Chapter 5 "Exodus"

Moses - the child of the water The descendants of Israel lived in Goshen for at least 400 years.They lived a very prosperous life there, with a thriving population and endless descendants.By about the 15th century BC, Egypt had a new pharaoh on the throne.The Pharaoh did not recognize Joseph's achievements in Egypt, and he was deeply disturbed by the fact that the Hebrews were prolific and prosperous. Pharaoh said to his people: "Look, the nation of Israel is stronger than us and has a larger population than us. If we don't deal with them cleverly and let them reproduce and continue, they will become stronger. Then when war breaks out in the future, they will Will unite with our enemies to attack us and leave our place."

At that time, Pharaoh was building a new capital, Ramsey, in the Nile Delta, and he also wanted to build a grain depot and an armory city.He sent the Israelites to do the hardest and most tiring work: mixing mud, burning bricks, and farming in the fields.The overseers were very cruel to them, depriving them of water and rest, trying to use this method to shorten the life span of the Israelites and damage their bodies.But the result was the opposite: the more the Israelites suffered, the more productive they became and the more they prospered. The Hebrews had two midwives, one named Shifra and the other Pua.The Pharaoh of Egypt commanded them, saying, "Missing the Hebrew women, and watching them give birth, if it is a boy, kill him, and if it is a girl, keep her alive."

But these two midwives are godly, and they don't want to do such a thing.They did not kill the Hebrew boys, but kept them alive.The population of the Israelites became more and more prosperous. When Pharaoh knew about it, he called them to blame and asked, "Why don't you listen to me and kill all the Hebrew boys?" The two midwives answered wittily Said: "Because the Hebrew women are different, they are very strong, and they give birth every time before we arrive. " After hearing this, Pharaoh issued another order: "Israelites: All the boys you give birth to must be thrown into the river, and all the girls can be kept. Those who violate it will be beheaded."

At that time there was a Levite named Amram who married Jochebed, his father's sister.Jochebed bore him a son and a daughter. The daughter was Miriam, his sister, and the son, Aaron, his brother.After the Egyptian Pharaoh issued the order to drown the Israelites' male infants, the couple had another son: very handsome.They couldn't bear to throw the child into the river, and raised him quietly at home for three months. Three months later, I could no longer hide it, because the child was crying so loudly that it could be heard on the street.They found out that Pharaoh's daughter was very kind and often did good deeds to help the Israelites.In order not to bring trouble to the whole family and to save the child's life, the husband found a straw box, smeared stone paint and asphalt on it, put the child in it, and put the box by the river near the palace. among the reeds, and hoped the princess could see it, for she went there every day to bathe.

Miriam, the child's older sister, hid at a distance to see what would happen to the child's whereabouts.The princess came to the river to take a bath as usual, and took the maids for a walk by the river after taking a bath. They saw the baby's chest, and the princess sent her handmaid to bring it. The princess opened the lid of the box and saw that it was a boy.The child cried when it saw a stranger. The princess saw the little life crying and felt sorry for him, saying, "This is a child of the Hebrews. He looks so pitiful. I will adopt him as a son-in-law." " Sister Miriam, who had been hiding all the time, heard that the princess wanted to adopt her younger brother as her adopted son, so she hurried forward and asked, "Prestige princess, I will go to the Hebrew women to find a nurse for you to nurse this child for you. okay?"

Seeing that the girl was innocent and lovely, the princess readily agreed, "Okay." Miriam went home and called her mother to be a nurse to the princess' adopted son. The princess looked at the child's "nurse" and told her: "Take this child and raise it for me, and I will reward you." The nurse went away very happily.The baby boy was back in the arms of his birth mother. The child grew up very well under the careful care of his biological mother, and was weaned not long after.The nurse took the child to the palace and handed it to the princess.The princess named the child Moses, which means "child of the water", in memory of the one who picked him out of the water.

From then on, Moses lived in the palace, received court education, and enjoyed the material life of the court, as if he was born a member of the royal family.He wore fine and expensive clothes, lived in a luxuriously furnished room, and was attended by many servants.He went to the temple to listen to the priest's lectures, and often drove around the city in a gorgeous carriage.He also loves and respects his "nanny" very much, and often visits her.This "nurse" told him the history of the Hebrew nation whenever he had the opportunity, taught him the language of the nation, and taught him not to forget to curse his Hebrew blood. The whole truth—she was his biological mother.

Therefore, he often went to the construction site to see his compatriots working, and sometimes talked with them.He saw his compatriots struggling in misery, heard the whippings driving them to hard labor, heard the cry of the Israelites and the cry for help in his ears, and often saw his mother's gentle and sad face in his sleep.What infuriates him most is the insensitivity of the Israelites to their own destiny and mutual indifference in their suffering. In his veins, turbulent blood was rushing. One day he saw an Egyptian overseer beating a fellow Hebrew.Seeing no one around, Moses, in a fit of anger, beat the overseer to death and buried him in the sand.

The next day he went out the same way and saw two fellow Hebrews fighting. He was very angry, so he went up and taught the bully one, saying to him, "Why did you beat your fellow Hebrews?" Unexpectedly, the man said, "Who made you our leader and judge? Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" When Moses heard this, he immediately became frightened, and said in his heart, "I'm afraid people will find out what happened yesterday, so it's only announced today." Pharaoh must have known about his murder, he thought.Let Pharaoh know about this, and he will never be spared.Sure enough, well-meaning people quickly reported to Moses that the palace guards had come to arrest him.Without changing his clothes, Moses fled the capital in a panic and went to Midian in the east.

