The Story of Departing from Egypt, Part 1 (Exodus 12-13)

Pharaoh’s son was dead, and the same was true of the first born son of every family in Egypt. The people were afraid they would also be killed if they did not let their Hebrew slaves go. They said, “We be all dead men,” and they did everything they could to rush their previous slaves out of Egypt even giving them all kinds of gifts. In fact, they gave them everything they asked for including jewels, gold, and clothing. In a way this might have been a form of payment for all the harm done to the Hebrew slaves over the years. There were about 600,000 men besides women and children that departed from Egypt that night. That was a lot of people, probably over a million. Besides the people, there were very large flocks and herds of sheep and cattle. Moses also took the bones of Joseph with them for that was his request before he died. How would all these people and animals find their way? How would they make it back to their own land, the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendents? Of course, God who brought them out of Egypt would certainly help them find their way home. All they had to do was trust and obey him. The Bible says that “the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” Whenever the cloud or fire stopped, they stopped. Whenever the cloud or fire moved forward, they moved forward. It only took a few days for them to arrive at the shore of the Red Sea, and there were mountains on each side of them. How will they get across the sea, and do you think they are rid of Pharaoh forever?