Jacob brought his family to Egypt to be with Joseph. They had many children and became a nation of people. The Egyptian people forgot the good leadership of Joseph. They were afraid of the Israelites, and they made them slaves. The children of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel lived as slaves in Egypt for 400 years. During this time of slavery God raised up a great prophet named Moses. Even though the children of Abraham were slaves, they had a clear understanding of the true God. They were also a strong family of people. They were ready to follow the ways of their fathers. God called Moses to lead the people out of slavery to the land that God had promised to Abraham more than 400 years earlier.
Moses was born to an Israelite family in Egypt. Moses’ father was named Amram (Imran) and his mother was Jochabed. When he was born, he was hidden in a basket in the Nile River to escape the Egyptian law that Israelite boy babies should be killed. From the river, he was rescued by the daughter of the king of Egypt, and he grew up to be a prince in the land of Egypt. However, Moses was not satisfied to live as an Egyptian because he wanted to protect his people who were suffering. He killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite and had to run away from Egypt. Forty years later, God powerfully called Moses from the wilderness where he was keeping sheep:
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him [Moses] in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up…. God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” Exodus, the second book of the Taurat of Prophet Moses, 3.2-6
God gave instructions to Moses to go back to Egypt and lead his people out of slavery. He was to lead them into the Promised Land to worship God. Moses was afraid of what would happen, so God gave him some signs of his power. He told Moses to throw his walking stick on the ground and it became a snake. When he took hold of it again, it became a stick. God also told him that Moses’ brother Aaron (Harun) would help him in the work of saving their people and telling Egypt what God planned.