MOSES , AARON & MIRIAM The name Moses comes from a root meaning take out, because Moses was taken out of the river (Ex. 2:10). Some modern scholars point out that the root M-S-S in Egyptian means son of as in the name Ramases (son of Ra), but it is worth noting that Moses name in Hebrew is M-Sh-H, not M-S-S. According to one Jewish source, Pharaohs daughter actually named him Minios, which means drawn out in Egyptian, and the name Moshe (Moses) was a Hebrew translation of that name, just as a Russian immigrant named Ivan might change his name to the English equivalent, John. Moses was born in a very difficult time: Pharaoh had ordered that all male children born to the Hebrew slaves should be drowned in the river (Ex. 1:22). Yocheved hid Moses for three months, and when she could no longer hide him, she put him in a little ark and placed it on the river where Pharaohs daughter bathed (Ex. 2:2-3). Pharaohs daughter found the child and had compassion on him (Ex. 2:6). At the suggestion of Moses sister Miriam, Pharaohs daughter hired Yocheved to nurse Moses until he was weaned (Ex. 2:7-10). Yocheved instilled in Moses a knowledge of his heritage and a love of his people that could not be erased by the 40 years he spent in the antisemitic court of Pharaoh. Little is known about Moses youth. The biblical narrative skips from his adoption by Pharaohs daughter to his killing of an Egyptian taskmaster some 40 years later. One traditional story tells that when he was a child, sitting on Pharaohs knee, Moses took the crown off of Pharaohs head and put it on. The court magicians took this as a bad sign and demanded that he be tested: they put a brazier full of gold and a brazier full of hot coals before him to see which he would take. If Moses took the gold, he would have to be killed. An angel guided Moses hand to the coal, and he put it into his mouth, leaving him with a life-long speech impediment (Ex. 4:10). Although Moses was raised by Egyptians, his compassion for his people was so great that he could not bear to see them beaten by Pharaohs taskmasters. One day, when Moses was about 40 years old, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and he was so outraged that he struck and killed the Egyptian (Ex. 2:11-12). But when both his fellow Hebrews and the Pharaoh condemned him for this action, Moses was forced to flee from Egypt (Ex. 2:14-15). He fled to Midian, where he met and married Zipporah, the daughter of a Midianite priest (Ex. 2:16-21). They had a son, Gershom (Ex. 2:22). Moses spent 40 years in Midian tending his father-in-laws sheep. A midrash tells that Moses was chosen to lead the Children of Israel because of his kindness to animals. When he was bringing the sheep to a river for water, one lamb did not come. Moses went to the little lamb and carried it to the water so it could drink. Like God, Moses cared about each individual in the group, and not just about the group as a whole. This showed that he was a worthy shepherd for Gods flock. Im sure everyone knows what happened next - if you havent read the book, then youve certainly seen the movie. God appeared to Moses and chose him to lead the people out of Egyptian slavery and to the Promised Land (Ex. Chs. 3-4). With the help of his brother Aaron, Moses spoke to Pharaoh and triggered the plagues against Egypt (Ex. Chs. 4-12). He then led the people out of Egypt and across the sea to freedom, and brought them to Mount Sinai, where God gave the people the Torah and the people accepted it (Ex. Chs. 12-24). God revealed the entire Torah to Moses. The entire Torah includes the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) that Moses himself wrote as God instructed him. It also includes all of the remaining prophecies and history that would later be written down in the remaining books of scripture, and the entire Oral Torah, the oral tradition for interpreting the Torah, that would later be written down in the Talmud. Moses spent the rest of his life writing the first five books, essentially taking dictation from G-d. (to be continued ) May God bless you with an outstanding love, understanding, and prosperity in Jesus name on this beautiful Monday
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 02:46:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015