St. Anthony's Catholic Church

·       Session four covered the books of Exodus, which is within the red period of Egypt & Exodus; and the book of Numbers, which is within the tan period of the DesertWanderings.

·       We left off with Joseph and his brothers and their families in Egypt during a time a famine.

·       Now 400 years later there is a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph and the Israelite people, who have greatly multiplied, are enslaved,. (That name, Israelite, comes from when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel after wrestling with him)

·       The Pharaoh has even decided that all Israelite male babies must be thrown in the Nile River.

·       Moses was saved and spent 40 years living in Pharaoh’s court and then after killing an Egyptian, who was mistreating one of his people, spent 40 years in the wilderness.

·       Now at the age of 80 he is called by God, through a burning bush, to help his people escape Egypt.  (We are never too old to do God’swill)

·       God has now shared His name with His people – I AM WHO I AM or Yahweh

·       Using the 10 plagues, God shows His people and the Egyptians that He is stronger than their deities, such as the Nile (Hapi) and frogs (Heka) and flies (Khepfi) and the sun (Amon-Re)

·       The last plague was the death of the first-born son.  The Israelites would be spared that sorrow if they sacrificed a lamb (that had been watched to make sure it had no defects), then sprinkled the blood of the lamb on their doorposts with a hyssop branch, roasted the lamb, and then ate the lamb.  The Lord would pass over the door thus marked and the first born would be saved.

·       The Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave and the people of the land gave them gold, livestock, and other supplies for their journey

·       Pharaoh’s heart again hardened and he pursued the Israelites only to have his men, the chariots and their horses drowned in the Red Sea.

·       It was easier to take the Israelites out of Egypt than to take Egypt out of the Israelites.

·       Remember the question God asks through the generations: Will you trust me?

·       God allows for special provisions as they travel in the desert: They receive manna (What is it? or bread from heaven) and their clothes do not rot.  God wants them to completely trust Him.

·       While Moses is on the mountain for 40 days and nights, Aaron is making an idolatrous golden calf with the gold from the Israelite people – They have already broken the Covenant.

·       When a Covenant with God is broken who will die? God or the Israelites?

·       From this moment on the priesthood would only be for those from the tribe of Levi – specifically from the line of Aaron (because he later slew those who were planning to abandon Moses)

·       At the edge of the Promised Land the 12 spies come back and 10 caution them not to go into the land.  Joshua and Caleb encourage the people to trust in God – they would be the only ones over the age of 20 to later enter the Promised Land.  (Even Moses is denied this since he hit the rock twice to get water instead offollowing God’s command to only speak to the rock)

·       Moses’ parting words of advice: TEACH YOUR CHILDREN– the key to living in a hostile culture that worships idols and sacrifices their children is to TEACH YOUR CHILDREN.

·       Now the peoplewill wander in the desert for 40 years and slowly take turns dying. Their children would be the ones to enter at the end of those 40 years…