Israelites in Egypt. There is a new king that does not know what Joseph did to help them. Obviously no one else was around to enlighten him either!
The Israelites were doing good with God's blessing and the Egyptians were getting worried at their strength, so they made them slaves and tried to stop the blessing. Isn't that just Satan's strategy!
They wanted Israelite midwives to kill boy babies and let girl babies live. The midwives believed in God and would not do that, so God blessed them and gave them homes to live in. When the Egyptians asked why the boy babies were not killed as they were coming out of the womb, the midwives would say that they were already born by the time they got to the house to help deliver them.
Moses is born
Sooo, they then wanted boy babies to be cast into the river! Moses is born during this time and his mother keeps him hidden until he is 3 months old. She then builds him a little ark and puts him in the river. Pharoah's daughter finds him, rescues him. Moses' sister says she will find an Israelite woman to nurse him for her. Pharoah's daughter tells her to take the baby, and bring him back when he is weaned. So, Moses and his mother are re-united for a time!
Moses flees to Midian
Moses grows up and one day he sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite and he kills the Egyptian and hides the body, to defend the Israelite. He thinks no one sees him. So the next day he goes out and sees two Israelite men fighting and asks why they are fighting each other, and is he going to kill them like he killed the Egyptian. Moses is discovered, and he flees because he doesn't want to be punished for murder. Pharoah finds out and seeks to kill him.
Moses goes to the back side of the desert (well, don't we get to go there a time or two!)
He helps Zipporah to water her flock, and her father gives her to him as a wife.
He stays on the backside of the desert. The king of Egypt dies that is seeking him, and the new king puts more bondage on the Israelites and they start crying out to God.
Burning Bush
So, Moses is out tending the sheep and he sees a burning bush that is not consumed. God speaks to him - do not come near, take your sandals off, this is holy ground.
He wants Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. Every excuse in the book! We all need to listen to God and quit giving him excuses to tell people about God and how He can deliver them from sin.
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