THE BURNING BUSH

While Moses was looking after a flock of sheep in the desert near Mount Horeb, god spoke to him from the flames of a burning bush, god said “Tell pharaoh to release my people. I will be with you all the time.”

• Ten times pharaoh refused Moses’ request to let the Hebrews go. After a series of dreadful plagues that ended in the death of every Egyptian first born male, pharaoh finally allowed Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. Through Moses, God was taking them to the land that he had promised to Abraham.

The golden calf

• During the forty days that Moses was on the mountain with god, the people became impatient. Because Moses wasn't with them, they felt that god had abandon them, they made a golden calf that they worshiped instead of God. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw that the people had turned away from god, he ordered the golden calf to be destroyed. He went back up the mountain and pleaded to got to forgive the people. Moses reminded god of the promise that he had first made to Abraham, that his descendants would become a great nation.

After a whole generation had died – including mosses – God finally led the people across the river Jordan into their new home. Under the leadership of Joshua, they captured and destroyed the city of Jericho before occupying the whole Canaan.

THE PROMISED LAND