Moses’ Story, Part One: “Israel was in Egypt’s Land.”

After the meal was finished, along with the small talk, and enjoying each other's company; Moses cleared his throat. He looked around at this small broken family of his and smiled, saying, "Well. God has protected us once again.

And now, I think it's time we all trade stories, and get on the same page of life. I'll start, and we can each go in turn, until we achieve that…

I would like to tell you guys what happened between me and Rameses. Why we are free now; and most importantly, why I won't be making it to the Promised Land."

Hur leaned forward with his forearms on his knees, as he sat on the ground. Ezrae reached over for his staff, and when he grabbed it, his eyes began to glow, as he turned to Moses and said "I can help with that."

He waved his staff over a small area of sand in front of him, and the particles sprung to life, forming small people and buildings as Moses began to tell his tale.

"It all began with our ancestor Jacob, who came to Egypt with his family; including his sons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Joseph, Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

In total, they were seventy individuals who settled in Egypt, in the year 1800, where Joseph had risen to a position of power in his older age.

However, as time passed, Joseph and all his brothers, as well as that entire generation of Israelites, the roots of our lineage, passed away. A new Pharaoh ascended the throne in Egypt, around 1700 or so; a warlord from Hyksos by the name of Salitis.

Salitis had no knowledge of, or appreciation for, Joseph, or the nation of Israel's contributions to the old kingdom of Egypt. He saw that we, the Israelites, had grown in number and had become a numerous and powerful people. Fearing that we might join forces with Egypt's enemies in times of war, the new Pharaoh devised a plan to 'deal with us.'

He appointed harsh taskmasters, armed with barbed whips, spears, and hekau; to oversee us, and keep us in line. They forced us into physical labor, and threatened us with death and harm; in order to get us to work harder, and keep us obedient.

We were subjected to incredibly harsh forced labor, constructing storage cities, like Pithom and Rameses; pyramids for various important figures; and many other forms of architecture, for Pharaoh's benefit.

Despite this oppression, we continued to multiply, keeping steadfast to the Word and Laws of our Lord Yahweh. We spread throughout the land, our population and faith ever-growing; which in turn, alarmed the Egyptians even more…

It was around this time that the next king from Hyksos took power, who went by the name of Khyan the Conqueror. He was brutal, encouraging his guard to ruthlessly compel us to work, and allowed them to be even free-er with their physical abuse, making our lives incredibly bitter.

With arduous tasks such as brick-making, building nearly impossible feats of architecture, and toiling away in agricultural failure. The Egyptians intended to break the spirit of Israel through these harsh conditions.

Khyan ruled from approximately 1640-1600, and under his rule, Israelites were expected to join the military, fight, and die on behalf of Egypt.

Next was the last ruler from Hyksos in this era. Apophis took power the year that Khyan died, and ruled until 1547, when a military contingency made up of Israelites and Egyptians of all classes banded together to overthrow the Hyksos rulers, and re-claim Egyptian rule.

Ahmose I had been the instigator of this Revolution, when he led a revolutionary militia made up of Israelites and Egyptians of all classes, who banded together to overthrow the Hyksos rulers, and reclaim the rightful Egyptian rule.

In addition, Ahmose I had promised the Israelites that he would give them freedom if they helped the Egyptians rise up and revolt against their foreign rulers.

Of course, he lied, and when he successfully took power, he also seized control of Israel. He ruled until his death in 1525.

Between the Pharaoh Ahmose I and Pharaoh Seti I, who was the father of Ramses II; there were approximately 8 other egyptian pharoahs, including Seti I's father, Rameses I; as the New Dynasty came together to build a golden age of prosperity.

In this time, the nation of Israel of course continued to expand and multiply, claiming positions of power throughout Egypt, and standing steadfast in our beliefs.

Pharaoh Ramses I, in a desperate attempt to control our population growth, put forth a truly horrific decree to all the midwives of Egypt in the year 1331... feeling threatened by the size of our population, he commanded the Israelite midwives, Shiphrah, Puah, and their kin, to kill every Israelite baby boy at birth.

However, these brave midwives feared God more than man, and chose to defy the Pharaoh's command. They let the boys live, hiding them instead, and showing compassion and reverence for the sanctity of life, as Yahweh would have it.

When Rameses I discovered that the midwives had disobeyed his orders, he confronted them, demanding an explanation for their actions. The midwives responded cleverly, telling Pharaoh that the Israelite women were strong, empowered by Yah, and gave birth before they could arrive, to carry out the gruesome command.

This courage and faith in God, in the face of adversity, did not go unnoticed. God blessed the midwives for their righteous actions, and the Israelite population continued to grow and thrive. As a result, the midwives themselves were blessed with families of their own.

Nevertheless, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and in time he passed that hatred down to his son, Seti I. When Rameses I passed away in 1305, Seti I took his place, and immediately issued an even darker decree, commanding not just the midwives, but ALL of the people of egypt to throw any and every newborn Israelite son into the Nile, and let them drown. However, he allowed the daughters to live.

This marked the beginning of a truly dark chapter in our history, as we were subjected to harsh oppression and the cruel separation of families; mothers ripped from their children, fathers turned into slaves, and children used for selfish and nefarious reasons…