The desert there allowed him to escape the pursuit of the Egyptian guards. (Exodus 1:1-2:15; 6:20; 15:20; Nehemiah 26:39) Forty years in desert exile Midian is in the Arabian desert, on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba.There dwelt the descendants of Midian, the son of Abraham and his second wife Cinthula, the son of Falcon.This is the dwelling place of the Midianites, and the name of the place is also called Midian.The Midianites were related to the Israelites, so Moses wanted to join them. From Goshen to Midian, the distance is 450 kilometers, along the desert and grasslands. When Moses reached Midian, the long journey had exhausted him.The court attire he wore when he fled in a panic was already dirty and torn, leaving no trace of its former splendor, completely like a wandering beggar.

Moses sat down to rest on a stone next to the local water, and watched the seven girls drinking sheep curiously. Suddenly, some shepherds drove their flocks to the well. Sheep come.Seeing the shepherd's rudeness, Moses was very indignant. Regardless of his fatigue, he rushed forward and punched him.The shepherds were frightened, and drove the flock away.It turned out that these seven shepherd girls were the daughters of Jethro, a prestigious priest in Midian. Jethro was also called Reuel. When he heard his daughters tell about Moses' brave actions, he said to his daughters, "Where is that man now? Why have you left him? Go and invite him to your house for dinner." Jethro sent and invited Moses to his house.During the conversation, he also learned that Moses was his distant relative, so he left him to live with him at home, and promised his daughter Zipporah to Moses as his wife.Moses was 40 years old that year. Zipporah bore Moses two sons, Gershom and Eleazar. Moses has lived in his father-in-law's house for 40 years, helping him run the family business and herd livestock. The change of circumstances further tempered Moses' body and mind.The harsh nature, the simple and self-reliant pastoral life, and the time spent alone in the open air prompted him to think about the meaning of life.The comfortable life in the Egyptian royal palace was gradually forgotten, and the Midianites' pride in being Abraham's descendants infected him.He often went up to the hills and looked around. In the west, Moses saw a desert, and beyond the desert was Egypt, where his people were suffering.In the east, far behind those mountains, was Canaan, the land of his ancestors, the land of Israel.He had a great plan brewing in his heart: he was determined to free his people from slavery in Egypt and lead them to the rich land of Canaan. But he didn't know how to realize this plan, so he had to watch himself grow old year by year, anxious.One day when he was 80 years old, Moses was herding sheep at the foot of Mount Horeb.According to the Midianites, this was a sacred mountain, and in the clouds on the top of the mountain lived their god, the God of Abraham and the God of Israel.On that day, the angel of God appeared to Moses. While looking around, he suddenly saw a strange sight: a bush was burning, but it was not burned. Moses said, "I'm going to see this great vision. Why isn't this bush burned?" Seeing that he was going to pass, God cried out from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" Moses replied, "Here I am." God said: "Don't come to me like this, you should take off your shoes, because the place where you stand is a holy place." When God saw Moses take off his shoes, he said again, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Esaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses covered his face because he was afraid to see God. Under the background of the raging flames in the bushes, God said to Moses in the sky: "I heard the wailing of the Israelites, and I saw them being oppressed in Egypt. I will send you to Egypt and rescue the Israelites." Moses thought, how can I do this?He said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God encouraged him and said: "I am with you, you will be able to overcome all difficulties." Moses was still not confident enough, so he said to God, "I went to the Israelites and said to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you. If they ask me, What is his name, what shall I say to them?" " God said, "Say God's name is Jehovah." Moses asked again: "How can I make the Israelites believe me, "obey my command, and come out of Egypt with me?"Can I accomplish my mission just by knowing your holy name? " God pointed to his hand and asked, "What is in your hand?" Moses replied, "It's a staff." God commanded him: "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw his staff on the ground, and the staff turned into a snake and crawled on the ground.Moses ran away in fright. God told him, "Do not be afraid. Reach