III.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OfrNOaa2Jk

The above song isn't listed as Christian and I chose this version because of the backstory of the young woman.  It 's a shortened version of the song.  Chosen first for inspiration in that the singer is a cancer survivor with a beautiful, expressive voice.  Chosen for the message which kind of underscores Moses' time as leader of the People.

In the book Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication, Chuck Swindoll writes on the very first page of the first chapter that any historian looking back on your life needs a very particular point of view:

"If he is wise, he will remember that you are a product of your time.All of us are.  That' an important point to keep in mind when your considering anyone's life. We cannot and must not separate a person from his or her times.  our moment in history and our unique, individual circumstances become the anvil upon which our character is beaten out and formed. We will either rise to the rise to the challenge of our times, or we will remain on the sidelines."

Swindoll's point is that Moses rises from his beginnings to be a man of God in a moment of historical transition.

But let's agree with him in considering the time of  Moses, understanding we have the Biblical record and some historical evidence of those times, but not a lot of it.

http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-date-1440bc.htm

1. The date of the exodus was 1446 BC when Israel left Egypt and 1406 BC when they crossed the Jordan into the promised land.
2. The Bible is consistent and clear on this date: 1 Kings 6:1; Judges 11:26; Acts 13:19. The three verses are powerful, convincing and consistent.

1Ki 6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year that Solomon was king of Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, the building of the Lord's house was started. (BBE)

Jg 11:26 While Israel was living in Heshbon and its daughter-towns and in Aroer and its daughter-towns and in all the towns which are by the side of the Arnon, for three hundred years, why did you not get them back at that time? (BBE)

Ac 13:16 And Paul, getting up and making a sign with his hand, said, Men of Israel, and you who have the fear of God, give ear. 17 The God of this people Israel made selection of our fathers, lifting the people up from their low condition when they were living in the land of Egypt, and with a strong arm took them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with their ways in the waste land. 19 And having put to destruction seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them the land for their heritage for about four hundred and fifty years. (BBE)

1. When Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to Midian for 40 years from Thutmoses II who was Pharaoh from 1498-1485 BC.
2. Thutmoses III was the Pharaoh of the Exodus who reigned 1485 - 1431 BC in three phases. The exodus occurred in Thutmoses III's 18th year of rule after his mother died.
   
3. The date of 1270 BC where Ramesses II was the Pharaoh is not accepted by Bible scholars, only Bible trashing archeologists who reject the Bible as true and accurate history.
4. Archeologists who trash the historical reliability of the Bible refuse to recognize 1406 BC as the date Israel entered the promised land. When they excavate at Timna or Jericho, for example, and find stuff that is from 1406 BC they use it as proof that the Bible cannot be trusted. So they reject the Bible's date for the exodus of 1446 BC and claim it is 1270 BC. Then when they find archeological evidence from 1446 BC they say it proves the Bible wrong. When we remind them that the date of the Exodus revealed in the Bible of 1446 BC matches the archeological evidence they become silent. It is important to always keep in mind that secular historical sources bend over backwards to ensure there is no apparent presence of any kind of the Hebrews in Egypt. Many major reference books totally ignore any possible connection with Moses.  
5. There is only one argument from the Bible, an invalid one at that, which is used to support the false notion that Ramesses II was the Pharaoh of the exodus. Advocates of a 1270 BC exodus point out that Israel lived in the city of Ramesses and helped build it. They say, "Obviously the city did not proceed the Pharaoh whom it was named after. Sounds convincing until you read the passage that says Joseph lived in "the land of Ramesses" (Genesis 47:11). This proves that the land of Ramesses existed 430 years before Pharaoh Ramesses II was born! But it gets worse. Exodus 1:11 says that when Israel had to make mud bricks with straw, that "they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses." Remember that the 4 hour "Ten Commandments movie" we have all seen a hundred times has many errors, one of them being that the Pharaoh from whom Moses fled from to Midian, is the same Pharaoh to whom Moses said 40 years later, "Let my people go!" In fact they were two different Pharaohs! "Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God." Exodus 2:23; 4:19. This makes it impossible then, for the city of Ramesses to be named after Pharaoh Ramesses II. The final nail in the coffin of this vacuous argument is the fact that the city and the Pharaoh were spelled differently. The city is spelled Raamses, whereas the Pharaoh was spelled Ramesses or Ramesses. Ramesses means "begotten of Ra". Ra is the Egyptian sun god of the Hyksos. With such a central and common meaning to Egyptian religion, it is not hard to see how Ramesses II was named after the sun god, but with a different spelling. But those who make such arguments are not really interested in what the Bible says because they don't believe it in the first place. After all, if they read 1 Kings 6:1 and still hold to a 1270 BC Exodus date why would the fact that the city of Ramesses existed almost 500 years before Pharaoh Ramesses II?
6. We have reviewed all the reasons why some reject the Bible's 1446 BC date of the exodus in favor of 1270 BC and have dismissed them as being vacuous and without merit. The bulk of the reasons given involve nothing more than, "We haven't found archeological evidence of such and such". Evidence may or may not ever be found but we are reminded of the recent discover of evidence of the Hittite nation. At the turn of the century, skeptics viewed the Bible as myth rather than real world history . For example, the Bible makes over 40 references to the great Hittite Empire. You see, 100 years ago, no archaeological evidence had ever been found to prove it really did exist. "Just another Bible myth!" skeptics charged in an attempt to destroy our faith in the Bible. This, however, cannot be said today, for in 1906, Hugo Winckler uncovered a library of 10,000 clay tablets. These ancient records fully documented the long lost Hittite Empire and confirmed the reliability of the Bible. Later excavations uncovered Boghazkoy, the capital city of this "mythical" empire.
7. Summary of dates revealed in the Bible:
1. Leaving Egypt to 4th year of Solomon's reign is 480 years: 1 Kings 6:1 (Solomon reigned in 960 BC)
2. Crossing the Jordan to Jephthah is 300 years Judges 11:26 (Jephthah lived in 1100 BC)
3. Enter Egypt to the time of Samuel was 450 years: Acts 13:19 (400 + 40 + 10: Joshua took 10 years to take the land)
4. The period of the Judges is 262 years. (From death of Joshua in 1356 BC to birth of Samuel in 1094 BC)
5. The many genealogies of the Bible verify and confirm everything.
8. Summary of dates from history and archeology:

1. Imitation Cypriot pottery discovered at Jericho proves the walls fell about 1406 BC.
2. The conversion of Akhenaten to monotheism after Israel crossed the Jordan is a significant marker in the sand verified by the Amarna Tablets. (1358-1341 BC)
3. The Amarna Tablets which chronicle the conquest of Joshua in the promised land in 1406 BC
4. The Merneptah Stele written (1205 BC) at the time of Deborah (Judges 4, 1204-1144 BC) and shows Israel an established nation effectively refuting the notion that Ramesses II is the pharaoh of the exodus.
10. Trust the Bible when it dates the exodus to 1446 BC. Reject 1270 BC for the date of the exodus.

