Just Because: The Story of Salvation for Children (12 page)

dren from being killed when the sword-angel passed

over the houses in Egypt. These instructions were

like a secret map for finding treasure; they were

clues to finding the greatest treasure anyone can find.

Whoever can understand the clues can find the trea-

sure and live in paradise forever.

He told them to get a lamb for each family, a

lamb that was perfect in every way. The lamb must

be chosen four days before the fourteenth day, which

as you remember was the day the sword-angel would

visit Egypt. Then on the fourteenth day of the month

they must kill the lamb in the late afternoon and place

some of the lamb’s blood on the top and sides of their

front door frame. Then they must attach the lamb to

113

Just Because

a piece of wood to cook it, and they must not break

any of the lamb’s bones. They also had to remove

bread with yeast stuff in it because this was a way

to teach them about sin in their lives. In those days

when bread had this yeast and it was left uncooked it

turned black all the way through. People who don’t

let the Lord take the sin out of their lives end up with

sin all the way through, but more about that later.

The Israelites thought these instructions were

very strange. They didn’t understand the meaning of

these things, and neither did old Satan, but the Lord

was pointing to the future when He would come

to earth to die on a cross to pay for all the evil and

sins of people in the world. Jesus would come into

Jerusalem four days before He died, He would be

killed in the late afternoon, He would be attached to

a piece of wood, and none of His bones would be

broken. The blood the Israelites placed on their door

frames was in the shape of a cross, and Jesus would

die on a cross. Jesus would also be called the Lamb

of God, a lamb perfect in every way.

All the Israelites who believed the blood of the

lamb would save them and who acted in faith and

placed the blood on their doorposts would be saved

from death. In the same way, when we believe Jesus

died for our sins and believe in faith that He was

raised from the dead, we are also saved from death.

Isn’t God amazing?

So on the fourteenth of the month the sword-

angel of God came and passed over the houses of

those who believed the Lord and placed the blood

over their doors. This night is called the Passover,

114

Just Because

because the angel passed over the faithful people’s

homes, but in the homes of the Egyptians their oldest

children died.

Pharaoh’s own son died, and finally he told the

people to go. The people of Egypt gave the Israelites

gold and animals and jewels and pleaded with them

to go. And so they packed all they had and started on a

journey to Canaan, the land the Lord had promised to

give to Abraham’s descendants. And all those people

were Abraham’s descendants. They were happy. They

were no longer slaves and poor; now they were free

and rich. Egypt became a rich country because the

Lord blessed it through Joseph four hundred years

before. But they made the people who blessed them

into slaves and made them work for no money. Then

the Pharaoh killed their baby boys. But God heard

their prayers and came to rescue them.

So God led the people out of Egypt, and He gave

them a sign to watch so they would know He was

with them. He put a column of smoke up in the air

like a pillar in front of them during the day and a

pillar of fire at night. He led them out into the desert

toward the Red Sea, and what an amazing sight they

were. Two million people with all the possessions the

people of Egypt had given them and all their animals.

Geese, sheep, donkeys, camels, goats, ducks, hens

and cattle, and all moving and quaking and whatever

else. What a lot of noise and dust there was!

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, just as

the people had promised to do, and they set out for

the promised land of Israel. After a long walk they

came to the Red Sea, and there they camped. The

115

Just Because

next morning they saw a large cloud of dust, which

was coming toward them from Egypt. It was Pharaoh.

Yep, I know it is hard to believe, but that crazy man

changed his mind again. He had decided to go and

get the people of Israel and take them back as slaves

again. He had his best army with him. Six hundred

chosen warriors riding in chariots, plus thousands of

warriors on horses and tens of thousands of soldiers

walking. The people of Israel had no weapons to

defend themselves, and they were very afraid.

So they asked Moses, “Have you brought us out

of the land of Egypt so Pharaoh and his soldiers can

kill us all?”

But Moses told them to have faith and trust the

Lord. “Do you think the Lord our God has brought

us out of Egypt with miracles and plagues just to let

Pharaoh kill us?” he asked them.

Moses prayed, and the Lord told him to lift up his

staff and touch the waters of the Red Sea.

When Moses touched the water a strong wind

began to blow on the water. A huge wave of water

became like a wall, and a path opened up through the

sea. As the wind kept blowing it pushed the water

into two large walls with dry ground between. And

then the long pillar of cloud moved. It went behind

the people and stood between them and the Egyptian

soldiers and the pillar of fire lit the way for the

people of Israel to cross the sea. The Egyptians were

afraid to move toward the pillar of cloud so they just

watched as the people were escaping.

The Israelites walked through the ocean on dry

land with a wall of water on their left and right,

116

Just Because

hundreds of feet high, and it took a day to get them

all to the other side.

When all the people were safe the Lord removed

His pillar of cloud, and the Egyptians cheered and

whipped their horses and followed the people of God

into the path between the walls of water. The Lord

caused the wheels to fall off their chariots and the

dry ground to become deep mud, and the soldiers

were afraid. They were about halfway through by

now, and they realised the Lord was fighting for the

Israelites. They were then terrified. Then the Lord

commanded Moses to stretch out his hand over the

water. The walls of water came crashing down upon

the Egyptians, and they all drowned. The people

stood beside the sea. When they saw the dead bodies

of the Egyptian army washed up on the beach they

knew the Lord was very powerful, and they believed

He was with them.

