(The Greatest Rescue continued)
3: Master Restorer Preparation
Sin Multiplies
Adam and Eve had to leave the garden to go out in the world and make a living on their own. They became the father and mother of the whole world. To their children they passed along their nature to sin. It seems as if Adam and Eve continued to turn from God and His ways, because most of their descendants were very wicked. Violence and corruption filled the earth. God was sorrowful and after several generations He was ready to destroy all the people.
Earth Cleansed of Sin by a Flood
But a man named Noah found grace in God's sight. He gave Noah instructions to build a huge boat for his wife, their three sons and their wives, and a male and female of every animal on the earth. Yes, God told Noah to build a zoo that would float! After it was built and they were safe inside, it rained 40 days and nights and water covered the whole earth. Only those inside the ark lived, and now the world was again clean and pure from sin. When the waters dried up and they came out, a rainbow appeared in the sky. It was the sign of God's promise that He would never again destroy every person on the earth by a flood.
God's Friend Abraham
The earth free from sin did not last long. Mankind had been infected by sin. God longed for a friend on earth. He called out to a man named Abram (who became Abraham) and Abram had faith in God and became God's friend.
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God .
James 2:23 NKJV
And in this friendship a covenant was made between God and Abraham. God proclaimed wonderful blessings on Abraham, that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. Although Abraham was childless, God promised him a son and and that Abraham's seed would be blessed.
God's Family
Finally God had a family on the earth. Abraham, the Father of Faith, believed God and eventually Isaac, his son of promise, was born. Abraham's family grew and grew. His grandson was Jacob who had 12 sons. The children of Abraham became known as God's chosen people, the Hebrews (also called Jews or Israelites).
God's Family Taken Captive
Jacob's family ended up in Egypt because of a famine in their own land. Miraculously Jacob's son Joseph was in Egypt and second-in-command to the Pharoah! Joseph's family was given great favor and the family grew in number to several million people.
But trouble came after Joseph died, and a new Pharoah came into power. He became afraid God's people would rebel and overtake the land so he made them slaves that were treated very harshly.
God's Family Rescued
When God's people cried out to Him to be rescued, He used Moses to rescue His people out of Egypt. God used 10 plagues to convince the Pharoah to let His people go. Just before they left Egypt, God instituted the Passover. He had Moses to tell each family to put the blood of a perfect lamb over and beside the door of their house and to stay inside the house that night. God himself would 'pass over' each house and look for the blood. If the blood was not over the door, the first born of that house would die.
‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
—Exodus 12:12-13 NKJV
Finally they were able to escape Egypt. God lead them to the Red Sea. There was no bridge or any natural place to cross, but God opened the sea so they marched across on dry land and escaped the enemy that had started to chase them with horses and chariots. After they were across the sea, they must have shuddered as the enemy pounded toward them. But again God interevened and miraculousy closed the path through the sea and destroyed their enemies. Moses led the people in celebrating God's great rescue!
The Temporary Sin Solution
After this great victory you would think that all His people would be true to Him, but they complained and disobeyed. God gave His rules or law (the first 5 books of the Bible) to Moses. These rules included how to treat God and other people, as well as health and legal standards.
But God's people sinned and violated His Law. God was so merciful that He provided a temporary solution to the sin problem, until He could settle it once for all. Once a year on the Great Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies inside the Tabernacle. The High Priest brought the blood of sacrificed animals to cover the sins of the people for one year.
God Provides for His Children
It should have been a short trip between Egypt to Israel, the Promised Land, but it took 40 years because of their disobedience. But neverthless, God went before them in a great pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God provided them daily with fresh food, their clothes did not wear out and there was no sickness among them.
After Moses died, God used Joshua, Moses' assistant, to lead His people into the Promised Land of Israel. Later on God's family was blessed with royalty—King David and King Solomon, plus many other kings of Israel. Solomon built God's Temple in Jerusalem. When their leaders honored and worshipped the true God, there was joy in their land, but when they turned from God and did things their own way it was a sorrowful time. (tell me more)
3: Master Rescuer Prep