out and take its tail, and in your hand it will become a rod. Then you will prove to them that the God of your fathers appeared to you and was with you." " This was the first miracle God gave Moses. Then God taught him a second miracle.God said, "Put your hands in your arms." Moses put his hand in his bosom, and drew it out, and behold, his hand was leprosy, and the wheals were as white as snow. God told him again: "Put your hands in your arms again." Moses put his hand in his bosom again, then pulled it out, and looked carefully. The leprosy on his hand was healed, and the skin on his hand was no different from other parts. God was afraid that people would think these two miracles were trivial, and taught Moses a third miracle.God said to him, "If they don't believe these two signs and listen to you, take some water from the river and pour it on the dry land, and the water you take from the river will become Blood." God taught Moses three miracles, expecting him to lead the way, but Moses asked a new question.He said to God: "Lord, I am a clumsy person. I have never been good at words. How can I convince Pharaoh and everyone?" God was very unhappy to see that Moses was still making excuses, but he still said to Moses patiently: "Who made people eloquent? Who made people dumb, deaf, sighted, and blind? Isn't it my Hehua? Go now, I will definitely give you eloquence and teach you how to speak." Moses had nothing to refute this time, so he simply said bluntly, "Send whoever you want to go, that's fine. I'm not competent." God was angry, and he clearly told him that it was an inescapable responsibility.But God still promised to let his brother Aaron come out to help him complete his mission: "Don't you have your brother Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak eloquently. He will come out to help you, and he will speak to the people for you To speak, you should regard him as your mouthpiece, and he should regard you as a god." At the end, God told him again: "Hold this staff in your hand, so that you can perform miracles." Moses went home and told his father-in-law Jethro about God’s love for him, and Jethro agreed that he would take his wife Zipporah and two sons back to Egypt to save Israel on behalf of God. Moses and his family set foot on the road back to Egypt on donkeys.On the way, Moses was in danger and almost died.This is how it happened: It was getting dark, and the Moses family stayed overnight in an inn. Suddenly catastrophe struck, and the Lord God wanted to kill Moses because he had not circumcised the two children.Zipporah took a flint, cut off the foreskin of his son, threw it at Moses' feet, and said, "You are indeed my blood." So Nahehua let him go. When they arrived in Egypt, Aaron came out to meet him at the command of God.The two brothers called together all the elders of Israel and told them that according to the will of the Lord, the Israelites should leave the land of Goshen.Moses performed the miracles taught to him by the Lord in public, and Aaron carried out publicity and mobilization. All the Israelites believed that it was God's will to leave Egypt and go to Canaan.They agreed to leave this land of humiliation and misery for the Israelites as soon as possible. (Genesis 25:1-25:6; Exodus 2:16-2:25; 3-4) The Ten Plagues of Pharaoh Forty years have passed since Moses killed the Egyptians in a fit of anger.It turned out that the pharaoh had died, another pharaoh was in power, and the officials in the palace had changed to another generation.The murder of Moses had long been forgotten, so he was no longer in danger of being hunted. To tell the truth, who would have recognized that this Asiatic man, dressed in coarse cloth, with a big gray beard and holding a shepherd's staff, was the adopted son of an Egyptian princess, a handsome Egyptian aristocrat?Moses and Aaron met Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go and hold a festival to me in the wilderness of Egypt." People are oppressed. Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and allow you to go into the wilderness? I don't know him." Moses and Aaron said: "The LORD is the God of the Israelites. If we don't obey his words, we will be attacked by the plague and the sword. Please allow us to take my people into the wilderness for three days to offer burnt offerings to him." Pharaoh was enraged, and he flew into a rage. He said, "Aren't you going to make the people absent from work? If they absent from work, who will do the work? Why will you do it for them?" Pharaoh did not accuse Moses and Aaron of inciting strikes, and punished them, because he knew that they were the leaders of the Israelites, and if they were not done well, they would cause civil uprisings.But he decided to punish the people of Israel. He told his overseers and the Israeli officials they