The Passover and the Red Sea

God's people, the Israelites, had been slaves in Egypt for a very long time. God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh, the king, to set them free. God sent plague after plague, terrible troubles, on Egypt, but each time Pharaoh said no.

So God told Moses and his brother Aaron how the people should get ready for one last night. Each family chose a young lamb that was healthy and perfect. They put some of its blood on the frame of their front door. They roasted the lamb and ate it with flat bread made without yeast and with bitter herbs. They ate with their sandals on and their walking sticks in their hands, ready to leave in a hurry. God named this meal the Passover, and he told his people to remember it every year.

That night was a very sad one for Egypt. In every Egyptian home, the oldest son died. But God passed over the houses marked with the lamb's blood, and the Israelite families were safe.

In the middle of the night Pharaoh called for Moses and told him to take the people and leave. So the Israelites left Egypt, a huge crowd of families with their flocks. God led them himself, in a tall cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

But soon Pharaoh changed his mind. He chased them with his chariots and soldiers. The Israelites were trapped between the army and the sea, and they were terrified. Moses told them not to be afraid, because God would save them.

God told Moses to hold his staff out over the water. All night a mighty wind blew, and the sea split in two, with water standing up on both sides. The Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry land!

When the Egyptian army followed them in, the water rushed back, and the soldiers died in the sea. It was very sad. But God's people were safe on the other shore, and they trusted God.

Christians call Jesus our Passover Lamb. He saves us too.