A. The New Egyptian Chronology:

1. Our New Chronology is remarkably orthodox, but there is one difference. We are able to precisely pinpoint the Exodus of 1446 with the 18th year of Pharaoh Thutmoses III. Just as all old Testament Bible events can be dated in relation to the reign of Solomon, so too all the pharaoh's of Egypt can be dated in relation to the 18th year of Thutmoses III. Both are anchors in historical dating. This represents original research and we are not aware of anyone who has ever connected the 18th year of Thutmoses III's reign with the year of the Exodus in 1446 BC. We invite you to read the next section entitled "16 reasons why Thutmoses III is the Exodus Pharaoh."
2. We use the Low Egyptian chronology as proposed by A. K. Kitchen:
1. The Ebers Papyrus dates from 1550 BC and records the heliacal rising of Sothis on the 9^th, 3rd month, 3rd season (ie. the 11th month of the Egyptian calendar) as happening on the 9th year of the reign of Amenhotep I.
1. Our dating: The low Egyptian chronology is derived, in part in part with the Ebers Papyrus, by assuming that the heliacal rising of Sothis was observed from the city of Thebes (Theban) which produces a date of 1523 BC  (+ or - 6 years, so we use 1529 BC) and therefore sets the reign of Amenhotep I to 1532-1511 BC.
2. Others use this alternate dating: The high Egyptian chronology is derived, in part with the Ebers Papyrus, by assuming that the heliacal rising of Sothis was observed from the city ofMemphis (Memphite/Heliopolitan) which produces a date of 1541 BC and therefore sets the reign of Amenhotep I to 1550-1529 BC.
3. Egyptian chronology is a mess and must be grounded upon Biblical dating: The Bible is the far more reliable dating system for historical chronology and synchronisms. We believe that the fact that Thutmoses III, the most powerful mega-building pharaoh within his century, had 17 annual campaigns that suddenly came to and end, coupled with the erasure of Hatshepsut by Thutmoses III beginning the same year, is a synchronism that binds the 17^th year of Thutmoses III to the Biblical exodus in 1446 BC. We therefore adjust Kitchen's low chronology dates upward by 6 years. There are many reasons why we cannot rely upon the chronologies of the 18^th dynasty pharaohs as being reliable given the almost certain fact that there are many unknown coregencies which would collapse the chronology by at least 6 years. So we are confident in our choice to use Kitchen's low chronology numbers and then simply adding 6 years to each.
2. "The rise of the Nile was not the only event noticed in the July time of the year in Egypt. Quite by coincidence, the so-called “heliacal rising” of the Dog Star (Gk Sothis, from Egyptian Sopdet) also took place on the original July “New Year” of the civil calendar. (The heliacal rising of Sothis is defined as that day on which this star first becomes visible just before sunrise, after 70 days of invisibility, Parker 1950: 7.) Because of the behavior of Egypt’s too-short civil calendar, some 1460 years have to elapse between one sighting of this heliacal rising of Sothis on the 1st day of the 1st month of the 1st season (New Year’s Day) in the civil calendar and the next time this exact sighting could reoccur. This period of about 1460 years is therefore called a Sothic cycle. Fortunately, one such date point is known: within the period 139–42 a.d. (Parker 1976: 182). Therefore, allowing for variations in the stellar motion of Sothis, it can be calculated that previous Sothic cycles would begin in 1313 b.c. and 2769 b.c., if observed at Memphis (see Parker 1976: 182, who uses astronomic notation). Fixing the date of these cycles should (in theory) help us to date any reign of a pharaoh, if a heliacal rising of Sothis is found mentioned in a particular year of his rule on a specific date in the civil calendar—one only needs to know inside which cycle his reign falls. For example, if some king who belonged within the period 2700 to 1350 b.c. had a document dated to his Year 1, mentioning the rising of Sothis on the 6th day of the 4th month of the summer season (11th month in the year), it is clear that the civil calendar had crept forward 335 days since such a rising last happened on its New Year’s Day. So, 4 × 335 years had elapsed since 2769 b.c., putting our theoretical king’s accession (Year 1) at about 2769 minus (4 × 335) years b.c., or 2769 minus 1340 = 1429 b.c. Alas, in practice things are not so simple. There are several complications. First, one must allow for a 4-year margin of error (before quarter days add up to one day, among other factors). Second, the geographical location of any reported Sothic sighting affects reckoning of the date. In practice, the further south the sighting, the later the date b.c. So, we need to know, for example, whether a report of Sothis was made in Memphis, Thebes, or Elephantine. Only two usable Sothic rising reports are known to us at present: one in Year 7 of Sesostris (Senwosret) II or III, and one in Year 9 of Amenhotep I. The former one may have been observed either in Memphis or Elephantine; there would be a roughly 30-year difference in date, depending on place of observation. The latter one would have been seen in either Thebes (source of the Ebers Papyrus bearing the datum) or Elephantine; the date difference is then only about 11 years. (For the suggestion of Elephantine as the point of observation for both risings, leading to ultra-low dates for both, see Krauss 1985; contrast Kitchen 1987a: 42–44, 47, where the corresponding options of observations made at Memphis and Thebes respectively are preferred.)" (ABD, Egypt, History of, Chronology, K. A. Kitchen, v2, p324)
3. "A rising of Sothis is recorded for Year 9 of Amenhotep I in Papyrus Ebers, a document found at Thebes. If the observation of Sothis was also made at Thebes, the most natural solution, then it would lead us to set the accession of Amenhotep I at 1525 b.c., and the beginning of the 18th Dyn. (and NK) with the accession of Ahmose I at ca. 1550 b.c. If, however, we follow the theory of Krauss that all Sothis observations were taken far south in Elephantine, then the 18th Dyn. would have begun 11 years later, in 1539 b.c. From the reign of Thutmose III we have a lunar date which would imply his accession to the throne in 1479 b.c., in line with a similar datum from the reign of Rameses II, favoring his accession in 1279 b.c., in conjunction (1) with synchronisms with other Near Eastern rulers and (2) with the lapse of generations linking the Rameside period to later epochs. If the 18th Dyn. began in 1550 b.c., there is ample time for the reigns of Thutmose I and II in between those of Amenhotep I and Thutmose III. If, however, the dynasty began in 1539 b.c. (so Krauss 1985), then only 13 years are available for those two reigns—which is decidedly cramped and not realistic. Between the reigns of Thutmose III of 54 years (1479–1425 b.c. and Rameses II of 66 years (1279–1213 b.c.), all the intervening reigns can be fitted in without any serious problems. Most lengths of reigns can be determined quite closely (Kitchen 1987a; 1989). Bones of contention include the possibility of a coregency between Amenhotep III and Akhenaten, which would require a longer reign for Amenhotep II; and whether or not Amenmesses of the 19th Dyn. had an independent reign (on the latter point, see Kitchen 1987b)." (ABD, Egypt, History of, Chronology, K. A. Kitchen, v2, p327)
3. We are able to harmonize the 18th dynasty Pharaoh's directly with the reign of Solomon. The Exodus occurred exactly 480 (479 literal BC years when adjusted for inclusive counting) years before the temple was built by Solomon. Looking at the many candidates for Pharaoh in 1446, we were able to conclude, with a high level of confidence, that the 18th year of Thutmoses III's reign after his step mother Hatshepsut died, is the date of the exodus in 1446 BC. It is a truly stunning fit! The New Chronology creates a solid anchor between the 18th year of Thutmoses III as being the date of the Exodus and the 480 years to the time Solomon started the temple. (1 Kings 6:1). This has never been done before.
4. The New Chronology takes the block of 258 years that is the sum of the length of time each Pharaoh was king, and defines it as a single unit. (25, 21, 13, 13, 21, 18, 15, 26, 10, 38, 17, 10, 3, 28). We are uncertain exactly when they were king, but we know how long and in what order! Archeology doesn't tell us the date they lived, but it certainly tells us how long each ruled! The problem is accounting for unknown coregencies which would collapse the time scale a bit. We solved the problem, by ignoring that which is uncertain (when they ruled) and focused on what was very certain: how long each ruled, and in what order. Without archeology, we would be unable to know any of this, but we have found actual tombs, inscriptions, mummies, war records that supply the information we need with great certainty.
5. As any one has noticed, the actual dates for each Pharaoh's reign are "all over the map" with little agreement or uniformity. The birth dates and age at death are almost totally unknown, as well as exactly when they lived. However, there is almost unanimous agreement in both the order of the Pharaohs and how long they reigned.
6. Our approach therefore, began with the assumption that the exodus happened in the 18th dynasty of Egyptian Pharaoh's. Because historians are "all over the map" in the dates they lived to over 75 years, we considered all them candidates. After a careful and detailed study of all the 18th dynasty pharaoh's, it became rapidly clear Thutmoses III was the only real possible candidate as the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
7. Using the High Egyptian chronology (we use the low) some suggest that Thutmoses III's son, Amenhotep II was the pharaoh of the exodus because he reigned as pharaoh between the critical period of 1450 - 1435.
8. Think of our solution as two fixed blocks of time that are "Indivisible Units of Chronology": Block one is the fixed 480 years between the Exodus and the 4th year of Solomon. Block two is the fixed 258 year block of time for the 18th dynasty Pharaoh's. We know that the Exodus of 1446 occurs in the middle of the 18th dynasty so the only problem is exactly where we lock the two blocks together. Our solution was that 1446 BC is the 18th year of Thutmoses III. We used a similar approach to solve Eli - Solomon Chronology.
9. The New Egyptian Chronology: Our chronology chose Thutmoses III as the Pharaoh of the Exodus because an incredible double marker stands out like a flashing neon light in Thutmoses III's life. Two key events happened at the same time:

1. After 17 yearly military campaigns, they suddenly stopped.
2. The erasing of Hatshepsut from statues and records at precisely the same time.
3. Both of these events happened as a direct result of the 10 plagues and the exodus of Moses.

