At the end of the Era of the Fathers, God saved those in covenant relationship with Him from a terrible famine. God used the nation of Egypt to shelter His people in a time of need.
Jacob’s son, Joseph, hated by his jealous brothers, was sold by them into Egyptian slavery. However, God later empowered Joseph to interpret the dreams of Pharoah (the ruler of Egypt). Because of this, Pharoah made Joseph a trusted leader in his government. When famine came to the land of Israel and Egypt, Joseph was able to bring his extended family to Egypt where there was food. God had given Joseph prophetic wisdom to prepare for the famine by storing food during the years of plenty.
Unfortunately, in a world full of evil, wicked rulers can take the place of good ones.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore, they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses (Exodus 1:8–11).
As the children of Israel suffered in Egyptian slavery, many chose to abandon their faith and worship the idols of Egypt. Others remained faithful even in hardship. God heard the prayers of His people and planned for their deliverance. But, He would have to take extraordinary steps to reeducate His children as to who He was.