriptures do not contain dates. So, all dates are just someone’s speculation, and everyone does not agree on any date. I believe that Joseph was sold into Egypt about ca. 1740–1735 BC. Many timelines in the study Bibles will date it as early as ca. 1898 BC. I do not agree with the earlier date because of what was going on in Egypt at the time. Joseph would be in Egypt 20 years before any reunion with his family.

Finally, Jacob would leave Canaan and move all the family to Egypt about ca. 1720 BC, and Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt and died just before ca. 1700 BC; Joseph was probably approaching 70 years of age. According to the Scripture, Joseph was second only to the pharaoh. Joseph would live to the age of 110, meaning he would rule and live in Egypt until about ca. 1660 BC. He was a foreigner ruling with an Egyptian pharaoh.

Josephus, a Jewish historian writing for the Romans in the first century, wrote that the Hyksos were also known as the shepherd kings (many believe this is an error because of the misinterpretation of the word, Hyksos, but I am not so sure). Shortly after ca. 1700 BC, some date it at ca. 1670 BC, the Hyksos (foreign rulers) seized control of Egypt, possibly over only Lower Egypt. During this time of Hyksos rule, the capital city was moved back to near Memphis, the location of the first capital of Lower Egypt, in the delta, or Goshen. It was only about 20 miles southeast from the modern city of Cairo.

The Hyksos ruled Egypt for less than 150 years. By ca. 1550 BC, the Hyksos were driven out of Egypt by a native Egyptian Dynasty, which hated foreigners. This gave rise to the Eighteenth Egyptian Dynasty. This Dynasty ushered in what many believe was the golden age for Egypt. After the expulsion of the Hyksos by the new Egyptian rulers, the capital was moved back up river almost 400 miles to Thebes. The ancient name of Thebes is used in the Old Testament as No or No-Amon (Nahum 3: 8).

Egypt is referred to more than 550 times in the Old Testament. For that reason, I like to date the events of the Old Testament using Egypt’s history rather than the Mesopotamian records, which are much fewer and are not as well ordered. This event, the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt and the rise of the Eighteenth Dynasty, I would date with the verse of scripture which says, Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph (Exodus 1:8).

Timelines in some study Bibles will use different material for their dating system and will use earlier dates, giving the date of the Exodus as early as 1446 BC. That is almost 150 years earlier than I date it. But, I chose to go along with the rabbis; it is their history after all.

In the play Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare’s character, Antony, said, The evil that men do lives after them. The good [that men do] is often interred with their bones. Had Joseph been a tyrant and through slave labor built a huge pyramid on the backs of the slaves, he would have been remembered. But to only provide food so people will not starve is soon forgotten. We do not know the number of years the children of Israel were actually in slavery. If the Hyksos were driven out around ca. 1550 BC, the years of slavery for the Israelites were more than 200 years. Remember Joseph was sold by his brothers ca 1740 BC and did not move Jacob and the family down until ca 1720 BC. This would complete the 400 years of their stay in Egypt.

The scripture tells us that Joseph and all his generation died, but the children of the covenant stayed in Egypt and they multiplied and became mighty. By now they were not considered a foreign people to be driven from the land. For almost 200 years they had been an integral part of Egypt, and at one time they had been relatives of the ruling class. But there were so many Israelites that the new Egyptian rulers were afraid of them. So, they appointed taskmasters over them and put a heavy tax on them to be paid in the form of slave labor; after all, the Israelites did have close ties to the former ruling party and would had been considered political enemies. This is not unusual for any new ruling class in any government that is not free.

But the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread out over the land. This caused the Egyptians, who were now in charge of Egypt, to increase the workload on the Israelites until their lives were bitter with hard labor.

However dim and uncertain Hebrew history is in the ‘age of the Patriarchs,’ there is no question that the migration [exodus] out of Egypt around 1250 BC is the single most important event in Hebrew history. More than anything else in history, this event gave the Hebrews an identity, a nation, a founder, and a name, used for the first time in the very first line of Exodus, the biblical account of the migration: ‘bene yisrael,’ ‘the children of Israel.’ (Jewish Virtual Library, Ancient Jewish History: Egypt and the Wanderings)

The historian wrote (Exodus 1:11) that they built Pithom and Rameses; these were store cities for Pharaoh. Archaeologists tell us these cities were built between ca. 1320–1085 BC. I date the exodus at ca. 1305 BC. I am not alone in using a later date, for many scholars—I could probably say most scholars—do not agree with the earlier date any longer, but many of them remain in our study Bibles.

The Hebrews continued to increase in numbers until finally the Pharaoh spoke to the Hebrew midwives and said, When you are helping the Hebrew women with their births, if the baby is a boy you shall put it to death, but if a daughter you may let it live (v. 16). But the midwives feared God and refused to kill the boys and let them live. Pharaoh noticed boys were still being born and called in the midwives to ask why. They said that the women were vigorous and strong and gave birth before the midwives could get there.

Since the king couldn’t get the midwives to destroy the male babies, he issued a decree that all male Hebrew babies were to be thrown into the Nile. The Nile was a primary god of the Egyptians and was pronounced Hapi; they were sacrificing the Hebrew baby boys to their god of the Nile.

One day, in a hovel of the slaves, a Levite man (Amram) was married to a Levite woman. She actually married her own nephew. Marrying within the tribal family was not that unusual. Her name was Jochebed. The new decree from Pharaoh was that this new son would have to be put to death (Exodus 1:22). One son, Aaron was already three years old, and Miriam, an older sister, had already been born to the couple. For three months, Jochebed was able to hide this new son from Pharaoh’s men. But, she could not take a chance that he might be found in the house, which would have led to everyone being killed.

She got a wicker basket and covered it in pitch/tar and put the baby into the basket. She took it to the river and hid it among the reeds at the edge of the river. Miriam, the baby’s older sister, was sent to keep watch; she hid at a safe