         

The         section agrees with my previous suggestion that sometimes scientific sources either ignore the Bible's evidence or conspire with atheists  in the name of objectivity.

What follows is a very long and detailed examination of the Pharaohs of that time.   Please read it and enjoy the information.  

1. "Moses" derives his name from Thutmoses I and the "Thutmoses" dynasty of kings. Thutmoses I was the father of Hatshepsut who named Moses. This is obviously where Moses got his name, not from the 19th dynasty era of Rameses II. Because archeologists generally dismiss the exodus as a Bible myth, they actually chose any variant of the correct, "Thutmoses" that breaks any connection with "Moses". These variant spellings include: Tuthmosis, Thuthmose, Thutmose. Remember that the name "Thutmoses" was written in hieroglyphics (pictures), but the name Moses is written in Hebrew and Greek. Because we are certain of how Moses' name was spelled in English, and because we know he got his name from the Hatshepsut. the daughter of Thutmoses I, the modern archeological world, and all Bible students would be both prudent and correct to begin spelling the 18th dynasty pharaohs as "Thutmoses". This is a case of using the inspired text of the Bible to teach us how to correctly spell the Thutmoses dynasty of kings of Egypt!
   
2. Hatshepsut is "Pharaoh's daughter" who adopted Moses:
   Hatshepsut, is the only candidate for the "Pharaoh's daughter" who drew Moses out of the Nile. Born in 1541 BC, she would have been 15 when Moses was born in 1526. Hatshepsut's father was Thutmoses I and her mother was Queen Amoses. Queen Ahmose had four children with Thutmosis I, but three died young leaving Hatshepsut as the only person who could wear the title of "Pharaoh's daughter". (Ex 2:7-10; Acts 7:21; Heb 11:24) The bible says that pharaoh's daughter adopted Moses out of pity. However, since she was unable to ever bear a son to Thutmoses II, Moses became her only chance for personal succession. This all changed when Moses was about 30, when Thutmoses II's second wife named Iset, bore him a son named Thutmoses III. Remember that Thutmoses II was Hatshepsut's step-brother whom she married jointly and raised Moses to adulthood. Moses was heir apparent, until Thutmoses III was born when Moses was 30 in 1496 BC.
   
3. Thutmoses III was Pharaoh in 1446 BC: (1485-1431)
   Thutmoses III was Pharaoh in 1446 BC for a total of 54 years. (1485-1431). There were three distinct phases to his rule.
   First: (1495-1464) was when he was a baby and his step-mother Hatshepsut ruled as co-regent for 21 years. This period is generally ascribed directly to Hatshepsut as Pharaoh, especially since she proclaimed herself pharaoh before she died. Thutmoses III was Hatshepsut step son and when her husband and step brother Thutmoses II died, she ruled until Thutmoses III grew up.
   Second: (1464-1446) after Hatshepsut died Thutmoses III ruled as Pharaoh for 18 years until the exodus.
   Third: (1446-1431) Thutmoses III ruled another 15 years after the exodus.
   Ramesses II is wrongly believed to be the pharaoh of the exodus in 1270 BC on the basis of a single piece of information: "So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh (of the oppression) storage cities, Pithom and Raamses." Exodus 1:11 The argument is as simplistic as it is wrong and goes like this: The Hebrews built the city of Raamses,therefore the pharaoh of the exodus must be a guy named "Ramesses II". It escapes their notice that Joseph lived in the "land of Rameses" 400 years before Ramesses II was born: "So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered." Genesis 47:11. This means that the name Rameses predated Ramesses II by 400 years! The only other reason why 1270 BC is chosen as the date of the exodus, is because Bible trashing archeologists make active attempts at destroying any possible connection between archeology and Bible history! Christians need a wake up call!
4. Thutmoses III was great, powerful and prideful!
   Thutmoses III was one of the greatest and most powerful Pharaohs of Egypt. He is in the class of Herod the Great in 30 BC and Hadrian in 135 AD. His son, Amenhotep II, was small, insignificant and unaccomplished in contrast. The 17 campaigns of Thutmoses III into the promised land and surrounding areas (Levant), for example, are numbered successively throughout his reign. His 17 campaigns started in the second year and then one campaign each year for the next 17 years, then they ended in 1446! This means that his last campaign ended in year 18 or 19 after Hatshepsut died which is exactly the date of the exodus! Amenhotep II, his second born who succeeded him, had only two campaigns, in contrast to Thutmoses III seventeen. When you are looking for a powerful prideful Pharaoh that God wanted to display his power over, Thutmoses III is the man. Amenhotep II is a poor choice because he was an irrelevant vapour in contrast! Amenhotep II signed peace treaties with Mitanni in year 9 of his reign (1422 BC). This was as large a contrast with his father, as it would be for Obama Barack to sign as peace treaty with Iran without getting anything in return. (Hey wait! Obama actually did that!) For God to topple Amenhotep II was no great demonstration of his power since he was already seen as a weak Pharaoh whose boastful words did not match his actions. The boastful words of Thutmoses III matched his actions and everyone greatly feared him! Thutmoses III did not sign peace treaties with the Mitanni, he conquered them and unilaterally dictated his conditions to them!
5. The Hyksos knew Joseph but the 18th dynasty "did not know Joseph":
   The timing of the expulsion of the Hyksos and the enslaving of Israel perfectly fits the Thutmoses III. The Hyksos ruled Egypt for 100 years from 1656-1556 BC. They were the "shepherd kings" that were friendly to the Hebrews. One might infer that they were a Semitic tribe like the Edomites. The book of Job shows Job to be the king of Edom or a preeminent patriarch, at about the time that Joseph enters Egypt. The Hyksos ruled Egypt for about 100 years and were friendly to the Hebrews, because they were fellow Semites who shared a common heritage through Abraham. When the Hyksos were defeated, a New Kingdom 18th dynasty of pharaoh's arose who "knew not Joseph". This would explain why the Hebrews were enslaved by the 18th dynasty pharaohs because the Hebrews were related to the Hyksos as fellow Semites. The slavery of the Hebrews coincides with the Hyksos being repelled back to the Transjordan area in 1556 BC. Esau (Edom) and Jacob were twin brothers of Isaac. Isaac's blessing to Esau was: "Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, "Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. "By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck."" Genesis 27:39-40. The entire world was ruled by Egypt under Joseph because they sold everything they had in order to get the wheat of Egypt. During the first 200 years that Jacob was in Egypt, the Jews ruled the world, The Hyksos (Edom) were the fulfillment of when Esau escaped the domination of Jacob by ruling over him for over 100 years in Egypt. But it was a friendly rule, just as Jacob's rule over Edom had been. It was a role reversal prophesied by a dying Isaac. It is clear that the expulsion of the Hyksos and the beginning of the New Kingdom through the 18th dynasty, is perfect timing because Moses is born in 1526, only 30 years after the Hyksos were expelled in 1556. The Hyksos were "foreign shepherd king" Pharaoh's who knew Joseph, and were replaced with the Thutmoside dynasty. The Egyptians made two major changes with the New Kingdom: One Semite nation was expelled (Hyskos), the other Semite nation was enslaved (Hebrews).
6. Thutmoses II and Hatshepsut the pharaohs of oppression:
   Thutmoses II and Hatshepsut were married step-children. Thutmoses II was the Pharaoh of the oppression who wanted to kill Moses who then fled to Midian. At this time, several things came together all in accordance with God's providence. It all started when Moses killed the Egyptian.
   First: Moses was putting his trust in God, and was turning away from the riches of Egypt. (Heb 11)
   Second: a true full blooded "first born heir" to the throne had been recently born to Thutmoses II through his second wife, Iset.
   Third: this placed enormous pressure on the ambitious Hatshepsut who only had Moses as an adopted "first born" heir.
   Fourth: there was likely a rivalry with bad feelings between Iset and Hatshepsut just like Sarah and Hagar.
   Fifth: Moses, like Hatshepsut, could also "read between the lines" and see that there was an upcoming power battle over the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt between him and Thutmoses III. Queen Hatshepsut was furious woman scorned because "Moses refuses to be called Hatshepsut's daughter" Heb 11:24. Moses insulted and hurt his step mother by turning his back on everything she thought was important. So in reality, both Thutmoses II and Hatshepsut were out to kill Moses for different reasons and were both "Pharaoh's of the oppression". Thutmoses wanted to kill Moses to make his biological first born son Pharaoh, because Moses had legal first right! Hatshepsut wanted to kill Moses out of vengeful hurt of rejection.
7. Only known Mud brick making by foreign slaves in 1446:
   The only record of mud bricks being made by non-Egyptian foreign slaves is in the tomb of Rekhmire who lived at the same time as Thutmoses III. Pictured below are Hebrews making mud bricks in the Tomb of Rekhmire the Vizier (tomb TT100) in ancient Thebes (Luxor). Dated to Thutmosis III. Although mud brick making was common, it is amazing that the only archeologically known example of non-Egyptian foreign slaves making bricks, dates from the time of the Exodus in 1446 BC.
   
