The Life of Moses - Term Paper Example

The Life of Moses from Birth Until The Parting of the Red Sea Moses was perhaps the greatest leader of all time. Born to slaves, but raised in royalty, Moses identified with the oppressed slaves and pledged to lead them to freedom. With the help of God, who helped Moses convince the Pharaoh Ramses to let the people of Israel go by descending upon Israel a series of events – boils, plagues, frogs, sea turning to blood and the death of every first-born in Egypt – that made Ramses realize that Moses’ God was fearsome and awesome. That said, Ramses changed his mind, and sent his Egyptian forces after the slaves to retrieve them after they had already left Egypt. At that, the people were furious with Moses, feeling that he had led them out of Egypt to die. That said, God helped Moses convince the masses one more time, as God helped Moses part the Red Sea with only his staff. Because Moses led the people of Israel out of bondage, and this was helped along with a series of miracles, Moses deserves the moniker of being the greatest leader of all time. The Life of Moses According to Feldman (2007), at the time that Moses was born, around 1592 B.C. by the Christian calendar, and 1391 B.C. by the Jewish calendar, the Pharaoh was afraid of an Israelite revolution against him, so he ordered that all the male infants be put to death. That said, Feldman (2007) cites scholars who question this, stating that it does not make sense that the Pharaoh would order this, as Israelites were important as slaves to the Egyptians, and males, especially, were important, because they were stronger and could do more work than the females could. That said, the Bible, in Exodus 1:10, according to Feldman (2007), clearly states that the Pharaoh was afraid that the Israelites were getting too numerous, and that they would try to take over the country. Therefore, to hide Moses from the Pharaoh’s edict regarding Israelite male children, Moses’ family decided to put him in a basket and float him down the river, where the Pharaoh’s daughter was, as she had decided to go to the river to bathe at this time. She sent her maidservant to pick up the basket, and she rescued Moses out of the river (Feldman, 45). According to Cohen (2007), Moses, because of the circumstances of his birth and adoption, was of two different worlds. This was because, even after he was pulled from the river by the Pharaoh’s daughter, he continued to be with his mother while the boy was nursed. As Beegle (1972) notes, the Pharaoh’s daughter had to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the boy, and Moses’ mother presented herself for this task. The Pharaoh’s daughter paid Moses’ mother to nurse him, and the Pharaoh’s daughter adopted the beautiful Moses (p. 52). At this point, according to Cohen, the Biblical story of Moses jumps ahead a few years to the point where Moses has grown up, and decided to visit his own people, the Hebrews (p. 55). At this time, Moses was around 40 years old, so, assuming the Christian calendar, the date was around 1552 B.C. during this event. Cohen (2007) notes that this was a hallmark of leadership, because Moses experienced luxury when he lived with his adoptive mother, the Pharaoh’s daughter, but, as leaders often do, he decided to take on a lifestyle which is more burdensome. This is because he wanted to serve his people and his community. Moreover, Cohen (2007) notes that Moses had an intense desire to connect with his brothers and sisters, and this was another reason why he was driven to visit his birth family. Moses did not see that these people were any different from him, even though he had lived the life of luxury, and this was because he was able to see that his family, and the enslaved Hebrews in general, were his brothers and sisters, his kin (p. 9). As Cohen (2007) notes, because Moses, after visiting his birth family, saw that the Hebrews were his brothers and sisters, he could not stand to see the way that they were treated by the Egyptians. Therefore, he struck down an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Cohen (2007) notes that this shows maturation, because he saw that the fate of this one Israelite was in his hands, and he therefore had to act (p. 11). Cohen (2007) further notes that killing the Egyptian who was mistreating the slave was another hallmark of leadership, in that Moses endangered himself to help another, and this is what leaders often must do in times of crises. Beegle (1972) said that this incident not only showed that Moses had loyalty, but also that he had a burning sense of justice. That said, Moses soon found out that other Hebrews knew his secret, that he had killed an Egyptian, and this made him fear, according to Beegle (1972) (56). Therefore, Moses had to flee to the land of Midian (56). . d’Humy (1955) described Moses’s journey into Midian by stating that he had to flee through the desert, and that, as a fugitive, he was