Birth of a Chosen Nation
For centuries, God’s chosen people had been forced to work as slaves for the Egyptian king. More than 400 years earlier, God had promised Abraham, the father of their nation, a land of their own. But it had not happened yet. So for these many long years they held onto the hope that God would deliver them.
The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers tell the amazing story of Israel’s redemption. Under the leadership of God’s prophet Moses, the children of Israel escaped from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. Their passage was a miracle. It freed them from slavery and moved them closer to the Promised Land.
Their journey ended about 40 years later. At this time, Moses’s successor, Joshua, led the people through water again—this time the Jordan River. Finally, they were able to enter the land God had promised to Abraham. From the Red Sea to the Jordan River, God revealed Himself and His ways to this vast multitude. These books contain some of the richest examples we have of God’s faithfulness, power, and holiness. We can learn much about Him—and about human nature—from the stories in these pages.