8. Moses firstborn by adoption, Thutmoses III legally second born:
   There are two reasons why Thutmoses III survived the tenth plague even though he was biologically first born. First, it seems from the narrative that even if Thutmoses III was the first born, he was exempted from the 10th plague. God told Moses that after the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh would let Israel Go, not that the 10th plague would kill him. The whole point was to humiliate Pharaoh, not kill him. The second reason Thutmoses III did not die, is because he was not the legal "firstborn", merely the biological firstborn. Moses had been adopted into the family and took the legal place of firstborn and therefore heir to the throne. The matter of succession would have become a point of conflict between Hatshepsut and her husband Thutmoses II, once Thutmoses III was born. Thutmoses III would have surely been make fully aware of this huge family fight and it was in his best interest to side with biology. However Moses left the matter unresolved when he fled for Midian. The question would have lingered in Thutmoses III's mind until he got his answer in the 10th plague that Moses really was the rightful firstborn heir to the throne he sat upon. There are other examples in the bible that have the rights of firstborn granted to the biologically second born in Esau and Jacob. Jacob gained birthright by a meal. Moses gained it by adoption. Likewise Christians gain the full rights of God's children by adoption. When Moses first shows up and demands that his step brother "Let Israel go", it was a bizarre irony. Here you have Moses, the rightful legal heir to the very throne that he turned his back on, demanding of Thutmoses III to let Israel go. The pride and the rivalry must have been enormous for Thutmoses III. After 9 plagues, Moses stands before his step brother and says that the first born will die. Thutmoses III had to emphasize his claim as firstborn, in order to gain the throne! Moses' statement that all the firstborn of Egypt would die caused terror to enter Thutmoses III's heart. The fact he did not die, proved that Moses was in fact first born and the living rightful pharaoh of Egypt. Had Moses pressed his claim, Thutmoses III would have been seen as a usurper! When Moses said, "you will never see my face again", it struck terrifying fear into Pharaoh that he was going to be a victim of the 10th plague, being a first born himself. Thutmoses III had 9 plagues as proof Moses meant what he said. He wondered if he were going to die as firstborn. He would have mediated in terror what Moses meant by: "you will never see my face again"! He was sure he was a dead man! When he didn't die, this personal terror turned into panic and is what finally motivated him to drive Israel out early in the morning of Nissan 14. We have an awesome God!
9. Thutmoses III did not die in the red sea:

The Pharaoh of the Exodus did NOT die in the Red Sea. The Bible nowhere says Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea. Further, drowning in the Red Sea was the easy way out. It was far more humiliating for Thutmoses III to have to travel back to a destroyed Egypt WITHOUT his army to face his people. Some will actually rule out Thutmoses III as a candidate for the Pharaoh of the Exodus BECAUSE he died 15 years after the Red Sea crossing in 1431 BC. This is a great example of where incorrect assumptions will lead you on a fruitless rabbit trail to error in choosing the WRONG Pharaoh of the Exodus. With all the factual errors in the classic 4 hour Hollywood movie, "THE TEN COMMANDMENTS" with Charlton Heston, the spectacular scene where Pharaoh army are drowned before his eyes and he drops his staff is exactly correct!

·         Notice the account carefully differentiates Pharaoh from HIS ARMY: "Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. At the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained." (Exodus 14:23-28)

·         In the victory song of Moses notice it never says Pharaoh himself drowned: "Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea." (Exodus 15:4)

·         Notice God "shook off" Pharaoh but didn’t' kill him: "But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea" (Psalm 136:15) The Hebrew word for "overthrew" is literally "shook off" and is metaphoric of ridding the Hebrews of Pharaoh's control. It DOES NOT say that God drowned or killed Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea

10. Thutmoses III's annual campaigns ended in 1446:
    Thutmoses III made 17 yearly military conquests into Canaan that started in his second year and continued every year until his 18th year which was 1446 BC... the exact date his army drowned in the Red Sea. Remember that his campaigns did not start until after his step mother Hatshepsut died in 1464. Upon the death of Hatshepsut, Thutmoses III finally became king of Egypt apart from his step mother's co-regency. In the 34 years that Thutmoses III ruled after Hatshepsut died, he launched 17 military campaigns into Canaan and Syria, and Nubia (southern Nile). What everyone has missed is that the yearly campaigns ended in 1446 BC because his army was drowned. This is stunning when you realize his annual campaigns ended because his army lay 1381 meters (4530 feet, almost a mile) under water at the Straits of Tiran. After 17 annual campaigns, the 18th campaign of 1446 never happened! Nothing in the Bible says that Thutmoses III died with his army in the Red Sea. In fact, archeology has demonstrated that when navigating a mountain pass or a narrow valley, Thutmoses III, who would normally lead his armies on foot, would wait till every one of his soldiers got through safely. This stunning fact explains why his army died in the Red Sea but he survived!
11. Defacing and erasure of Hatshepsut by Thutmoses III started in 1446:Immediately after the Exodus, Thutmoses III erased all evidence of both the Hebrews in Goshen and his step-mother, Hatshepsut for adopting Moses into the royal family. The well documented erasure of Hatshepsut from records and monuments began after 1446 BC at the hand of Thutmoses III. The erasure of Hatshepsut from history did not occur before his 42nd regnal year (year 20 after Hatshepsut died) which brings us to exactly 1443 BC, which is three years after the exodus! Another perfect fit! Even if the exact regnal year is wrong, the key is that the erasure occurred either AFTER the Exodus, not before. Bible trashing historians dismiss the exodus as myth and make it their primary goal is to hide any connection between Egypt and the Exodus. These Bible hating archeologists suggest that Thutmoses III was motivated by sexist male revenge against an "overbearing and dominant wicked feminist step-mother who usurped her female place in a male dominated world"! But this is a ridiculous and strained explanation given the fact that Thutmoses III waited 21 years after the death of Hatshepsut to erase her memory. The anger and revenge of Esau to kill Jacob for stealing the title of first born, had fully subsided after 21 years. (An amazing co-incidence in both numbers and the usurping of the firstborn birthright.) Douglas Petrovich comments: "If Thutmoses III was the culprit [of erasure], he must have had sufficient motive to attempt to prevent her from living eternally. According to Egyptian religion, removing the name or image of a deceased person was a direct assault on his/her spirit. For him to live forever in the Field of Reeds, his body, image, or name must survive on earth. If all memory of him were lost or destroyed, the spirit too would perish, initiating the much-dreaded "second death," a total obliteration from which there could be no return. This act against Hatshepsut was an attempt to 'condemn her to oblivion - a fate worse than death for an Egyptian.' Thus the extermination of Hatshepsut's image from the earth was indeed a drastic step: the removal of her spirit from its perpetual existence in the afterlife. Such reprisal seems far too severe to fit the motive of mere sexism." (Amenhotep II and the Historicity of the Exodus Pharaoh, Douglas Petrovich). We are reminded that Bible scoffers try to dismiss the exodus as myth because they find little evidence of the Hebrews in Egypt. Well here is a documented example of the pharaoh of the Exodus erasing the history of his step mother! Obviously the exodus Pharaoh would take every step possible to erase any trace of the "Habiru" from Goshen.
    
