God s Great Rescue 1
The story of Passover begins with a boy named Joseph. Joseph had 11 brothers, but he was his father s favorite! His dad even gave him a special coat of many colors. 2
His brothers were so jealous that they sold Joseph as a slave, and he was taken to faraway Egypt. 3
Joseph served his master well, but the master s wife accused Joseph of a crime that he didn t do. Joseph was thrown into jail! 4
While Joseph was in jail, the king of Egypt, called Pharaoh, had some crazy dreams that he did not understand. Because Joseph was known as someone who could explain dreams, Pharaoh freed him from jail. 5
Joseph told Pharaoh his dreams were a warning from God that Egypt would soon have a drought. That meant no rain and no food! Joseph suggested Pharaoh store food for the difficult years ahead. 6
Pharaoh was so pleased with Joseph s plan that he put him in charge. Joseph was now second in command over all Egypt! 7
Meanwhile, the land where Joseph s family also was struck by the drought, and they had no food. So they left for Egypt. There they bowed before Joseph and asked for food! They didn t even recognize their brother! 8
When Joseph told them who he was, his brothers were afraid Joseph was still angry. But Joseph forgave his brothers. Soon his whole family moved to Egypt. There they settled and lived in peace for many years. 9
Many years passed, and a new Pharaoh came to rule Egypt. He didn t know anything about Joseph and his family. But he feared the Israelites because there were so many of them. So he made them all slaves. 10
Life was very hard for the Israelites. They couldn t even worship God! They cried out to God to rescue them. God heard their cries and chose a man named Moses to lead them out of Egypt. 11
At first, Moses was afraid to do the job God had given to him. But God told him that He would tell Moses what to say and would help him perform great miracles. God agreed to send Moses brother, too. Finally, Moses said yes! 12
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. But he would not let the people go. Because Pharaoh refused, God sent terrible plagues upon Egypt. 13
First, God turned the Nile River from water to blood. Then he sent thousands of frogs, gnats, then flies into Egypt. After all that, all the animals got sick. Then all the peoples skin was covered in sores. 14
Next God sent a big hailstorm. After that, God sent thousands of locust, and they ate up all the crops. Then God made it dark for three days. Still, Pharaoh refused to let the people go. 15
One last time, Moses went to Pharaoh and told him if he did not let the people go, all the firstborn sons in Egypt would die. To protect the Israelites, God told each family to sacrifice a lamb. 16
God told the Israelites to put some of the lamb s blood around the doorframes of their homes. When the plague of death came, it passed over every home with blood on the doorframes. 17
Finally in his grief, Pharaoh told Moses and the people to leave. Quickly, they packed their belongings and prepared to leave. 18
They followed as God led the way with a cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire at night. They followed God into the desert until they reached the Red Sea. 19
Once the Israelites had left, Pharaoh changed his mind. He sent his army after the Israelites. When the Israelites saw the approaching chariots, they became very frightened! 20
With the Red Sea on one side and the angry Egyptian army on the other, the Israelites were caught! The people cried out in fear, but God commanded Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea. When he did, a great wind blew over the waters and turned the sea into dry land. The people crossed safely! 21
When the Egyptian army followed, the sea swallowed them all up. The Israelites were safe! They sang a song of praise to their mighty God. 22
Ever since that time, Jewish people throughout history have remembered this day when God rescued them from Egypt. 23
They call this holiday Passover because the plague of death passed over the homes of God s people. 24
God told the people to have a special meal to remember what he did for them at Passover. This meal is called the Seder, and Jewish people all over the world celebrate Passover in this way. 25
Children play an important role in the Passover celebration. They ask the four key questions that help everyone tell the Passover story. 26
For Christians, many traditions, such as certain parts of communion or the Lord s Supper, come from the Passover celebration. Jesus and his disciples celebrated Passover! 27
Christians identify Jesus as the Passover lamb. Just like the Israelites were rescued, Christians believe that Jesus rescues them from their sins. 28
Both Jews and Christians know from the wonderful stories of Passover and Easter that God sees us when we are in trouble and that He saves us because of His great love for us! 29
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews 30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2600 Chicago, IL 60602-3356 www.ifcj.org 30