Timeline of the Life of Moses

●Moses is born at a time when Pharaoh has decreed that newborn males of the Children of Israel be killed.

● Moses’ mother places him in the river when she sees the soldiers of Pharaoh approaching. When the soldiers leave and she goes to retrieve Moses, she finds that he has been taken downriver and ends up at the Palace of Pharaoh.

● He is adopted by Pharaoh and his wife, yet refuses to be suckled by any woman other than his mother, and so is returned to his mother so that she may suckle him.

● Moses becomes an adult, and one day in the city sees an Egyptian man and an Israelite fighting. The Israelite seeks Moses’ help and Moses goes to intervene but inadvertently kills the Egyptian man.

● Moses flees out of fear of Pharaoh’s tyranny and settles in a place called Madyan where he marries.

● After ten years, Moses and his family leave. On the way, Moses is spoken to by God and anointed as a Messenger.

● Moses requests that his brother Aaron is also made a Messenger for help and support.

● They go to Pharaoh and call him to God and demand that he frees the Children of Israel.

● Pharaoh refuses, so Moses shows him the sign of the staff turning into a serpent.

● Pharaoh sees this as sorcery and demands that Moses duel with his magicians to show that his magicians are mightier than Moses. They agree upon a time and place.

● When the magicians see how their magic is swallowed by the staff of Moses, they fall bowing down in submission, and accept the call of Moses.

● God sends subsequent signs to Pharaoh but Pharaoh rejects each one.

● The wife of Pharaoh would eventually believe in Moses.

● Eventually, the signs are too great and many, so Pharaoh agrees to free the Children of Israel.

● Pharaoh then regrets his decision and assembles his armies to pursue Moses and his people.

● Moses and the Children of Israel come to the sea and find Pharaoh and his army behind them in pursuit. God commands Moses to strike the sea with his staff and the sea parts for Moses and his people. Pharaoh and his armies follow into the sea, but the sea merges again and they are all drowned.

● Moses and the Children of Israel go towards the Promised Land.

● Moses leaves for forty nights to meet God and receive the Torah. During his absence, some of his people fashion a golden calf out of their jewellery and begin to worship it as God.

● Moses returns angry and rebukes his people for worshipping the calf besides God, despite all of God’s favours upon them.

● As they approach the Promised Land, the Children of Israel are instructed that they must fight the evil people who reside therein. The Children of Israel refuse and instead tell Moses to go and fight with his God.

● God decrees that the Children of Israel will wander the land for forty years without being able to enter the Holy Land.

● It is during those years that Moses passes away.