a man without a country or friends. While in the desert, according to d’Humy (1955), Moses had time to reflect upon what he had done in killing the Egyptian. While the Egyptian that he killed was undoubtedly cruel, Moses realized that he had let his temper get the best of him, and he felt guilty for this deed. Thus, the person who accused him of being judge and jury, one of his own, was correct, for Moses had acted in this way in deciding to take the life of another. He also realized at this point, according to d’Humy (1955), that only God had the power to take a life, and only God had the power to make Moses a prince or a judge of men. The Pharaoh may bestow certain titles, but only God truly has the power to create these titles (p. 110). This, once again, shows leadership, because a leader has the power to reflect upon his own actions, and correct these actions if need be. Moses understood that he, himself, was not perfect, so, given the time to reflect upon his deeds, he understood that he needed to take corrective action, and this is what he was able to do. In Midian, according to Coats (1988), he stopped to rest, when shepherds came up and tried to drive seven daughters away. Moses stood up for these women, as well, attacking the shepherds. This resulted in Moses getting an invitation to dine at the home of the girls’ father, who was a priest, and this also gave Moses the right to marry one of these daughters. The father, Jethro, arranged a marriage with Moses and his daughter, Tzippporah, and Moses spends the next few years tending Jethro’s flock of sheep. Cohen (2007) states that, as this point, Moses tending the flock of sheep was a harbinger of what was to come, as he was called by God to care for his people, just like he cared for these sheep. Moreover, Cohen (2007) states that Moses’ concern for the animals would be reflected for his concern for his people – he showed great compassion for his animals, such as the time that he followed a runaway kid to a stream, and carried the kid back, knowing that the animal was exhausted (16). Leaders should have empathy and compassion, argues Cohen (2007), because this enables to leaders to identify with the led. Once again, Moses was showing leadership when he had empathy for the goat kid, because it showed that he could think about others. It is around this time, when Moses was a shepherd, that he encountered the burning bush on Mt. Sinai. Buber (1946) states that Moses went up on this mountain and was given a message by the burning bush. Moses recognized that the burning bush was God’s presence, and Moses is inquisitive, turning to look at the bush. Cohen (2007) states that Moses’ act of looking at the bush is another example of leadership. He could have turned away from the bush, which would mean that he would have refused God’s offer. Instead, he looked at the bush, and God knew that Moses was ready to take the assignment that He was offering him. Amongst the lessons that Moses learns from the bush, who was speaking for God, is that God was troubled by the plight of the Israelites, and that Israel is important to God’s covenant to the people of the world. Moreover, the burning bush was symbolic, according to Cohen (2007), in that it burned, and it was a bush. The fact that it was a lowly bush represented Israel, which was a put down nation, yet it burned, which means that Israel would continue and would not be crushed by Egypt (19-20). The fire that burned was a spiritual fire, according to Bock (1978). Cohen (2007) states that, at first, Moses feared the bush. He also feared that God had called him to deliver this task for Him, which is to lead the Israelites out of slavery. He did not understand how it is that he was called to do this, and he did not want to assume the leadership role that was inherent in this mission from God. He was convinced that the Israelites would not listen to him or follow him, and he felt like an imposter, according to Cohen (2007). However, God assured him that He would be with Moses in this assignment. Cohen (2007) states that Moses taking God’s assignment showed courage and leadership, because, even though Moses had doubts that he would be able to convince the Pharaoh of God’s plan, let alone convince the people of Israel to follow him, he still took the assignment. True leaders, argue Cohen (2007), take assignments that are challenging and difficult, if they are the right thing to do, and Moses knew that this particular assignment was the right thing to do, which is why he took this assignment (13). After getting the assignment from God to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, Beegle (1972) states that Moses returned to Egypt, and assembled the elders of Israel , and demanded that the Pharaoh Ramses to let the Israelites go free. When the Pharaoh refused to do this, though, Beegle (1972) states that there were up to 10 plagues that hit Egypt. The plagues included the fact that the water turned