Page 30 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

Israel conquers Canaan - The Assyrians -

The Land of Greece - Israel, the Center of the World

Connect…

Have you ever had someone promise you something, but did not come through? Perhaps your father or
mother promised to come to a special event but did not come. Years ago, I was on a baseball team as a
youth. Our team made it into the final championship game. My dad promised to come to my game, but
never showed up. It was the only game during my baseball career that I hit a home run and won the
game for our team. I was even pictured in the newspaper the next day as the guys carried me off on
their shoulders. While it was an amazing experience, it fell short because of the disappointment I
experienced when my dad did not keep his word.

The Lord promised Israel a land. And for hundreds of years, they camped out on another’s land. Today,
God, who is always faithful to keep his word, will fulfill his promise and bring Israel into their Promised
Land. It is an exciting time in the life of Israel. Let’s study it …

The Lesson ...

Moses leads Israel out of Egypt.

God had made a promise to Abraham over 500 years before Moses came on the scene in Egypt to give
the Children of Israel a land in Canaan.

For 430 years, Abraham’s descendants had been slaves in the land of Egypt. God sent Moses to tell
Pharaoh to free the Israelites to go and worship Him.

Pharaoh would not listen to Moses or God, so God sent 10 terrible plagues upon the land of Egypt. God
used the hardened heart of Pharaoh to demonstrate His incredible power to not only the Egyptians, but
to the children of Israel. The last plague brought the death of the firstborn of every family and of every
animal. As a result of this plague, Pharaoh told Moses to leave Egypt.

It wasn’t long, however, before Pharaoh changed his mind. Furious at the people of God for what God
had done to his own family and to all of Egypt, Pharaoh sent his armed forces after the escaping
Hebrews. God would use this incident to demonstrate once and for all that He was far greater than the
most powerful man on earth.

Israel was trapped. With the Egyptian forces closing in on one side and the Sea behind them, it looked
like an impossible situation. But the sea was miraculously parted, allowing Israel to cross on dry land.
When the Egyptian forces pursued the people of God, the sea closed, and the Egyptians were destroyed.

27