appointed: "Don't give grass to the Israelites to burn bricks as usual, but tell them to gather grass for the bricks themselves. You ask them Do not reduce the number of bricks you make every day." Egypt is located in the desert, firewood is hard to find.The Israelites scattered all over Egypt to pick up stubble and use it as firewood to burn bricks for Pharaoh.When the people failed to complete the tasks, the overseers beat the Israelites' officials.When they met Moses and Aaron, they complained and said, "May the Lord watch over you and judge you, because you have brought us a bad name before Pharaoh and his servants, and handed the sword into their hands." kill us." Moses felt very ashamed. He felt that by failing to fulfill his duty, he had brought even greater disaster to his people.He even complained somewhat that Jehovah had not fulfilled his promise.He prayed to God, "Lord, why did you mistreat the people? Why did I come back and tell Pharaoh your name, but he didn't let us go? You didn't save Israel at all." The Lord said to Moses, "I will punish Pharaoh with my mighty hand, and I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I will perform many signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Go to Pharaoh and say to him: Let Israel Go out of your country, Egypt. But Pharaoh will not listen to you. I will stretch out my hand and punish them severely, and I will rescue the Israelites." Moses and Aaron went to the palace to meet Pharaoh.Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh, and the staff turned into a snake and crawled on the ground.They testify to the miracles of God.Pharaoh just sneered at this, and he summoned magicians, who performed Egyptian magic, and each of them threw his staff on the ground, and they all turned into snakes.Although the snake conjured by Aaron ate the snakes of the warlocks in the end, Pharaoh was unmoved. Moses and Aaron decided to act in accordance with God's oracle. They wanted to send ten disasters to Egypt in a row to force Pharaoh to submit. In the first time, Moses and Aaron brought blood to Egypt according to God's will.They went to Pharaoh, and Aaron raised his staff and struck the water in the river in front of Pharaoh and his servants, and the water in the river turned to blood.The fish in the river died, and the river water also smelled bad.There was blood everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden and stone tools.The Egyptians could not drink the water in the river, so they had to dig wells beside the river to draw water for human and livestock to drink.This bloody spell lasted for seven days.But the stubborn Pharaoh didn't take all this to heart. The second time, Moses and Aaron brought the plague of frogs on Egypt according to God's command.Aaron stretched out his staff over the water in the river and pond, and the water was full of frogs.The frog jumped into Pharaoh's palace, and there were frogs everywhere in his palace, in his bedroom, on his bed, in the houses of his ministers, and on the people.This time Pharaoh took the initiative to summon Moses and Aaron, and said to them: "Please ask the Lord to make the frogs leave me and my people, and I will allow you to sacrifice to the Lord." Moses replied, "That's easy to say. Whatever time you want the frog to leave the land and just stay in the river, you can do it." Pharaoh couldn't wait for him and said, "Tomorrow." The next day, all the frogs on land were dead.People gathered dead frogs into hills, and Egypt was full of stench. When Pharaoh saw that the disaster was lifted, he repented.The Israelites are still not authorized to leave Egypt. The third time, according to God's order, Aaron hit the dust on the ground with his staff, causing the dust to turn into lice all over Egypt, and the Egyptians and animals were covered with lice. But the plague of lice did not change the heart of Pharaoh, who still refused to listen to Moses. Seeing this situation, Moses then performed the fourth miracle, sending a plague of flies to Egypt.He let swarms of flies crawl on Pharaoh, his ministers, and the people of Egypt. There were swarms of flies everywhere in the houses and roads of the Egyptians, but there was not a single fly in the land of Goshen. