Crossing the Red Sea

"The children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea." Exodus 14:16

The Egyptians had lost their first born sons and the Israelites had been freed. They were leaving Egypt and their life of slavery. 

But Pharaoh's hard heart turned again with anger. He called his chariots and horsemen together and followed the children of Israel to bring them back into Egypt. When he caught up to them, they were at the shores of the Red Sea. 

The Israelites were afraid when they saw Pharaoh coming. They couldn't go forward because of the sea and they couldn't go back because Pharaoh was there. But God spoke to Moses and told him not be afraid. The people just needed to stand still and see how God would save them.

God Himself showed the people he was with them. He'd been leading them in a pillar of cloud, but God moved within the pillar behind the Israelites, between them and the Egyptians, and made it dark to the Egyptians but gave light to the Israelites, even though it was night time. 

God told Moses to stretch his staff out over the sea. Moses obeyed and something amazing happened. The waves of the sea parted and stood up on each side. Between the wall of water there was a wide open space for the children of Israel to cross the sea, safe and dry. The people started across - men, women and children - with the waves standing still on each side of them.

Pharaoh saw they were crossing and tried to follow them. But when the Israelites had finished crossing, Pharaoh and his army was in the middle of the sea. The walls fell and the sea returned to its full strength again. Pharaoh and his army were lost in the sea where they sank like lead in the mighty water. 

The Israelites were standing on the other side of the sea and they knew they were free. They began to sing hymns of joy to God who had set them free. 

We sing hymns of joy to God, too, because of Jesus who set us free.

QUESTIONS

1. What last plague had come on Egypt?

2. Who had left Egypt ?

3. What did Pharaoh do ?

4. What was leading the Israelites?

5. What was behind them?

6. Where did the pillar of cloud go?

7. How were the Egyptians cut off from them ?

8. What wonder did God work?

9. Where did the Israelites cross?

10. Who came after them ?

11. What became of the Egyptians ?

12. Who were free ?

13. Who had made them free ?

The Feast of the Passover

"It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover." Exodus 12:27

Once Pharaoh said they could go, the Israelites were already packed and dressed for the journey, just like God had told them. They started the journey, happy there would be no more making bricks, no more work for the Egyptians, and their children were safe. They were free, and God was leading them to a beautiful country that He said long ago He would give them.

To remind them how they were saved from the Egyptians, God told them that on the same day each year they should kill a lamb and roast it and put the blood on the doorpost of their home, just as they had before, and eat the lamb while dressed to go on a journey. This way, they would always remember what had happened and how God had made them free. 

This was called the Passover, because the angel passed over the houses where blood marked the doors.

They Israelites started their journey and God appeared in a pillar of cloud and lead them away from Egypt. 

Our Lord Jesus was crucified when He had come to celebrate the Feast of Passover many years later. He is called the Lamb of God, because he was pure and gentle, and His blood saves us and sets us free from the devil just as the lamb's blood saved the Israelites. Because of Jesus, we celebrate Passover and remember on Easter Sunday that after Jesus died on the cross, He rose again from the dead and now lives forever.

QUESTIONS

1. What did Pharaoh say that the Israelites could do?

2. What made him let them go at last ?

3. Who were set free ?

4. What were the Israelites to do every year?

5. What was this eating the lamb called ?

6. Why was it called the Passover ?

7. Why were the Israelites glad ?

8. Who set us free?

9. What did our Lord do on Easter Sunday?

10. In what is He like a lamb ?

11. How did God lead them?

"There was not a house in which there was not one dead."

Exodus 12:30

Moses told the Israelite families what to do - take a lamb, kill it and roast it whole that evening. They needed to take some of its blood and use it to make a mark on the doorpost of their house. Then the families needed dress and pack for a journey and eat the lamb for their supper that night.

The Israelites obeyed God, and while they were eating supper there was a great shout. A great cry followed. God's angel had come and every house not marked with blood from a lamb had lost their first born son. The deaths were everywhere - even in Pharaoh's palace where he lost his own son. Even the first born of the cattle died because the Egyptians used to worship them. But if the angel saw the blood on the doorpost it passed over the house and the oldest son was saved. 

Pharaoh was sorry at last and said that the people who had brought his land such trouble could leave and go wherever they liked.

QUESTIONS

1. Where were the Israelites living ?

2. What hard work had they to do ?

3. Who said they should leave ?

4. Who would not let them go ?

5. What did God tell the Israelites to eat?

6. How were they to be dressed while they ate it ?

7. What were they to do with the blood ?

8. Who was going to pass over the land that night?

9. What did the angel do where he did not see any blood on the doorpost ?

10. Who were frightened then?

11. What did the Pharaoh say?

The Final Plague Comes

"He smote all the first-born in Egypt." Psalm 78:51

Nine sad plagues had come upon the Egyptians - the blood for water, frogs, lice, flies, the cattle's death, the boils, the hail, locusts and darkness. But there was one plague more, the last and the worst. This would make the Egyptians let the people of Israel go, so they had to be ready. 

It would be a horrible night. God told Moses that His angel would pass over the whole land of Egypt that night and in each house the oldest son would die. No one would be spared, from Pharaoh's palace to the poorest home in the city. Because they had killed the Israelite's children, God was going to take theirs. 

The people of Israel had to do something to protect their homes so the angel would pass over them. God told Moses to have the Israelite families eat a lamb for supper that night. They needed to take some of the blood from the lamb and make a mark on the doorpost outside. When the angel saw the mark he would pass over the house and no one would die. If they would do this, God would bless them and set them free.

The people believed God and they obeyed him.

QUESTIONS

1. How many plagues of Egypt were there?

2. Can you repeat them?

3. What were they all for ?

4. Who would not let them go ?

5. What was the last plague?

6. Who were to die?

7. Why were the Egyptians going to lose their children?

8. Who would slay them?

9. Whom would the angel spare?

10. How were the Israelites to mark their houses?

11. With what blood?

12. What were they to do with the lamb ?