12. Defacing and erasure of Senenmut (or Senmut) by Thutmoses III in 1446:Thutmoses III blamed the destruction of Egypt at the Exodus on his step mother Hatshepsut for adopting the Hebrew slave into the royal family as heir to the throne of Egypt. After the Exodus, he not only ordered the erasure all images of Hatshepsut, he did the same to a man known in history as "Senenmut". But why? Thutmoses III was a baby when his father died and he inherited the throne, since Moses had very recently fled to Midian. This explains why Hatshepsut ruled as his co-regent with her step son, Thutmoses III for 21 years until her death. The Cairo museum has a statue of "Senmut" with a baby's head in front. (see below) Senmut was an elderly man whom Hatshepsut trusted. He is often pictured with Neferure (daughter of Pharaoh) as a child. This is the correct interpretation. Being an old man, it may be that Senmut was Hatshepsut's nurse, as well as Thutmoses III's and Neferure's (Hatshepsut daughter). Thutmoses III not only defaced Hatshepsut, but also Senmut as well. The reason is because Senmut was one of Hatshepsut's most trusted advisers. Perhaps he was seen by Thutmoses III, as being a contributor to the exodus disaster that came upon Egypt.
    Wild Speculation and Fiction:
    Myth #1: In the statues, the adult is Hatshepsut and the child is Moses.
    Myth #2: Neferure = Hatshepsut = Nefure.
    Myth #3: Hatshepsut did not have a daughter named Neferure. Neferure is Hatshepsut.
    Myth #4: Senmut = Moses = Hatshepsut Xnem Amen = Thutmoses II.
    Myth #5: The statues memorializes baby Moses under the care of the daughter of Pharaoh.
    Myth #6: Moses actually became Pharaoh with the title Thutmoses II.
    Facts: In the statues, the adult is Senmut and the child is Neferure. Neferure was the daughter of Hatshepsut. The name Nefure is never applied to Hatshepsut but is a fictional invention. Hatshepsut married Thutmoses II not Moses. However because it is a fact that Hatshepsut wore a fake beard and took on the male persona later in her reign, some mistakenly believe the adult in the statue is her, not the male servant Senmut (or Senenmut). The speculation is that the adult is a "fake bearded Hatshepsut" (aka Neferure) and the baby is Senmut being another name for Moses. The fact that Senmut appeared to remain single his whole life, (probably because he was a eunuch), disappeared mysteriously and his tomb was unfinished, has fueled speculation that the Senmut is Moses who also was single in Egypt, who suddenly disappeared when he fled to Midian and whose tomb was never finished and remained empty because he died on Mt. Nebo! The conclusion is that the adult is just plain old male Senmut, a trusted steward of Queen Hatshepsut, and Thutmoses III defaced his statues because of Senenmut's obvious close role he played in association with Hatshepsut. The statue in the Louvre museum shows Senmut as a male. You can see his nipple. Important women in Egypt, like women today, wear tops! So that settles it. There are no bearded statues of a topless Hatshepsut with nipples showing. These show her bearded but fully clothed with obvious breasts under her shirt. So the adult is a male! That means that the baby is what the inscription on the stone below says: "Neferure: daughter of Pharaoh." Remember that Senmut literally means, "mother's brother" which fits well with an older trusted servant. Senmut is not Moses, Neferure is not Hatshepsut. However, it is entirely possible that Senmut, being Hatshepsut's "mothers brother", was the official "eunuch guardian" that cared for Hatshepsut as a baby, Moses, Thutmoses III and Neferure! Thutmoses III defaced both Hatshepsut and Senmut statues and wanted to erase them both from history as a direct result of the exodus in 1446 BC. Until they find a statue of Senmut with an inscription saying it is Moses, it is best to ignore such rabid speculation. But the fact remains, that Thutmoses III defaced both Hatshepsut and Senmut statues immediately after the Exodus!
    
13. Amenhotep II was "second born" son of Thutmoses III: 1431-1406
    Thutmoses III firstborn son "Amenemhat", by Queen Merytre-Hatshepsut was killed by the tenth plague. It is well documented that Amenhotep II, was Thutmoses III's second born son by Queen Satiah, who became Pharaoh in 1431AD. In the providence of God, this is a well documented fact. However, those who wrongly believe Amenhotep II was the pharaoh of the exodus, have no evidence that his firstborn son died. In other words, we are 100% sure that Amenhotep II was not firstborn and 0% that Amenhotep II firstborn son died before he did.
14. Replacement Slaves in 9th year of Amenhotep II: 1422 BCAmenhotep II had to go on a raid to replenish his 3 million lost Hebrew slaves. Amenhotep II records his two campaigns, highlighting only his successes where he broadcasts his power, might, courage, leadership, military successes and largely inflated figure of 101,128 slaves captured in Canaan in his 9th year campaign in 1422 BC. After Egypt had taken such a thrashing from the 10 plagues and Amenhotep II had to invade Canaan to capture more slaves, it was a prudent self defense strategy to make other nations think twice about invading Egypt. In truth, the year 9 campaign was more about refueling a devastated nation, rather than a truly powerful display of military might like those of his father, Thutmoses III before the exodus. The boastful and exaggerated records of Amenhotep II are therefore a poker bluff when you only have a pair of twos in your hand, whereas everyone knew Thutmoses III had four aces! The Stela at Memphis records this: "A record of the plunder that his majesty carried off: 127 princes of Retenu; 179 brothers of princes; 3,600 Apiru [or Habiru Hebrews at Kadesh Barnea]; 15,200 Shasu; 36,300 Kharu; 15,070 Nagasuites/Neges; 30,652 of their family members; total: 89,600 people, and their endless property likewise; all their cattle and endless herds; 60 chariots of silver and gold; 1,032 painted chariots of wood; 13,500 weapons for warfare." (Amenhotep II, Memphis Stela, 2nd campaign, year 9, 1422 BC) Strangely, the total in the stela is 89,600, but the sum of the individual numbers add up to 101,128. Whereas Amenhotep II captures 3600 Apiru, the Amarna Letters record the later conquest of Joshua and uses the equivalent word Habiru. Therefore we know that Apiru = Habiru = Hebrews. The Memphis Stela documents Amenhotep II's two campaigns. The first into Syria in year 7 (May 15), and the second into Canaan and Edom in Year 9 (Nov 15). However the Amada Stela and Elephantine Stela both indicate the first campaign happened in year 3 (July 4). In year 9 (1416 BC), Amenhotep II signed a peace treaty with the king of Mitanni. The capture of 3600 Apiru (Hebrews) would have been in 1416 BC which meant he captured them while Israel had already been camped at Kadesh Barnea for 22 years. The 38 years at Kadesh is generally one of silence with only a few events revealed in the Bible. We are not told about the loss of 3600 Jews to Pharaoh Amenhotep II while Israel was at Kadesh Barnea. However, they may have been a group that simply abandoned Moses and surrendered to Egypt. "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna." Numbers 11:5-6. The Bible records more than once, that Israel mutinied Moses and started marching back to Egypt. "So they said to one another, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt."" Numbers 14:4. After all, they had been told they were going to die at Kadesh, so being enslaved in Egypt may have been an upgrade in living standards! Evidently 3600 of these Jews got their wish and were once again enslaved in Egypt by Amenhotep II. Good riddance!
15. Amenhotep II (second born son of Thutmoses III) dies the exact year Joshua crosses the Jordan in 1406 BC! In fact, it may have been the news of successful conquest that made Amenhotep II fall backwards and break his neck! It is curious that the pharaoh who survived the 10th plague, died the year those runaway slaves became a nation with land of their own!
16. Thutmoses III's campaigns made the conquest easier:
    Thutmoses III made 17 military conquests that softened up Canaan for the eventual conquest of Israel 40 years later. Amenhotep II had one campaign into Canaan year 9, 1416 BC, when Israel was at Kadesh Barnea year 22. The yearly wave of 17 attacks into the promised land by Thutmoses III and the single attack by Amenhotep II directly before the conquest, weakening the Canaanites making it easier for the Hebrews to take the land under Joshua in 1406 BC. The text of the Victory stele of Thutmoses III boasts his victories over Canaan, Nubia, Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Cyprus, Asia Minor, Greek Archipelago.
    