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, "Go, and worship your gods in Egypt." Moses said, "It is not right, because we are going to offer a burnt offering before the eyes of the Egyptians, which is disgusting to the Egyptians, and they will stone us to death. We will have to go three days' journey into the wilderness before we can sacrifice him." .It was his order." Pharaoh said, "I give you permission to go into the wilderness, but not too far. Pray for me." So Moses asked God to kill those flies.But Pharaoh repented once again when he saw that the disaster was gone. In the fifth time, Moses went to the palace to meet Pharaoh and warned them that a plague would come in Egypt.Moses said to Pharaoh: "If you don't agree to let us go, all the livestock in the whole of Egypt will suffer from the plague and die tomorrow." Pharaoh was still hard-hearted and ignored Moses' warning. Sure enough, all the animals in Egypt, whether they were horses, donkeys, camels, oxen, or sheep, died the next day.Only the livestock of the Israelites did not die. In the sixth time, according to God's command, Moses raised up the ashes before Pharaoh to heaven, and the ashes fell on the Egyptians or on the animals, and they became blisters.The boils made the Egyptians restless, but it did not enlighten the stubborn Pharaoh. The seventh time, Moses listened to God's words and pointed to the sky with his staff, and God sent thunder and hail, and fire flashed to the ground.Hail mixed with fire is very beneficial.The hailstone was so large that it had never been seen since the founding of Egypt.The hail fell all over Egypt, and everyone who was in the field was killed, as well as everyone and livestock, as well as every vegetable and tree.Only Goshen did not have hail. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, "I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. This thunder and hailstorm is enough. Please stop the hailstorm immediately." , I'll let you go." Moses said, "If we lift up our hands to the LORD and pray, the thunder will stop, and there will be no more hail." But when Moses stopped the disaster, Pharaoh changed his mind again. Moses warned Pharaoh: "If you don't allow us to leave, tomorrow there will be a plague of locusts in Egypt, and the locusts will eat up your remaining crops and trees." Pharaoh was frightened, so he hurriedly begged Moses, saying, "Speak, talk, you can go. But only adults can go, and women, children and livestock cannot go with them. " Pharaoh's servants also counseled Pharaoh, saying, "How long will this man be our snare?Let these go, and serve their Lord God, for Egypt is ruined, and do you not know it? " Pharaoh got angry and said, "Nonsense! Just do as I tell you, or don't go." In the eighth chapter, Moses brought a plague of locusts on Egypt.He stretched out his staff over Egypt, and that same night, the Harvest sent an east wind across Egypt.In the morning, the east wind blew the locusts, and they fell in all directions in Egypt. It was so severe that it had never been recorded before in Egyptian history, and it will never happen again.Locusts flew across the sky, covering the sun.The locusts ate up the vegetables, fruits, and trees left by the hail, leaving the fields without a little green. Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you, and now I beg you for the last time to forgive my sins and save me from this death." Moses passed the request to the Lord, and the next night there was a strong west wind, and all the locusts were blown into the Red Sea and drowned. When the last locust was blown away by the wind, Pharaoh turned and denied what he had said. In the ninth chapter, Moses stretched out his staff to the sky and brought down the plague of darkness on Egypt.Darkness shrouded Egypt for three days. During these three days, the Egyptians could not see their fingers and could not do anything.Only the house of the Israelites had light. Pharaoh summoned Moses and said to him, "I agree with you that your women and children go with you, but leave your herds and your flocks." Moses said, "We are going to hold burnt offerings in the wilderness. How can we do without animals? All our animals will be taken away, and not a single hoof will be left behind." Pharaoh sternly said to him, "Go away! Don't let me see you again from now on, or I will kill you." Moses said coldly, "You are well said, I will never see your face again." After saying that, he walked away with his walking stick. In the tenth chapter, God brought the disaster of the firstborn son to the Egyptians.This is the last and deadliest punishment. Before the disaster came, God warned the Israelites in advance, telling them to be ready. He stole Moses and Aaron and asked them to convey the holy order to the Israelites: "You shall make this month the first month and the head of the year. On the tenth day of this month, each of your households shall prepare a ram lamb without blemish. ;On the fourth day of the first day, you shall kill the lamb and smear the blood on the door of your house. The Israelites shall eat the roasted lamb for supper that day, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. I will pass over you and kill Egypt. the firstborn of man." Moses also told the Israelites to prepare to leave Egypt before they had dinner.So that night people put on their uniforms and ate dinner. In the middle of the night, when Na Hehua saw that