In the Bible we find that God does not allow Moses and Aaron to lead the people, just as they are about to proceed to conquer the Promised Land (Num 20:1-13). Denial of entry into the Promised Land could be an obvious expression of God’s anger. Because in Numbers 20:12 we read, “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” What did they do or say that warranted such a harsh verdict? What was their sin? Because, disbelief of the people is followed by the disbelief of their leaders, Moses and Aaron. It has been defined as unbelief, unwillingness, haste or ill-temper and disobedience. …show more content…
“Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock” and Moses violently called out to the Israelites, “Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock? Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; water came out abundantly” (Num 20:11). In v. 8 the Lord had asked Moses to “command the rock to yield its water.” However, in v. 11 Moses “struck the rock twice with his staff,” which the Lord had not asked him to do. The fact of having struck the rock demonstrates that they did not believe that they would be able to draw water from the rock simply by speaking to it; they doubted God’s order; it is a lack of faith on their part. It involves disobedience of God’s commands (Num 27:14), arrogating to themselves God’s power and honour, and not trusting in God’s power to fulfill God’s promises. However, there are many instances in Exodus wherein Moses doubted and questioned God, but none of the incidents brought such a fury preventing him from entry in to the Promised …show more content…
When Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive the tablets, he spent 40 days not eating or drinking (Exod 34:28.) When he descended his face was radiant, causing the people to be afraid to get close to him (Exod 34:29-30). It is not surprising that the people saw Moses as a divine being. While Moses is being elevated to divine status in the eyes of the people, God’s image as a reliable provider is gradually diminishing in the course of the deprivations encountered in the desert travel. Consequently at Meribah the people were on the verge of deifying Moses and blaming God, as well as Moses, for the Exodus and subsequent
... the Hebrews, having no protection laws for the Hebrews, and overemphasizing the betrayal the Egyptians felt when Moses was discovered to be a Hebrew. The movie emphasized the violence the Hebrew slaves endured from the Egyptians although this was only briefly mentioned in the book of Exodus. Unlike the book of Exodus, the movie also depicted the slaves not having any rights as the Egyptians were remorseless to kill the Hebrews. Lastly, the movie overemphasizes the Egyptians feeling betrayed by Moses being a Hebrew. This leads to the Egyptians to ridicule Moses and strip him from any of his power and legacy in Egypt.
When God first approaches Moses in the form of a burning bush, God says “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,” (Exodus 3:7). Moses however, questioned God’s judgement, saying, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). Moses continues to question God throughout the rest of the chapter, but eventually begins his journey to rescue his
“And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto evening? Thou will surely wear away both thou and this people that is with thee, thou are not able to perform it thyself alone” (Exodus chapter 18, 13 – 18, p. 88).
The history of the Jewish people is one fraught with discrimination and persecution. No atrocity the Nazis did to the Jews in the Holocaust was original. In England in 1189, a bloody massacre of the Jews occurred for seemingly no reason. Later, the Fourth Lateran Council under Pope Innocent III required Jews to wear a badge so that all would know their race, and then had them put into walled, locked ghettos, where the Jewish community primarily remained until the middle of the eighteenth century. When the Black Death ravaged Europe in the medieval ages, many Europeans blamed the Jews (Taft 7). Yet, the one thing that could be more appalling than such brutal persecution could only be others’ failure and flat-out refusal to intervene. Such is the case with the non-Axis coutries of World War II; these nations failed miserably in their responsibility to grant basic human rights – even the right of life – to Jewish immigrants prior to World War II.
Following the creation story of the book of Genesis is the book of Exodus. In Genesis, God promised Abraham a “great nation from which all nations of the earth will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3)” and in Exodus God completes this promise through the creation of the holy nation, Israel. Exodus tells the story of the God who rescued his people out of Egypt because of the promise he had made to Abraham. God calls to Moses to complete his promise. God’s call to Moses is not only important because he liberates the Israelites but also because God reveals His name(s) along with His true Nature. God calls upon Moses and tells him that He’s back to help the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and that Moses is to lead them. God then gives him full instructions on what to tell the Pharaoh and, more importantly, the Israelites, who are promised, land “flowing with milk and honey”.
