Moses
The people of Israel had come out of Egypt, where they had been slaves. Moses led them into the desert, away from everything that had held them.
But Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, changed his mind. The people he had let go, he now wanted back. He gathered his chariots and his army and went after them.
And the people of Israel looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them. The army of Egypt was coming.
Israel camped by the sea, and there was nowhere left to go. In front of them lay the water, wide and deep. Behind them came Pharaoh with all his chariots and his horsemen.
When the people looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, they were terrified. "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us here to die?" they cried to Moses.
The sea in front. The army behind. That is where they stood.
Stop and picture it for a moment: water ahead, an army behind, and nowhere to run.
What would you have done? What would you have said? There is no need to rush the answer. Sit with the feeling for a moment, then turn the page.
Moses answered the people. "Do not be afraid," he said. "Stand firm, and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
The people were trapped. They could not see a way out. But Moses said, "The Lord will fight for you."
The sea is still in front of them. The army is still behind them. What do you think happens next? What would you have wanted to happen? Take a guess, then turn the page and see.
The Lord said to Moses, "Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."
Then the pillar of cloud that had led them before their camp moved behind them, coming between the army of Egypt and the people of Israel. All night it stood there, light on one side for Israel, darkness on the other for Egypt.
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea.
And the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind, all through the night. The water rolled into two walls, and the ground between them became dry.
Israel walked into the sea, between the walls of water, on dry ground. A wall of water stood on their right, and a wall of water stood on their left, and they walked all the way through.
Think about it: the water held back, the dry path, so many people walking across, all of them safe on the other side.
What in this scene do you think was the most amazing part?
Turn the page and see what happened to the army behind them.
But Pharaoh's army followed them into the sea. All his chariots and horsemen went in after Israel. In the last watch of the night the Lord looked down at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion, and their chariot wheels would not turn.
The Egyptians cried out, "Let us get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt."
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may flow back."
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The waters covered the chariots and the horsemen and the whole army of Pharaoh that had come in after Israel. Not one of them survived.
Think about the moment: the water came back, and the army was gone. Israel stood on dry ground, safe on the far side.
How do you think they felt right then, after the fear and the waiting and the long walk between the walls?
And when they saw what the Lord had done, the Bible says they feared the Lord and put their trust in him, and in his servant Moses.
The army that had chased them was gone. But Israel had walked through on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
How to Talk About This Story With Your Child
This is a story about being trapped: the sea ahead, the army behind, and a night that felt very long. The Bible does not smooth that fear away. It shows the people terrified, and it shows Moses telling them to stand still and watch what the Lord would do.
You do not need to promise a child that every danger will end the way this one did. What the passage gives you is this: in a story, fear can be real, the waiting can be real, and still something can change in the middle of the night.
If your child asks why Pharaoh kept chasing them, the story shows the king changing his mind and gathering his army, and that is all it shows. If they ask what it felt like to walk between the walls of water, you can point to what the passage says: the people went through on dry ground, the water stood on both sides, and afterward they trusted the Lord.
The questions your child has are good questions. You do not need to invent answers the Bible does not give.
Pray Together
You do not have to use these exact words. You can tell God what you think about the story in your own words. Or you can pray this together:
Thank You, God, for the story of Moses and the Red Sea. Thank You that even when the people were trapped and afraid, You made a way. Help us trust You when we are afraid, and help us remember that You are with us. Amen.
The people of Israel stood between the sea and the army of Egypt. They were afraid, and they cried out.
Then the Lord opened the sea. A path of dry ground appeared between two walls of water, and the people walked through. When the army of Egypt followed, the waters came back and covered it.
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." That is what Moses had said. And that is what happened.
If your child enjoyed this story, the Moses and the Red Sea Coloring Book walks through the whole story scene by scene, with a free sample you can try right now.
Continue your family Bible time with more free stories and activities from Little Faith Hands.
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