there was no blood on the door of a house, he went in and killed the eldest son of that family, whether it was the eldest son of the Pharaoh or the eldest son of a slave, he killed them all, even the firstborn of all livestock. .Crying was heard all over the country, and there was not a single Egyptian family in which there was no death.It was only then that Pharaoh really realized the power of Moses. He called Moses and Aaron overnight and said to them: "Go, go. Take your Israelites out of my people, go By your gods, you can take everything this time, even sheep and herds." The Egyptians were terrified by such a catastrophe. The Israelites had been prepared for a long time. They took the opportunity to avenge their revenge and robbed the Egyptians of gold, silver, clothes and other property and various weapons.In this way, the Israelites had gold, silver, treasures and weapons, and they were ready to fight against the tribes in the desert. Moses designated this day (the 14th of the Jewish calendar) as the Passover, which means that the LORD passed over the houses of the Israelites and only killed the firstborn son of the Egyptians. (Exodus 5:1-12:36) Exodus from Egypt It was dawn after the Israelites had plundered the Egyptians.So they set out from Rameses, Egypt, and marched east to Succoth. The Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years, and there were only 70 people when they came. Now there are as many as 600,000 men walking alone.The men were all armed with weapons. Walking in front of the Israelites was the hearse, on which Joseph's mummy was placed in a wooden coffin; in the rear were countless flocks of sheep and teams of donkeys. In the desert, the Israelites rejoiced to find that the Lord was leading them.The Harmony was in the pillar of cloud by day, and by night in the pillar of fire reaching heaven to guide them on their way.In this way they can travel day and night. In the beginning, Moses led the Israelites along the road of caravans, which was along the shore of the Red Sea.Later, he led the Israelites to turn south and enter the desert, because he was afraid that the checkpoints set up by the locals along the coast would not let them pass easily.At Yepham the Israelites stopped for the first time to rest, then turned north again by the will of the LORD, and camped in front of Behahiroth, between Mishou and the sea, not far from the city of Baal-Zephon .The purpose of the Israelites going back and forth in this way was to confuse the Egyptians, so that they could not figure out where their destination was, so as not to be ambushed and intercepted by them. Furthermore, when Pharaoh heard that the Israelites had fled in great numbers, he discussed with his servants, "Let the Israelites go, who will serve us in the future? We can't let them run away so cheaply." So Pharaoh personally mobilized his troops and led 600 chariots to pursue the Israelites. When the Israelites turned around and saw the Egyptian pursuers approaching from the dusty place, they were very frightened. They complained to Moses, "Don't tell me there is no burial place in Egypt? Did you bring us into the wilderness to die?" "Our ancestors have served the Egyptians for 430 years, and we are used to it. Although it is hard to be a slave in Egypt, it is much better than dying in vain at the hands of the pursuers in this desert." Moses comforted the desperate people and said: "Don't be afraid, the Lord will never see his people suffer and ignore it. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again." Sure enough, when night fell, a wall of smoke separated the Egyptians from the Israelites.On the side of the Egyptians there was darkness, but on the side of the Israelites it was as bright as day. That night, God also blew a strong wind on the Red Sea all night, causing the tide to recede. The next day, Moses came to the sea, according to God's instructions, he stretched out his stick to divide the sea water, and cut a dry channel, and the water stood up like walls on both sides of the dry channel. The Israelites hurried along this dry road to the other side. When Pharaoh saw the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, he was furious and ordered the Egyptian soldiers to chase after them.All the horses and chariots and soldiers of Pharaoh followed the Israelites down to the dry road in the middle of the sea.God shined a bright light on the Egyptian army, and the Egyptian army fell into chaos.God also made their wheels come off, and they were caught between a rock and a hard place. At this time, Moses stretched out his staff into the sea, and the sea began to close.The Egyptian army was even more panicked. Soldiers, horses, and chariots trampled and smashed each other. None of them fled to the shore, and they were all swallowed by the sea. When the Israelites