17. Amarna Tables: conversion of Akhenaten to monotheism.
    See: The Amarna Tablets which chronicle the conquest of Joshua. One of the most stunning events in religious history is the conversion of Akhenaten to monotheism in 1358 BC. Akhenaten becomes Pharaoh only 2 years before Joshua died in 1356 BC. Akhenaten became king in 1358, reigns 17 years and dies in 1341 BC. He became the first Pharaoh to witnesses the former Hebrew slaves become a conquering nation. While they were at Kadesh Barnea living a meager material existence with manna in the middle of nowhere, the Pharaohs would chortle that the Hebrews would have been better off staying in Egypt. When they crossed the Jordan into a territory controlled by 7 nations more powerful than Israel, the Pharaohs would cluck and scoff that they were doomed. But when they succeeded in taking over the entire land of Canaan in the period directly preceding Akhenaten's ascent to the throne, he could only be impressed with the monotheistic God of the Hebrews. This is why Akhenaten converts to pagan monotheism in the worship of the sun god, "Aten". The Amarna Letters fully document the Habiru (Hebrews) conquest of Canaan. After Akhenaten died, his son Tutankhamun became Pharaoh as a child. Regrettably, the governors of young King Tut forced Egypt to revert back to polytheism. Tutankhamun is then murdered and buried with the artifacts of his father Akhenaten. In the Amarna Tables, the "Habiru" are the Hebrews during the conquest of 1406 BC: "The Habiru are now capturing the fortresses of the Pharaoh. Not a single governor remains among them to my lord the King: all have perished. Zimrida of Lachish has been killed. May the King send help. Lo, if no reinforcements come this year, all the countries of my lord the King will be utterly destroyed. ... The land of the King is lost to the Habiru. And now indeed a city of the territory of Jerusalem, Bet-Ninib, has been captured. ... After taking the city of Rubuda, they are now attempting to take Jerusalem... , What have I done against my lord the King, that thou lovest the Habiru, and hatest the governors? ... The Habiru have wasted all the territory of the King', and so on." (Amarna Tablet, A Letter from Abdu-Heba of Jerusalem, EA 286) "They are now attempting to take Jerusalem. ... Gezer, Ashkelon, and Lachish have given oil, food, and supplies to the Habiru. ... Labaya and the land of Shechem have given all to the Habiru." (Amarna Tablet, A Letter from Abdu-Heba, EA 287)
    The Amarna Tables (left). Akhenaten worships Aten with his wife and his firstborn, King Tut (Tutankhamun) on her lap.
    

     

We now have a Bible centered look at the rulership and the external events of that time. We even have confirmation related to Josh's conquest of the Holy Land.

Recall that this all started with Joseph rescuing the People generations before.  Recall that they were called to live in Caanan.  God gave them the land.  Through a grateful Pharaoh, God  gave them refuge in Egypt through Joseph who's character and proper use of God's gift of visions not only saved Egypt but provided excellent leadership and handling of all Egypt's goods.  One lone family.

Which God made into a great people while in Egypt.  One wonders f god ever called them to leave before the events in Exodus.  did he call to the heart of "Herb Hebrew" long before the Exodus?  Did he say "Herbie. if you rise up and go, I will lead the thousands of you back home"?  Or Helen Hebrew?  "Helen, I know you are a woman, but I will raise women up to lead as Deborah will be called when it suits My will."  We don't know.  There is no record.  We only know He asked one man.

We only realize at a distance of time, that God was raising an army His way.  We know the Holy Land was infected with the giant gene, infested.  We suspect Nimrod drove them into that area to isolate them.  Away from the Babylonian area whatever was left of them crossbred.  It would take an army to invade and conquer. And a general to lead them int that battle.

But, before the general, there had to be a prophet.  God's man had to be there before the army could rise up, before Joshua could rise up. God's man had to lead the nation.

Moses grew up during his first years with his mother as his nursemaid.  The story:

Ex 2:1 Now a man of the house of Levi took as his wife a daughter of Levi.
 2 And she became with child and gave birth to a Son; and when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she kept him secretly for three months.
 3 And when she was no longer able to keep him secret, she made him a basket out of the stems of water-plants, pasting sticky earth over it to keep the water out; and placing the baby in it she put it among the plants by the edge of the Nile.
 4 And his sister took her place at a distance to see what would become of him.
 5 Now Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to take a bath, while her women were walking by the riverside; and she saw the basket among the river-plants, and sent her servant-girl to get it.
 6 And opening it, she saw the child, and he was crying. And she had pity on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, May I go and get you one of the Hebrew women to give him the breast?
 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and got the child's mother.
 9 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take the child away and give it milk for me, and I will give you payment. And the woman took the child and gave it milk at her breast.
 10 And when the child was older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son, and she gave him the name Moses, Because, she said, I took him out of the water.
 (BBE)

Swindoll suggests that there was trauma for Moses to be raised in the house of slavery and then taken and given to the riches of the Pharaoh's house.  I can't agree more.  Please note some things you may have been misled by in the movies:

Moses knew his heritage.  He came from the line of Levi who's descendants would be the priesthood He was raised as a Hebrew.  He grew up with the idea of one God and a relationship with that God. We don't know if they were allowed to sacrifice to God.  Moses grew up seeing those around him as a slave group.  This was his heritage.  This was his place in life. God arranged it so Moses'  own mother was being paid to raise him.  She would have been in poverty and a slave of some sort without that blessing.  The Egyptian lifestyle of the rich and famous allowed her to have him raised that way, as one of her own, named as a Egyptian.  He got no shocking revelation of his heritage later that led to his actions. His eventual actions were  the culmination of time. knowing his people were enslaved. knowing he had a position of power from which to help them.

Moses was raised in the full knowledge that he came from Hebrew heritage.  His "mother" knew it. Surely the others at court knew it.  He would have been given the deference due his position, but he would also have been a bit of outcast, the guy they had to respect but didn't really like.  Someone they were waiting to see fail so their race would be seen as superior. He was under a constant microscope.  The pressure must have mounted in him.

