I headed off to the Egyptian desert but little did I know I was in the middle of the second plague. Hello, I am Brendan and I am a wandering traveler, with my camel, Cactus. I was still making my way but the next day I saw a frog. I was confused, but I kept going farther and I finally reached Egypt and I saw a lot of frogs and also the water from the Nile River had become blood. I wondered what happened. Did something evil do this or is the Pharaoh the evil one. There were soldiers everywhere. If I get caught, it is not going to be good. I saw a giant rock over in the distance that I could make my tent. Cactus and I went over to the rock and built the tent behind it. I don’t think the Egyptians will find me here. Then a frog approached me. The frog hopped into the tent. I named it Hopper. I spent the whole night making a secure wall out of logs and a gate. I also made a secret escape place just in case we get caught. Today I will explore Egypt and get some more food and find out what the heck is going on! I left Cactus and Hopper at the tent and I made my way into town. I got some food and found a broken barrel of iron ingots. I took them back to the tent and there were 12 in total. I used eight ingots to make an iron chest plate and two to make a sword. I went back and saw the pharaoh was enslaving the Hebrews. Then I got caught by three guards so I ran. I sprinted back to the tent. Fortunately they did not see me run. All the villagers were in panic and afraid with all the frogs everywhere. The frogs were destroying things and making the whole village slimy. They were hopping everywhere. I took Hopper and rode Cactus back home to escape the madness.

Egyptians tend to communicate indirectly and are generally not comfortable expressing negative emotions to others. Eye contact is also not important in Egyptian culture. Personal space is not a common concept for Egyptians in general, especially within the family. The Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic, which is believing in more than one God, and are thought to have had thousands of gods and goddesses. The rulers controlled how people lived their lives, how they treated other people, how they farmed and worked, and all their beliefs about the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians believed that when they died their spiritual body would continue to exist in an afterlife very similar to their living world. However, entry into this afterlife was not guaranteed. The dead had to take on a dangerous underworld journey and face the final judgment before they entered the afterlife. An Egyptian’s daily life is to get dressed in linen, eat a diet consisting mainly of grains, vegetables, and beer. They play sports and board games, and live in buildings made from mud bricks.

Thutmose III was a skilled warrior who brought the Egyptian Empire to the peak of its power by conquering all of Syria. He crossed the Euphrates to defeat the Mitannians, and traveled through the south along the Nile River to Napata in Sudan. He was known as the greatest pharaoh. The spoils from Thutmose III’s military campaigns widely enriched Egypt’s treasury and made him the richest man in the world at the time. But he also secured human capital from his captured lands. The sons of conquered rulers were taken to Egypt and tried at court. Thutmose III possessed the standard qualities of a great ruler. A brilliant general who never lost a battle. He was also the top administrator and statesman. He was an accomplished horseman, archer, athlete, and a discriminating patron of the arts.

How is God’s sovereignty displayed in the lives of the Patriarchs? First, was with Abraham. God told Abraham that through him He would encourage a great nation, known as Israel, and that through that nation “all the nations of the earth would be blessed.” And so Abraham, based on this covenant of God, left his land in Mesopotamia and made a challenging journey to Canaan to fulfill that vision. Second, was with Isaac. Isaac knew that God was sovereign. He was an example of God’s sovereign and miraculous service. Isaac, himself, knew that. Instead of worrying, becoming anxious, or sleeping with Rebekah’s maid to father a son, Isaac takes his concern to God in prayer. Lastly, it was displayed by Jacob. By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Jacob, the younger brother, had the precedence and primary blessing. He did this to symbolize the high sovereignty of God.

Unlike the Greeks, Romans, and other civilizations, I believe that there is one God, who is in three people – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father created the world and judges. God is the Father of Jesus Christ who came as a human to earth as an example of how Christians should be, and to save people from the punishment of sin through his death. According to Genesis 1:26–27, Paul says “of general revelation that it reveals God’s wrath on sinners”. General revelation comes to us through the natural world, which is also called natural revelation, and through our own nature. Look for God in every situation daily. Whether it is big or small, look for him. If you are just walking down the street, look for the beautiful things he has made. When you are with your friends or family, thank him for putting those people in your life. God created the world, we should show lots of respect to him.