saw the dead bodies of the Egyptians and their livestock floating on the sea, they were filled with awe of God.They were more convinced of Moses, the messenger of God. The Israelites have won.Everyone reveled in the wilderness by the sea.The people rejoiced, beat drums and played music, sang and danced: "I will sing to the LORD, because he has won a great victory and cast the horse and his rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength, my song, and my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; he is the God of my father, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a warrior, and his name is Yahweh. Pharaoh's chariots, his army, the LORD has cast into the sea, and the commander of his chosen army has sunk in the Red Sea. Miriam, the sister of Moses, led the people in singing. She held a drum in her hand and sang while beating the drum, and the crowd sang along with her. After all the singing, the people sat down to the matzo, recharging their energy and getting ready to move on. (Exodus 12:37-15:21) Water, Quail, and Manna--God's Miracle After the victory at the Red Sea, Moses led the Israelites from the Red Sea to the wilderness of Shur.They walked into the waterless area and walked for three days without finding any water to drink.After finally reaching Mara, the water there was bitter, and people and animals could not drink it.People are dying of thirst, they cannot bear such a blow.Discontent and murmuring broke out again among the Israelites.In order to calm the hearts of the people, Moses asked God to perform a miracle.God showed Moses a tree and told him that the branches and leaves of the tree could sweeten the water.Moses plucked some branches and threw them into the well, and the water in the well immediately became sweet.The people drank enough water, fed the livestock, took a rest and continued on. When the Israelites came to Elim, there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees.There they pitched their camp.But Elim is not the destination, they still have to move on. They go and go, it's been 6 weeks since they came out of Egypt.Then they came to the place of Sin, between Elim and Sinai.They set up camp in Xun. This place is still a desert.The sun was as hot as a fire, and what's worse, the food and water they brought were exhausted.The people howled again: "We want water!" "We want food!" "We might as well have died at the hand of God, in Egypt, when we could sit at the pots of meat and eat our fill. You brought us out into this barren desert, in all sincerity that we should all starve to death." ?" Hearing these words, Moses felt painfully that the Israelites were so slavish that they even considered meat and food more precious than freedom.Moses and Aaron came out to comfort all the Israelites and said, "God has heard your complaints, and he will bring you food soon." When evening came, Moses' prophecy was fulfilled.Countless quails flew from the east, covering the entire station at once.These quail are exhausted from the long flight and can only move their wings feebly, so they are within reach.All the Israelites were busy catching quail, lighting fires, and roasting birds with sporks, and in a short while the enticing aroma of wild game filled the camp.The Israelites were well fed, and when they lay down to sleep, they continued to praise Moses, almost lifting him to the sky. Waking up the next morning, the Israelites were surprised to find another miracle: the whole wasteland was covered with small round things like white snow.Adults and children all came out to see what happened. Some people picked one up and tasted it, and felt that it tasted like pancakes mixed with honey. Moses said to the people, "This is the food God has given you." The Israelites called this food manna.From then on, during the 40 years of wandering in the desert, they collected the manna that fell from the sky every day, which was just enough for one day's consumption.This is the food that God gave to the Israelites in the desert. Although the Israelites had manna to eat every day, they were still in constant danger of water shortages. They went forward from Xun, and they camped in Fei Ting.There was no well to be found there, and the people suffered from thirst.As a result, there was chaos in the camp, and there were complaints everywhere. They all came to Moses and asked for water: "Give us a drink, we are all dying of thirst." "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, so that we and our children and our livestock would die of thirst?" Some people picked up stones frantically, trying to crush Moses to death. Moses asked the Lord for help, and according to the order of the Lord, he led the people to the foot of Mount Horeb, and struck the rock with his staff in front of everyone.Suddenly, a crack opened in the rock, and a clear mountain spring gushed out. The water is found, and the human heart is stabilized.