He was in an alien culture.  Let's spend some time dealing with that culture a little more, with the religion and all the things so alien to the Hebrews.
                                       

                                                              Abe And God


Ge 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, Go out from your country and from your family and from your father's house, into the land to which I will be your guide:
 2 And I will make of you a great nation, blessing you and making your name great; and you will be a blessing:
 3 To them who are good to you will I give blessing, and on him who does you wrong will I put my curse: and you will become a name of blessing to all the families of the earth.
 4 So Abram went as the Lord had said to him, and Lot went with him: Abram was seventy-five years old when he went away from Haran.

 (BBE)


Ge 15:1 After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Have no fear, Abram: I will keep you safe, and great will be your reward.
 2 And Abram said, What will you give me? for I have no child and this Eliezer of Damascus will have all my wealth after me.
 3 And Abram said, You have given me no child, and a servant in my house will get the heritage.
 4 Then said the Lord, This man will not get the heritage, but a son of your body will have your property after you.
 5 And he took him out into the open air, and said to him, Let your eyes be lifted to heaven, and see if the stars may be numbered; even so will your seed be.
 6 And he had faith in the Lord, and it was put to his account as righteousness.
 7 And he said to him, I am the Lord, who took you from Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land for your heritage.
 8 And he said, O Lord God, how may I be certain that it will be mine?
 9 And he said, Take a young cow of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a sheep of three years old, and a dove and a young pigeon.
 10 All these he took, cutting them in two and putting one half opposite the other, but not cutting the birds in two.
 11 And evil birds came down on the bodies, but Abram sent them away.
 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep came on Abram, and a dark cloud of fear.
 13 And he said to Abram, Truly, your seed will be living in a land which is not theirs, as servants to a people who will be cruel to them for four hundred years;
 14 But I will be the judge of that nation whose servants they are, and they will come out from among them with great wealth.

(Recall this when we study the Egyptian captivity)

 15 As for you, you will go to your fathers in peace; at the end of a long life you will be put in your last resting-place.
 16 And in the fourth generation they will come back here; for at present the sin of the Amorite is not full.
 17 Then when the sun went down and it was dark, he saw a smoking fire and a flaming light which went between the parts of the bodies.
 18 In that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram, and said, To your seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
 19 The Kenite, the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite,
 20 And the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim,
 21 And the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

 (BBE)


http://www.breakpoint.org/the-center/columns/viewpoint/22777-the-covenant-with-abraham

Signs for the Present and the Future
As in previous manifestations of His covenant, God gave Abraham a sign to remind him of the grace and promise of the Lord. Actually, God gave Abraham two signs—one an immediate and temporal reminder of His grace, and one designed to secure the blessings of God for all time.

The sign of circumcision indicated the cutting away of everything that kept God’s people from being fruitful in the blessings of God (Gen. 17). Circumcision is accomplished through the shedding of blood, and it was given to serve as a permanent identifying mark for those who bore it, reminding them constantly that they had been set apart by God within a framework of promises, mandates, and sanctions, within which they were privileged to know the presence and peace of the Lord Himself.

The second sign of God’s covenant with Abraham was actually given first. We read about it in Genesis 15. Here God passes between the pieces of sacrificed animals to signal that He alone bears the authority and responsibility of fulfilling His covenant of promise. God cannot die, like those animals slain to create that covenant pathway; therefore, God’s covenant cannot fail.

But Abraham can—and would—fail in His covenant obligations, as we all do even to this day. Thus God was obligating Himself, to ensure that His covenant of promise would be always a covenant of grace, to bear His own wrath against all covenant-breakers and to endure the punishment they and we deserve. Only thus, by God fulfilling His covenant in all aspects, would it remain a covenant of grace and promise.



Ge 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord came to him, and said, I am God, Ruler of all; go in my ways and be upright in all things,
 2 And I will make an agreement between you and me, and your offspring will be greatly increased.
 3 And Abram went down on his face on the earth, and the Lord God went on talking with him, and said,
 4 As for me, my agreement is made with you, and you will be the father of nations without end.
 5 No longer will your name be Abram, but Abraham, for I have made you the father of a number of nations.
 6 I will make you very fertile, so that nations will come from you and kings will be your offspring.
 7 And I will make between me and you and your seed after you through all generations, an eternal agreement to be a God to you and to your seed after you.
 8 And to you and to your seed after you, I will give the land in which you are living, all the land of Canaan for an eternal heritage; and I will be their God.
 9 And God said to Abraham, On your side, you are to keep the agreement, you and your seed after you through all generations.
 10 And this is the agreement which you are to keep with me, you and your seed after you: every male among you is to undergo circumcision.
 11 In the flesh of your private parts you are to undergo it, as a mark of the agreement between me and you.
 12 Every male among you, from one generation to another, is to undergo circumcision when he is eight days old, with every servant whose birth takes place in your house, or for whom you gave money to someone of another country, and not of your seed.
 13 He who comes to birth in your house and he who is made yours for a price, all are to undergo circumcision; so that my agreement may be marked in your flesh, an agreement for all time.
 14 And any male who does not undergo circumcision will be cut off from his people: my agreement has been broken by him.
 15 And God said, As for Sarai, your wife, from now her name will be not Sarai, but Sarah.
 16 And I will give her a blessing so that you will have a son by her: truly my blessing will be on her, and she will be the mother of nations: kings of peoples will be her offspring.
 17 Then Abraham went down on his face, and laughing, said in his heart, May a man a hundred years old have a child? will Sarah, at ninety years old, give birth?
 18 And Abraham said to God, If only Ishmael's life might be your care!
 19 And God said, Not so; but Sarah, your wife, will have a son, and you will give him the name Isaac, and I will make my agreement with him for ever and with his seed after him.
 20 As for Ishmael, I have given ear to your prayer: truly I have given him my blessing and I will make him fertile and give him great increase; he will be the father of twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.
 21 But my agreement will be with Isaac, to whom Sarah will give birth a year from this time.
 22 And having said these words, God went up from Abraham.
 23 And Abraham took Ishmael, his son, and all whose birth had taken place in his house, and all his servants whom he had made his for a price, every male of his house, and on that very day he gave them circumcision in the flesh of their private parts as God had said to him.
 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he underwent circumcision.
 25 And Ishmael, his son, was thirteen years old when he underwent circumcision.
 26 Abraham and Ishmael, his son, underwent circumcision on that very day.
 27 And all the men of his house, those whose birth had taken place in the house and those whom he had got for money from men of other lands, underwent circumcision with him.

 (BBE)

A Matt Henry intrusion:

Matthew Henry Commentary
17:7-14 The covenant of grace is from everlasting in the counsels of it, and to everlasting in the consequences of it. The token of the covenant was circumcision. It is here said to be the covenant which Abraham and his seed must keep. Those who will have the Lord to be to them a God, must resolve to be to him a people. Not only Abraham and Isaac, and his posterity by Isaac, were to be circumcised, but also Ishmael and the bond-servants. It sealed not only the covenant of the land of Canaan to Isaac's posterity, but of heaven, through Christ, to the whole church of God. The outward sign is for the visible church; the inward seal of the Spirit is peculiar to those whom God knows to be believers, and he alone can know them. The religious observance of this institution was required, under a very severe penalty. It is dangerous to make light of Divine institutions, and to live in the neglect of them. The covenant in question was one that involved great blessings for the world in all future ages. Even the blessedness of Abraham himself, and all the rewards conferred upon him, were for Christ's sake. Abraham was justified, as we have seen, not by his own righteousness, but by faith in the promised Messiah.


(Notice every time Abe has made plans on the fleshly level, to give the heritage to his servant or to give it to his illegitimate son, God steps in and reiterates his covenant and expands on the details.)

Some well written detailing helps the discussion


https://gotquestions.org/Abrahamic-covenant.html

Question: "What is the Abrahamic Covenant?"

