The Adopted Son: The Story of Moses

by James Hartwell Willard

Then Moses related to Aaron all that God had said to him from the burning bush, told him the part he was to take in God's plan, and showed him the rod which he was to use in performing the wonderful things by which the Israelites were to be convinced that he was their divinely appointed deliverer from the land of Egypt. Then the two brothers went on their way together.

As soon as Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt, they called the people together and told them that God was going to deliver them from their bondage and give them the land of Canaan. At first the Israelites were very thankful for the message, but after the first failure of Moses to get Pharaoh's consent to let them go they began to doubt it, especially as from that time the King imposed harder tasks than ever upon them.

Then Moses and Aaron went a second time to Pharaoh. Aaron threw down his rod and it became a serpent. The magicians of the court did the same thing, and threw down their rods, which became serpents, but Aaron's rod swallowed theirs. Then the King once more refused to let the people go.

"AARON THREW DOWN HIS ROD AND IT BECAME A SERPENT."

Then, one after another, God sent terrible plagues upon the Egyptian people to show Pharaoh that He was the one Living and True God and that the children of Israel must be allowed to go to the land He had promised them.

The first of these plagues was the changing of the waters of the Nile into blood. The Egyptians were a very cleanly people, paying great attention to their bodies, and were generally dressed in white. They were accustomed to bathe in the Nile, and its appearance at this time must have filled them with loathing. But Pharaoh again refused to let the people go.

Then one after another eight more plagues were sent upon the land. They were equally disgusting to such a people and gave them the greatest discomfort possible, but, while Pharaoh relented from time to time, he persisted in his refusal to let the children of Israel depart from his kingdom.

During all this time the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was exempt from these inflictions. Pharaoh must have known this and he must have begun to understand that their God punished those who refused to do as He told them, but he was obstinate and still refused his consent. It required another and a more severe judgment before Pharaoh consented to let the children of Israel go.

It was now the month of Nisan or Abib, which means the "month of green ears," and in consequence of what occurred at that time Abib has ever since been the first month of the Hebrew sacred year. By God's command the blood of a lamb was to be sprinkled upon the sides and top of the doorway to every Israelitish home. The lamb itself was to be roasted and eaten by the family, who were to be dressed for a journey and ready to start on it at a moment's notice.