Many years had the children of Israel been in servitude to the Egyptians. Only a few families went down into Egypt, but they had become a large multitude. And being surrounded with idolatry, many of them had lost the knowledge of the true God, and had forgotten his law. And they united with the Egyptians in their worship of the sun, moon, and stars, also of beasts and images, the work of men’s hands. Everything around the children of Israel was calculated to make them forget the living God. Yet there were those among the Hebrews who preserved the knowledge of the true God, the maker of the heavens and of the earth. They were grieved to see their children daily witnessing, and even engaging in, the abominations of the idolatrous people around them, and bowing down to Egyptian deities, made of wood and stone, and offering sacrifice to these senseless objects. The faithful were grieved, and in their distress they cried unto the Lord for deliverance from the Egyptian yoke; that he would bring them out of Egypt, where they might be rid of idolatry, and the corrupting influences which surrounded them. {1SP 180.3}

I mange år havde Israels børn været i ægypternes slaveri. Det var kun nogle få familier, som tog ned til Ægypten, men de var blevet til en stor skare. Omgivet af afgudsdyrkelse, mistede mange af dem kendskabet til den sande Gud, og havde glemt hans lov. Og de forenede sig med ægypterne i deres tilbedelse af solen, månen og stjernerne og dyr og afbilleder, værk af menneskehænder. Alt omkring Israels børn var beregnet til (181) at få dem til at glemme den levende Gud. Alligevel var der dem iblandt hebræerne som bevarede kendskabet til den sande Gud, himlens og jordens skaber. De bedrøvedes over at se deres børn dagligt bevidne, og indvolvere sig i de afgudsdyrkende folks vederstyggelighed omkring dem, og bøjede sig ned for ægyptiske guder, gjort af træ og sten, og ofre til disse sanseløse genstande. De trofaste var bedrøvede, og i deres fortvivlede råbte de til Herren for udfrielse fra det ægyptiske åg; som han ville bringe dem ud af Ægypten, så de kunne befris for afgudsdyrkelse, og de fordærvelse indflydelser der omgav dem.