Answer: A covenant is an agreement between two parties. There are two basic types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. A conditional or bilateral covenant is an agreement that is binding on both parties for its fulfillment. Both parties agree to fulfill certain conditions. If either party fails to meet their responsibilities, the covenant is broken and neither party has to fulfill the expectations of the covenant. An unconditional or unilateral covenant is an agreement between two parties, but only one of the two parties has to do something. Nothing is required of the other party.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant. God made promises to Abraham that required nothing of Abraham. Genesis 15:18–21 describes a part of the Abrahamic Covenant, specifically dealing with the dimensions of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants.

The actual Abrahamic Covenant is found in Genesis 12:1–3. The ceremony recorded in Genesis 15 indicates the unconditional nature of the covenant. The only time that both parties of a covenant would pass between the pieces of animals was when the fulfillment of the covenant was dependent upon both parties keeping commitments. Concerning the significance of God alone moving between the halves of the animals, it is to be noted that it is a smoking furnace and a flaming torch, representing God, not Abraham, which passed between the pieces. Such an act, it would seem, should be shared by both parties, but in this case God’s solitary action is doubtless to be explained by the fact that the covenant is principally a promise by God. He binds Himself to the covenant. God caused a sleep to fall upon Abraham so that he would not be able to pass between the two halves of the animals. Fulfillment of the covenant fell to God alone.

(I would suggest that God held either the furnace or torch and the holy Spirit held the other,  That way two parts of the Trinity formed the partnership so it was not so much a "solitary" act as it was the spiritual level of god accepting an eternal covenant.  My evidence for the spirit being there was that tongues of flame fell on the Apostles at Pentecost.  W.)


Later, God gave Abraham the rite of circumcision as the specific sign of the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 17:9–14). All males in Abraham’s line were to be circumcised and thus carry with them a lifelong mark in their flesh that they were part of God’s physical blessing in the world. Any descendant of Abraham who refused circumcision was declaring himself to be outside of God’s covenant; this explains why God was angry with Moses when Moses failed to circumcise his son in Exodus 4:24–26.

God determined to call out a special people for Himself, and through that special people He would bring blessing to all the nations. The Abrahamic Covenant is paramount to a proper understanding of the kingdom concept and is foundational to Old Testament theology. The Abrahamic Covenant is described in Genesis 12:1–3, and (1) it is an unconditional covenant. There are no conditions attached to it (no “if” clauses suggesting its fulfillment is dependent on man). (2) It is also a literal covenant in which the promises should be understood literally. The land that is promised should be understood in a normal definition of the word—it is not a figure of heaven. (3) It is also an everlasting covenant. The promises that God made to Israel are eternal.

There are three main features to the Abrahamic Covenant:

1. The promise of land (Genesis 12:1). God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees to a land that He would give him (Genesis 12:1). This promise is reiterated in Genesis 13:14–18 where it is confirmed by a shoe covenant; its dimensions are given in Genesis 15:18–21 (precluding any notion of this being fulfilled in heaven). The land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is expanded in Deuteronomy 30:1–10, which is thePalestinian Covenant.

2. The promise of descendants (Genesis 12:2). God promised Abraham that He would make a great nation out of him. Abraham, who was 75 years old and childless (Genesis 12:4), was promised many descendants. This promise is amplified in Genesis 17:6 where God promised that nations and kings would descend from the aged patriarch. This promise (which is expanded in the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12–16) would eventuate in the Davidic throne with Messiah’s kingdom rule over the Hebrew people.

3. The promise of blessing and redemption (Genesis 12:3). God promised to bless Abraham and the families of the earth through him. This promise is amplified in the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; cf. Hebrews 8:6–13) and has to do with “Israel’s spiritual blessing and redemption.” Jeremiah 31:34 anticipates the forgiveness of sin. The unconditional and eternal nature of the covenant is seen in that the covenant is reaffirmed to Isaac (Genesis 21:12; 26:3–4). The “I will” promises again suggest the unconditional aspect of the covenant. The covenant is later confirmed to Jacob (Genesis 28:14–15). It is noteworthy that God reaffirmed these promises amid the sins of the patriarchs, which fact further emphasizes the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant.

God’s method of fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant is literal, inasmuch as God partially fulfilled the covenant in history: God blessed Abraham by giving him the land (Genesis 13:14–17), and, centuries later, the sons of Abraham took control of the land: “So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there” (Joshua 21:43). God blessed Abraham spiritually (Genesis 13:8, 18; 14:22, 23; 21:22); God gave him numerous descendants (Genesis 22:17; 49:3–28). An important element of the Abrahamic Covenant, however, demands a still-future fulfillment with Messiah’s kingdom rule:

(1) Israel as a nation will possess the totality of the land in the future. Numerous Old Testament passages anticipate the future blessing of Israel and her possession of the land as promised to Abraham. Ezekiel envisions a future day when Israel is restored to the land (Ezekiel 20:33–37, 40–42; 36:1–37:28).

(2) Israel as a nation will be converted, forgiven, and restored (Romans 11:25–27).

(3) Israel will repent and receive the forgiveness of God in the future (Zechariah 12:10–14). The Abrahamic Covenant finds its ultimate fulfillment in connection with the return of Messiah to rescue and bless His people Israel. It is through the nation Israel that God promised in Genesis 12:1–3 to bless the nations of the world. That ultimate blessing will issue in the forgiveness of sins and Messiah’s glorious kingdom reign on earth.Recommended Resource: The Moody Handbook of Theology by Paul Enns



Some things to add:

1) This covenant relates to the Earth.  there is no redemption of sin related to it except the promise of a blessing to the entire world.   A material world blessing.  Specific land on this world.  A flock of blessed on the world.  A nation and a people.  Of this Earth.  A promised deliverer.  of this Earth.  A promised Messiah and his rule on this world.

Please keep that in mind when someone tells you the Church has anything to do with claiming any promises of God to Israel. We inherit a Messiah for eternity.  When we start messing with His plan and claiming this and that that we think He has for others, we end up doing stupid things.  And being simply foolish.

2) The "real" Israel hasn't existed since the Twelve Tribes were dispersed.  understand it hasn't kept god from still blessing the remaining Tribes and Israel under the Jews alone (the tribes of Benjamin, Levi and Judah) was never legal and during Christ's time had an illegal government from royalty to Sanhedrin. Make  no mistake, god enabled the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem and Nehemiah  to rebuild the city wall and Ezra to read the Scripture and bring the Word back to the People. but the refusal to let the rest of the tribes return, the extent of effort to brand anyone from the other Tribes as foreigners or lost all worked to undermine the true rebuilding of the Nation. It was a version of Israel  but it was a fleshly version, based on  religion and religiously keeping the Law instead f genuine worship for God.  they understood only point 1 here: that there was a promise for the Jews on this Earth and thought the bigger and better the Temple or the offering or the bank account, the better the People were and the more blessed.

Flesh takes God's plan and sees it as meant for the Flesh not for the eternal.  We are meant for heaven so let's make heaven o n Earth.  For some that means all our needs being met in the moment.  Sex, food, water, shelter and all of them being met with the vastest amount spent to make them the best for us.  The government should do it.  our work should do it.  The business we found should do it.  Our spouse should take care of us and be rich in the mix as well.

The Bible simply tells us God has a special Earthly blessing for Israel.

The Church has a blessing in Heaven.  It comes from Abraham's spiritual blessing.


Does He watch over us and care for us and guide us in the ways we need to follow the song?  Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY-k2hnIE7E

We know from Revelation that the Earth goes on. We know the Millennium lasts only a thousand years, hence the name.  But also know a new Heaven and Earth will be there after everything in this universe's state is done.  A pure Earth and Heaven with whatever tasks he has for us, with all humanity sorted out, tares from the wheat.  An endless kingdom.

Contrast what we can think that kingdom might be like and what depths of love the King will bring with the kingdom we will now discuss: Egypt.