摩西刚想指挥会众安扎营盘，忽然从远处传来一片喊杀声。原来，是荒漠中好战的部族亚玛力人来攻打他们，要掠夺他们的财物和女子。 （出15：22一17：7） 大战亚玛力人 摩西接到报告说亚玛力人来攻打以色列人，就立即命令足智多谋的约书亚指挥本族军队迎击。摩西自己则在亚伦和户珥（以色列的显贵之士，摩西的助手、参谋）的陪同下登上山顶观战。战争从清晨打到黄昏，战局交替变化。当摩西举起手来时，以色列人就得胜，而只要他把手垂下，胜利就转到亚玛力人方面。这样持续了很长的时间，摩西感到手臂十分沉重，他再也无力举起来了。亚伦和户珥就搬了一块石头，让摩西坐下，他俩站在摩西左右扶着他的手臂。 直到太阳快下山的时候，约书亚用刀杀了亚玛力王，亚玛力的百姓杀的被杀，逃的逃掉了。 这一仗以色列人大获全胜。摩西在战场上建立了一座感恩坛，在坛上写上"那和华尼西"两个单词，意思是"上帝是我旌旗"。 上帝还授意摩西把这一胜利载人史册。他说："耶和华已经起了誓，必世世代代和亚玛力人争战。" 这场战争就发生在何烈山下，何烈山离摩西的第二故乡米甸不远。摩西的岳父叶忒罗听到以色列人来到家乡，而且战胜了亚玛力人的喜讯以后，就立即带着摩西的妻子西坡拉和两个外孙革舜、以利以谢来见摩西。 原来，摩西在准备与法老作斗争之前就打发人把妻子和儿子送回米甸岳父家去了。 摩西听说岳父驾到，立即迎出帐篷，向他下拜，与他亲吻，彼此问安，然后把他让进帐篷里去。摩西向他讲述了上帝所行的种种神迹和一路上的遭遇。叶忒罗还与摩西他们一道向上帝献燔祭，共进晚餐，然后就住在以色列人的营盘中。（出17：8一18：12） 叶忒罗之谏--最初的以色列行政 第二天，摩西坐在帐篷前审理官司。摩西从早到晚忙个不停，事无巨细都要亲自过问，然后做出处理，所以感到很累，简直有些精力不支。百姓们排着长队，有的排了一整天也没有轮到自己，所以求摩西审理事情的百姓们也感到很疲乏。 叶忒罗看着女婿这样办事，费力而不讨好；事无巨细地过问，既浪费了自己的时间，也浪费了别人的时间。作为有经验的大祭司，叶忒罗直率地对女婿说了自己的看法："你这样做不好。你和这些百姓必都感到疲惫，因为这么多人的事务大多，担子大重，你独自一人办不了。我为你考虑，给你出个主意：你要把你手中的事，按照重要的程度和影响的大小，委派给不同的人。你要在百姓中拣选有才能的人，敬畏上帝的人，诚实无欺的人，恨不义之财的人，派他们作千夫长、百夫长、五十夫长和十夫长，由他们来管理百姓。你要将律例法度教给他们，告诉他们当行的道，当做的事。这样你就可以叫他们随时审理百姓，只有关系全部会众的大事才呈报到你这里来，小事就由他们自己审理。这样你不但会轻松一些，百姓也很乐意。" 摩西听从了岳父的话，按着他们所说的去做。他在以色列人中挑选有才有德之士，让他们担当各级官员，随时处理百姓中的事，下级的长官服从高级的长官，全体官员都归在他的领导之下。 这种新型组织的形成，是以色列人新的政治制度的萌芽。叶忒罗对摩西讲的那段话被很多人认为是世界上最早的关于社会内部分层管理原理的专门论述，后世的人们经常引用这段话。 叶忒罗在摩西的营中住了几天，以色列人又要出发了。他便与摩西一家告别，回到自己家里去了。（出18：13一18：27） 金牛犊--以色列人的背叛 以色列人出埃及以后刚好满3个月的那一天，他们来到西奈山对面的荒漠里安营扎寨。西奈山峰直耸入云，从远处望去阴森森的，使习惯于尼罗河三角洲平原景色的以色列人心中产生一种神秘、敬畏的感情。 西奈山跟前的这块旷野适于长期定居，那里水源充足，生长着椰枣树和其他可做建筑材料的树木。营地里过起了火热的生活。 新的管理制度保证了生活的秩序。男人干各种手艺活，妇女们做饭，纺线，织布，孩子们则在帐篷之间玩耍。 有一天，上帝给摩西降下神谕说："我要与你和你的人民立约，你和你的人民今天明天要自洁，要清洗衣服，不要亲近女人。因为第三天我要在百姓面前降在西奈山上，使百姓能够听到我与你的对话。这样百姓就会更加相信你。" 预定的日期到了，西奈山上彤云密布，滚雷号角齐鸣，响彻万里。所有以色列百姓都聚集在西奈山脚下，心中的畏惧之情使他们不住地发抖。 摩西在用牧羊杖在山脚下画一条线，警告众人说："你们不可越过这道界线，违背者无论是人是兽，都必定死。" 等了不久，西奈山全山冒烟，上帝耶和华在火中降于山上。这时全山的烟气更浓，徐徐上腾，如烧窑一般；山体如被一只巨手在摇动着。号角声越来越高，摩西健步登上了山坡，很快就消失在萦绕在山上的重重烟雾中。 在西奈山顶上，摩西从耶和华那里接受一系列法规和戒律，它们从此要成为以色列人民生活的基本准则。 摩西带着与上帝立的约回到山下，将其中的内容都讲给长老和百姓听。众百姓齐声说："耶和华所吩咐的我们都必遵行。" 摩西将耶和华的命令都写上，清早起来；在山下筑一座坛，按以色列的12支派，立12根柱子。摩西还打发以色列中的少年去献恬祭，他将牛宰了作为平安祭，把牛血一半盛在盆中，一半洒在坛上。他用盆中的血洒在百姓身上，作为与上帝立约的凭据。 过了不多久，摩西又一次上山去与耶和华会面，这次他带了亚伦、拿答（亚伦的长子）、亚比户（亚伦的次子）和70名以色列长老上去。不过摩西把其他同去的人都留在半山腰，自己独自登上了山顶。他在山顶停留了40个昼夜。 耶和华授予他两个石牌，上面刻着10条天诫。除此之外，那和华还指示如何设立供奉他的祭坛和保存圣约的约柜。最后那和华告诉摩西，他赐予亚伦以最高祭司称号，这个称号由他的家族世代相传下去。 且说半山腰上等候摩西的那些人，等了好久不见摩西回来，他们等得又乏又饿，于是就返回了营地。亚伦担心弟弟遭到不幸，他惊慌不安，不知所措。以色列人群龙无首，他们对那和华的信念动摇了。要知道，对他的崇拜和信仰还是不久之前才建立起来的。 现在摩西不在他们身边，他们也感受不到摩西的那种宗教虔诚了。 于是以色列人重新把奉他们过去在埃及时所崇拜的神。众百姓以为摩西抛弃了他们，惊慌不安，他们聚集在亚伦的帐篷前，高声要求说："起来，为我们制造神像，因为领我们出埃及的那个摩西，我们不知道他出了什么事。" 亚伦心中也充满了疑惑，答应满足百姓的强烈要求。按着他的号召，妇女们都把自己的金耳环等饰物捐献了出来。以色列入用这些金子铸成了一头金牛。 第二天，人们把这金牛犊放在营地中央，他们看到，他们从远古以来就崇拜的偶像又回来了。他们欢喜若狂。 他们宰了牛犊，给金牛献了播祭，然后就坐下来大吃大喝。整整一天鼓乐齐鸣，男女老少如痴如狂地围着金牛神像又唱又跳，达到了狂热的地步。只有利未这一支的人站在一旁，恐惧地看着那些背叛了耶和华，恢复了偶像崇拜的人们。 上帝告诉摩西山下发生的一切，摩西急忙从山顶下来，很远就听到震耳欲聋的喧闹声。他加快了脚步，回到营地，看到狂热崇拜偶像的景象，气得直喘息，花白的胡须在胸前颤抖不停。 他把写着那和华十诫的两块石牌扔在山石上摔得粉碎，又把那金牛犊用火焚烧，磨成齑粉，撒在水面上，叫以色列人喝。 摩西痛斥亚伦说，"这些百姓做错了什么？你竟使他们陷在大罪里！" 亚伦申辩说："我主不要发烈怒。这些百姓专于做恶，你是知道的。他们来围攻我，要我出面为他们铸一个偶像，我也不能不听呀。" 摩西听见百姓如此放肆，就站在营门中说："凡属耶和华的，都到我这边来。" 于是利未的子孙都到他跟前聚集，摩西就命令他们："以色列的神--上帝那和华这样说：你们各人把刀挎在腰间，在营中往来，从这门到那门，各人杀他们的兄弟、同伴与邻居。 " 利未的子孙遵命而行，用剑杀死了3000名背教者。（出19一32） 摩西十诫--与上帝的契约 当营地的秩序恢复正常以后，摩西第三次登上西奈山顶，祈求耶和华宽恕营地发生的事情。 耶和华重申，他把迦南赐给以色列人，那是"流着奶与蜜之地。" 摩西十分感激，他迅速地回到营地，吩咐在营地外面架起一个特殊的帐篷，称之为会幕。只有摩西一个人可以进入会幕。当摩西出营到会幕去的时候，百姓就都起来，各人站在自己帐篷门口，望着摩西，直等到他进了会幕。 摩西进入会幕时，有一个云柱从天上降下来，隔开了人们的视线，人们听着他与上帝象朋友面对面谈心一样他说话，就在自家门前下拜。摩西与上帝在会幕中谈话的时候，只有他的少年助手、嫩的儿子约书亚没有离开会幕。 摩西在会幕中与上帝对话，却不能看到上帝的尊容。他请求上帝说："我如今若在您眼前蒙恩，求您将您的道指示我，使我可以认识您，求您显出您的荣耀给我看。" 耶和华回答说："你不能看见我的面孔，因为人见了我的面孔就不能存活。" 不过上帝最后允许摩西看到自己的背影。他叫摩西进到一个岩缝里，而他自己手捂着那个石缝，待他转身离去时，才把手挪开，所以摩西只看见了上帝耶和华的背影，却没有看到他的面容。 耶和华吩咐摩西凿两块石牌，跟上回摔碎的一模一样，他重新把那十诫写在上面。 摩西拿着凿好的石牌，登上西奈山顶，他在那里又呆了40个昼夜，不吃不喝。 耶和华这次不仅重新给了十诫，而且还授予摩西一套法典和教规，以色利人时时都要遵循照办。 摩西拿着两块诫牌下山回营。由于他不知道自己见到了耶和华的真身，脸上发出了耀眼的光辉，所以没有掩饰面部。以色列群众看到他脸上发光，都不敢直视他，怕挨近他。摩西这才用帕子蒙上自己的脸，代表耶和华和众人说话。他把上帝在西奈山上给他交待的话都传达给以色列人·。 摩西给众人展示了刻有十诫的两块石牌，上面写着：△崇拜唯一上帝那和华而不可祭拜别神；△不可雕刻和敬拜偶像；△不可妄称上帝的名字；△须守安息日为圣日；△要孝敬父母；△不可杀人；△不可奸淫；△不可偷盗；△不可作假见证诬陷他人；△不可贪恋别人的妻子及财物。 好多的金银财物。 摩西把制造帐幕和其中器皿的任务交给了两个能工巧匠--比撒列和亚何利亚伯。比撒列属犹大支派，是户珥的孙子，亚何利亚伯属但支派。上帝的灵充满了他们，使他们有智慧，有灵气，有知识，能做各样的工，会刻宝石、作镶嵌、作雕刻，还能用蓝色紫色朱红色的线和细麻绣花。 比撒列和灭何利亚伯用捻的细麻和蓝色紫色朱红色线制造的绣上基路啪的5副慢子做成帐幕，帐幕内用慢子隔开，内为至圣所，外为圣所。整个帐幕中的圣所是用皂英木做成的，没有用钉子，里外镶上纯金。圣所的四周立有铜柱，铜柱的顶端是银的柱头。横梁上挂着细麻布做成的帐慢。正门的门帘是用绸做的，上面用天蓝色紫色和朱红色的线绣了花纹。横梁上还安有金环，直杠套在金环里。这样圣所在迁移时便于拆卸和安装。圣所的外壁并不露金，而是用红蓝两色羊皮包上。以保护它们，使之免遭日晒雨淋。在圣所的入口前立着一个播祭坛，是用青铜铸的，还有一个巨大的大铜盆。圣所里还放有香烛台和陈设饼桌。圣所只有摩西和最高祭司才可进入，百姓在献贡时在外祈祷。在祈祷或祭祀时，最高祭司必须穿上圣衣。圣衣的制作和穿戴的细节都有规定。除穿圣衣之外最高祭司还要戴圣冠，圣冠上嵌有一个金牌，上面写着"归耶和华为圣"的字样。 圣所里香烟缭绕，铜灯台上点着7支神灯。在神秘的灯影中，在豪华的带花纹的帷慢后面放着圣所里最神圣的东西--金约柜。金约柜是比撒利和亚何利亚伯用皂英木做成的。约柜长2.5时，宽1.5时，高1.5时，里外包金，四围镶金牙边，四角上铸有四个金环，每边两个，内穿抬柜的皂英木杠。约柜的盖上镶着两个金铸的基路啪，他们张着翅膀仿佛时刻都在尽心地行使着保护的职责。摩西将刻有十诫的两块石牌和其他西奈法典藏入柜中。 摩西把掌管帐幕、约柜和属于帐幕的一切东西的使命交给了利未支派的人。迁移时，他们要抬帐幕和其中的器具，宿营时，利未人要在帐幕四周安营。（出32：30一40；38；民1：47一53）