Then the people of Israel and Moses wrote a song

and sang it to the Lord. The song was all about what

happened that day, and they praised God for all He

had done. They sang and danced and were very happy.

They were free after four hundred years. They were

starting a new life, and God was with them. The Lord

had kept His promise to bring them out of Egypt,

and Pharaoh no longer had power over the people.

Satan was not so happy; in fact he was very angry

at what had happened. But he had been preparing a

BIG surprise for the Israelites, and he was counting

on his secret surprise to stop God’s promise coming

true, Just Because he always tries to stop people from

obeying and loving the Lord.

117

Chapter 21

k

Over the next few months the people had to learn

to trust the Lord. They were now in a desert,

which was called Sinai, and there was not much more

than sand and rocks. For three days they couldn’t find

any fresh water to drink. And so they complained to

Moses. Now Moses had spent forty years as a shep-

herd in this area, so he knew where to go. Now you

can see the Lord had been getting Moses ready to

lead the people after he had to run away from Egypt

the first time.

Soon they came to a pool that was filled with

bad poisoned water. The Lord told Moses to throw

a branch into it, and he did. It became beautiful cool

sweet water, and the people were happy again. Later

they came to Elim where they found an oasis with

palm trees, olive trees and twelve fresh wells. It was

like a holiday resort, and they stayed and had a nice

rest. God was still leading them with the pillar of

cloud by day, and at night there was a pillar of fire

119

Just Because

hanging above their camp so they would know the

Lord was watching over them.

After their vacation at Elim, they all set out

and came to the desert of Sin. The people became

hungry, and soon they started to moan and complain

to Moses.

“Hey, Moses,” said one particular guy. “What are

we supposed to eat out here, man? There’s nothing

but sand and rock. It would have been better if we

had stayed in Egypt as slaves. At least we had some-

thing to eat in Egypt.”

“When you complain, you are not complaining

against me, but against the Lord,” said Moses. “It is

He who brought you out of Egypt.”

Then Moses told the people of Israel to gather

around, and he climbed on a high rock and spoke

to them. “If you will just trust in God, then He will

provide for you. He knows what you need. You don’t

need to moan and grumble; just ask Him. He is your

heavenly Father, and He will take care of you.”

“The Lord has told me to tell you that from

tomorrow until we reach the Promised Land, He

will give us bread to eat in the morning and meat at

night.”

“How is he going to make bread?” some smarty-

pants shouted. “There’s no flour or water out here.

I’m not going to eat sand bread. And, hey, Moses,

there’s no meat out here either. We haven’t got many

animals. Or does God expect us to eat each other?”

“Silence!” yelled Moses. “I have told you that

you only need to trust in God. Hasn’t He shown you

enough yet that you can’t trust Him? You’ve just

120

Just Because

walked through the Red Sea and watched the Egyptian

army die. Trust Him, you stubborn people.”

Moses was right, wasn’t he? They had seen

amazing things, so why would it be hard for the Lord

to feed them? Anyway, they should know by now

that when the Lord said He would do something He

ALWAYS does it.

As Moses was speaking the people saw the glory

of the Lord appear in the pillar of cloud above them.

“The Lord has said to tell you that tomorrow morning

you will have as much bread as you can eat and

tomorrow evening as much meat as you can eat.”

The next morning the people came out of their

tents to see something on the ground that looked like

large pieces of frost.

“What is it?” they asked.

“It is the bread which the Lord promised would

come,” said Moses. “Gather enough for each of you

to eat for one day, and no more.”

After the people had gathered as much as they

could eat, the bread melted and disappeared.

The bread was called manna. It was delicious. It

tasted just like fresh baked Sunday bread with butter

and honey on top. Well, some people disobeyed and

gathered twice as much as they needed because they

didn’t believe God would feed them again the next

morning. But the bread they kept got smelly during

the night and full of little black worms, so they had

to throw it out.

That evening, after the first bread came, a huge

flock of quails came and landed in the camp. Now

quails are birds that taste a bit like chicken when they

121

Just Because

are cooked up. So that night the people had fresh

meat that tasted a bit like Kentucky fried quail. Now

I know they didn’t have coleslaw, mashed potatoes

and gravy, and a cold soda, which of course would

have been cool, but at least they couldn’t complain

about not having bread and meat.

The Lord gave the people a commandment, and

that means He gave them a special rule. On the sixth

day of each week they were to gather twice as much

manna, and on the seventh day of each week the

people were to have a rest. This day was called the

Sabbath. On the Sabbath there was no manna in the

morning, and only on the Sabbath did the manna stay

fresh for the whole day. Isn’t God cool?

Do you remember when the Lord created the

earth that He rested on the Sabbath. Well, the

Sabbath was declared a holy day by the Lord, a day

to remember everything that had happened to them

and to remember God and think about Him. But

still some of them went out to gather manna on the

Sabbath, for they would not trust God, Just Because,

some people are not very wise when it comes to