Today, his works are still considered as some of the most important in religious history. Moses was chosen by god to lead, guide, and provide an outline that the Jewish people could adhere to. After his demise, the Egyptian Jewish population grieved for three days because of the grief and pain they bore, and to show respect and pay homage for the tremendous contributions he made to the people of the region. His work has also influenced Roman, Jewish, and Western Cultures by providing a framework to the development of various religions. Regardless of what religion one choses to follow, there is a high probability that it stems partially from the work of
In the Exodus there were many examples where Moses showed his great wisdom. He also possessed somewhat magical power given to him by God. He also had a divine purpose in life. Moses was on a "mission from god" so to speak to deliver his people from bondage. His mission was similar to those of other typical epics. It was of course a very dangerous and exhausting journey that lasted a very long time. There were many obstacles to overcome
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God... (New Revised Standard Version, Exodus 20:3–5) Here, the condemnation of idols is preceded by the condemnation of worshipping other gods. This proscription culturally manifested as a paranoia of foreign gods and a religious literary theme of the folly of the Israelites failing to maintain dedication to strictly monolatristic worship of their national deity. These themes are illustrated by numerous anecdotes such as the Israelites’ creation and worship of a golden calf after
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed not only out of loyalty to God but also because of their high moral character.
Moses is the speaker now, and he says that God made a covenant with them at Horeb. Additionally, he says that last time they would not go up the mountain because they were afraid of the fire. Then, Moses repeats the Decalogue to the Israelites, and he explains that they were written on two stone tablets. Here the third commandment differs from Exodus. Instead of Remember the Sabbath, it states “Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy as the Lord your God commanded you.” (Deut 5:12). In comparison, observe has a more commanding connotation. Furthermore, at the end of the first line of the commandment the text adds as “your God commanded you” (Deut. 5:12,). This sets a more domineering tone and implies that the Israelites will not follow unless commanded. Another key distinction occurs when the texts are describing why one must follow the Sabbath commandment. The text reminds the Israelites that they were once slaves in Egypt and that “God brought [them] out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Deut 5:15). Here God is guilt-tripping the Israelites into following the Sabbath by reminding them of what God did for them in their relationship. Thus, it seems that in Deuteronomy God is attempting to invoke fear in order to convince the Israelites to follow. Nonetheless, Deuteronomy is not only based on the Israelites following God out of fear. It also states that they will change their reasoning to aspire to be similar to God, like Exodus. For instance, when asked what would they tell their children when asked why they follow the Decalogue, they should say that if we follow it “as he has commanded us, we will be in the right.” (Deut 6:25). This indicates that after they followed out of fear that they changed their reasoning to be aspirational. Moses concludes with how they should follow the commandments
Exodus is the second of the five “books of Moses” that tells the story of the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt through the Sinai Desert. When Moses was born, the Israelites were oppressed by the Egyptian Pharaoh and bound to a harsh life of labor taking part in building some of the great public works of Egypt such as the pyramids, fortresses, and installations to regulate the flow of the Nile River. For fear that the Israelite population would continue to increase, the Pharaoh insisted that every male Hebrew child would be killed at birth. Ironically, during this oppressive period, Moses, the “future deliverer of Israel”, was born. To protect his life, his mother sent him down the Nile in a specially woven ark. He was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter who took him in and, to add to the irony, she hired his mother to be his foster nurse. The baby boy grew up and was adopted into the Pharaoh’s household and named Moses. His name is derived from the Egyptian root “mose” meaning “son”, but in the Bible, it is said to hale from the Hebrew root meaning “drawn out of the water.”
The Mosaic Covenant from exodus is a promise made between God and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. To begin with, the pattern of the covenant is very similar to other ancient covenants of that time because it is between God and his people. In the textbook, it explains how the Hebrews have struggled with the pharaoh around 1250 B.C.E. Moses, who was a prince that grew up in the household of the pharaoh, ran away. After returning he led the Hebrew slaves at the bottom of Mount Sinai. God spoke to the Hebrews who he freed them and explained the Ten Commandments. In addition, a quote form the readings “ I am the lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” (Judaism, pg. 397) This quote is the first commandment stating that he,
that the idea of a God may be questioned or less acceptable to the people, when
The Exodus of the Hebrew people out of Egypt as depicted in the Holy Bible is controversial. A literal, Biblical reading depicts inexplicable supernatural events suggesting the influence of the God of the Hebrews. There are three main theories about the Exodus Event. The first is that the event occurred exactly as accounted in the Bible, miraculous events included. Secondly, that the Exodus did occur, just not as the Bible describes. The last is that the event never occurred. The explanation of these theories will be presented in this paper.
... people. It also shows the dependence of people on God. Moses was a man of courage who sought to see the face of the God. He received the laws of the lord and made sacrifices for them when they sinned. Moses acted as a mediator between Yahweh and his people (Woolfe).