to blood; frogs rained from the sky; mosquitoes and flies infested; animals died of a plague; boils appeared; hail of fire; locusts; darkness; and death of the firstborn (92-93). This, too, showed leadership, according to Cohen (2007), because Moses was able to use the tools of his disposal, which are the miracles that God sent for Moses to convince the unwavering Pharaoh (20). Perhaps Moses would not have been able to convince the Pharaoh without these tools and miracles, but the fact that Moses was able to use them showed that he was not above using everything he had to convince the Egyptian leadership that the slaves must be set free. The Pharaoh, witnessing all of these plagues, and fearing God, allowed the people of Israel to leave. That said, according to Cohen (2007), the Israelites still lost faith in Moses, because Pharaoh had a change of heart about letting them leave, and he, and his horses and men, gave chase to the Israelites. This made the Israelites fearful of what would happen if they were recaptured, and they lost their faith in Moses. Cohen (2007) notes that every time something goes wrong, Moses got the blame from the Israelites. Yet, Moses was unwavering in his leadership. Moses knew that he had God on his side, and he trusted that God would continue to perform miracles which would convince the led that they should have faith in their leader, Moses. Once again, this was an example of Moses using what he had, which was God’s working of miracles, to convince the people of Israel that they were on a sound course. A lesser leader would have eventually given up, what with both the Pharaoh and the people doubting him and his abilities to get the people out of harm’s way. But Moses was resolute, and this showed courage and leadership. It is at this point that Moses parted the Red Sea, according to Cohen (2007) (47). He raised his rod above the sea and parted it. At this time, Moses was about 60 years old, so the year was, by Christian standards, around 1530 B.C. Moses’ hand was the hand of God, who parted the sea. The reason for this is because the Israelites finally started to believe in Moses, as evidenced by the fact that a man went into the sea and almost drowns. This showed that they had renewed faith in their leader, and this, in turn, allowed Moses to perform the miracle of parting the Red Sea. Cohen (2007) states that, even though the Red Sea was parted, the Israelites continued to complain, not seeing the God was protecting them and the Moses was leading them. They did not appreciate this protection or this leadership, according to Cohen (2007) (48). Nevertheless, this act showed that Moses was in control of the masses. They were doubting him, but some showed that they were starting to believe in him when they plunged into the sea. So, when Moses performed the ultimate miracle of parting the Red Sea, the people were willing to go along with him. This showed the ultimate act of leadership. Conclusion Moses should be considered one of the, if not the, greatest leader of all time. This would arguably include Jesus. This was because Moses, against all odds, led an entire people out of bondage. Then logistics of this was enormous. First, he had to convince a heartless Egyptian leader that this should be done. Then, he not only had to convince the people that this should be done, but he had to actually lead them out of Egypt and into another land. These were thousands of people who were led by Moses. Meanwhile, the people were led into the desert without water and with the Egyptian army bearing down upon them. Through it all, Moses was resolute. He knew that he was doing the right thing, and he knew that God was on his side. He could have told God that he did not want the assignment because he didn’t feel up to the challenge. He could have backed down to the Pharaoh’s resistance, or turned back when the Pharaoh was bearing down on him and his people. Moses did none of that, preferring to forge ahead against all the odds. Because his task was so enormous, he faced so many difficulties and challenges, and he came through successfully, Moses showed unparalleled leadership, and should be a role model for all leaders who have come after him. Sources Used Beegle, Dewey. Moses, The Servant of Yahweh. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972. Bock, Emil. Moses: From the Mysteries of Egypt to the Judges of Israel. New York: Floris Books, 1978. Buber, Martin. Moses: The Revelation and the Covenant. New York: Harper & Row, 1946. Coats, George. Moses: Heroic Man, Man of God. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1988. Cohen, Norman. Moses and the Journey to Leadership. Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Publishing, 2007. Feldman, Louis. Philo’s Portrayal of Moses in the Context of Ancient Judaism. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007. d’Humy, Fernand. What Manner of Man was Moses? New York: Library Publishers, 1955. Read More