(3) In the Wilderness. Moses fled from the prominence, the refinement, and the luxury of the court to the obscuri4y, the roughness, and the pov erty of the wilderness. Sitting down by a well, the seven daughters of Jethro came up to it with their flocks ; they had scarcely filled the troughs with the water which they drew, when some bar barous fellows came up, and would have the water to their flocks. Moses assisted the dam sels, and drove away the injurious shepherds. Jethro had no sooner heard of his kindness to his daughters, than lie ordered him to be called in, and get a refreshment. Moses hired himself to fced Jethro's flock, and received his daughter Zipporah in marriage. by whom he had two sons. The first he called Gershon:, to denote his being a stranger in that place; the other he called Eltecer, to denote that his God was his help (Exod. ii; Acts vii :2o-29 ; Heb. xi:24, 25, 26).
At last the king of Egypt, by whose daughter Moses had been educated, was dead; but the bondage of the Hebrews still continued under their new tyrant.
(4) The Burning Bush. As Moses one day led his flocks near to the north or west side of Sinai, the Lord appeared to him in a bush burn ing, but not consumed. Moses, astonished, N‘ent near to see the miracle. The Lord spake to him out of the bush, and bade him put off his shoes before he came any nearer, as the spot was sacred by the presence of God. He then declared himself be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and that from regard to his promise, and to the groaps of his oppressed people he now intended to de liver them, and bring them into Canaan, by Moses as the instrument. Moses began to excuse him self, as the Hebrews would not believe that lie had a mission. God promised hitn his presence, and bade hint tell the Hebrews that the GREAT I AM, WI10 is being itself, and gives being to his crea tures, and fulfills every promise, had sent him to inform them of their approaching deliverance; and assured him that they then would believe him. He ordered him to go to Pharaoh, and, in the name of Jehovah, to require him to let the Hebrews go three days' journey into the Arabian Desert, to offer a solemn sacrifice to the Lord. Meanwhile he told him that Pharaoh would not grant this request, till he and his country should be almost ruined by fearful plagues. Moses still excusing himself, God encouraged him by a four fold sign: His rod was turned into a serpent, to signify what plagues it would bring on the Egyp tians. It was returned to a rod. to mark how useful it would prove for the support of the Hebrews. To mark how easily God would weaken the power of the Egyptians, and strengthen the Israelites, Moses' hand, being put into his bosom, became leprous, white as snow; and again returned into his bosom, became sound as the other. These miracles he was ordered to repeat before the He brews, for the confirmation of his' mission ; and if necessary, to add the taking of water out of the river, and it should become blood. Moses then
urged that he had not a ready utterance of speech, and begged to be excused, and urged the Lord would send some more proper person. Offended with his unbelief, God told him that he could qualify him with speech; and that Aaron, who was just coming to meet him, should be his as sistant and spokesman. Moses being at last per suaded, went and obtained the leave of his father in-law to go and visit his parents in Egypt. He took his wife and children along with him. As they were in an inn by the way, an angel threat ened to slay Moses, it is supposed on account of his neglect to circumcise his child. or children. To prevent his death. Zipporah took a sharp stone, and having cut off her child's foreskin, cast or laid it at the feet either of her husband or of the child, and said that now she bad preserved his life by bloodshed, and he or his son was now her bloody bridegroom. Zipporali and her children returned to her father ; but Moses pursued his course into Egypt, and was met by Aaron his brother. They told the Hebrews what God had said, and showed them the signs; the people be lieved and were filled with joyful expectation of deliverance (Exod. iii, iv).
.(5) In Goshen. Arrived at Goshen, Moses and Aaron at once began the discharge of their coninnssion. But their primary efforts only in creased the subject people's burdens, and the two brothers were wellnigh in despair. Then began the scries of miraculous visitations recounted in Exod. vii-xii. The last of the plagues when the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain caused Pharaoh's servants to influence him to give the Hebrews their dismission. By the sprinkling of the blood of the Passover Iambs on the doorposts and upper lintels, they had their families protected from the destroying angel (Exod. v-xii; Deut. iv: 34, and xi:3; IIeb. xi:23-29).
3. The Exodus. The third period begins with the Exodus. The Hebrews having taken their de parture from Egypt in great haste, and having car ried along with them a good part of the wealth of the Egyptians, took their journey to the south east. Pharaoh and his people repented of letting them go; and with a mighty army pursued them, and ahnost overtook them on the west ,of the Red Sea. The Hebrews murtnured against Moses, for bringing them out of Egypt. Moses prayed to the Lord for deliverance. By God's direction, he stretched his rod over the Red Sea, and it (where perhaps about eighteen miles broad), parted asun der, and gave the Hebrews an easy passage. By taking off the wheels of their chariots, and darken ing their way, the Lord retarded the march of the Egyptians ; and when the Hebrews were all over, and the Egyptians all in the channel, Moses, at God's direction, stretched his rod to the sea, and it, moved by a strong wind, suddenly returned, and drowned the host. (See MENEPTAH, INSCRIP TIONS oF.) On the east side of the sea. Moses and the men, and Miriam and the women of Israel, sung a song of praise for their miraculous deliverance.