The phrase, “Israelites’ Journey”, has come to stand as a metaphor for a stressful, interminable and agonizing journey that is all too involving.

It derives from the unnecessarily long and tortuous journey of the Jews in their flight from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, through the Red Sea, led by Moses; a journey which ordinarily should have taken a couple of weeks of straight, uninterrupted movement, took them forty years to achieve. Quite incredible! 

The Jews had been held captive in Egypt for approximately four hundred years as foretold to Abraham in a dream: ‘Know beforehand that your future offspring will be sojourners in a land not their own, and they will subjugate them in servitude and afflict them for four hundred years’” (Genesis 15:13).

Canaan was an ancient region in the eastern Mediterranean which covers modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Jordan. 

The Israelites had settled gradually in Egypt. Joseph, the favourite of the twelve sons of Jacob, was sold into slavery in Egypt by his elder brothers where, by helping the reigning Pharaoh to interpret his dream correctly, he became his Assistant.

Then there was widespread famine, but Egypt was well-stocked. Joseph’s brothers were sent by their father, Jacob, to go to Egypt for food where they ironically met Joseph who had great influence in the country.

That led to Jacob and his family subsequently settling in Egypt and the Israelites followed suit until their population became so large that they posed a threat to the Egyptian authority. 

In the long run, Joseph’s influence began to wane when new Pharaohs who did not know Joseph came into power, and the Israelites began to face Egyptian hostility (Exodus 1:1-10).

After four hundred years, God sent Moses and Aaron to approach Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave in peace, but Pharaoh was adamant. But the Lord had predicted their eventual freedom and departure with great assurance (Genesis 15:14). 

It was also an opportunity for God to perform several miracles in Egypt through Moses and his elder brother, Aaron, as signs for Pharaoh to release the people of God.

The full account of the various miracles and punitive measures against the Egyptians can be found in Exodus, Chapters 7 to 12. And the Lord said to Moses: “Behold, I have appointed you as the god of Pharaoh. And Aaron, your brother, will be your prophet” (Exodus 7:1).

Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to reluctant Pharaoh. The Lord worked several miracles through them, while the sorcerers of Pharaoh countered every action of Moses with their own magical display and this hardened Pharaoh’s heart. 

Then several plagues were sent into Egypt at different times, and, overwhelmed by the destruction, Pharaoh appealed to Moses and Aaron to pray to the Lord to stop the pounding of Egypt, promising to release the Israelites (Exodus 9:27-28).

The Lord finally afflicted the Egyptians with one more plague, with every firstborn in Egypt dying (Exodus 11:5), and there was great anguish in the land, from which only the Israelites were protected. 

After a period of “four hundred and thirty years” (Exodus 2 12:40) of being held captive in Egypt, the children of Israel were led out of Egypt by Moses and Aaron, having observed the Passover Feast as the Lord had instructed (Exodus 12:50-51).

But the Egyptians decided to follow and recapture the fleeing Israelites who became exceedingly afraid. Pharaoh harnessed his chariot, and he took all the people with him, including 600 chosen chariots, to pursue the fleeing Israelites (Exodus 14:6-8).

But Moses reassured his people that “the Egyptians, whom you now see, you will see no more” (Exodus 14:13). 

Upon the Lord’s instruction, Moses stretched his staff towards the Red Sea, and it parted into two, with walls of water to the right and to the left, and the children of Israel walked safely through on dry land.

When all the Egyptians had entered between the walls of water, Moses stretched his hand over the sea which closed up, drowning the entire Egyptian army, leaving not a single one of them alive (Exodus 14:28). And that ended the ordeal of the Israelites at the hands of the Egyptians. 

But the journey through the Wilderness became unduly prolonged because the people became rebellious and disobedient against God, proving too stubborn for Moses to handle.

Their first major complaint was hunger, and God came to their aid with honey-like manna from heaven, for six days of the week. On the sixth day, they gathered enough to cover the seventh day. Later, quails (tiny birds or partridges) were added as the evening meal. The Lord also provided water from the rock of Horeb by asking Moses to strike the rock with his magical staff (Exodus 17:6). 

When the people became recalcitrant, fiery snakes were then sent among them to strike them as a form of punishment, and they repented, begging Moses to save them from these serpents.

The Lord asked Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it up as a sign. “Whoever, having been struck, gazes upon it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8). Thus were the people rescued from the deadly serpents. The bronze serpent was a precursor to the Holy Cross of Christ which brings salvation to all who look up to it.

 In the third month of their departure from Egypt, the people arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. The Lord commanded Moses to ascend Mount Sinai alone where he received the Ten Commandments, after fasting for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28), the covenant on which God’s worship is founded till today.

After leading the people for 40 years, Moses, now 120, grew weary with age. And God spoke to him: “Ascend onto this mountain, Abarim, and contemplate from there the land, which I will give to the sons of Israel” (Numbers 27:12). This mountain was on the edge of Canaan.

Thus, Moses saw the Promised Land, but did not live to enter it. This was because the Lord was angry with Moses, for showing lack of faith when they needed water on another occasion: Moses rebuked the restive crowd: “Listen, you who are rebellious and unbelieving. Would we be able to cast out water from this rock?” (Numbers 20:10).

He struck the stone twice, and water gushed out, disproving him. God angrily told Moses and Aaron that they would not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12). “And Moses, the servant of the Lord, died in that place, in the land of Moab, by order of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 34:4-7).

God then appointed Joshua, the son of Nun, to take over from Moses to complete the Israelites’ journey (Numbers 27:18).