Critique of Exodus 3 - Essay Example

EXODUS 3 College Summary and Introduction People often seem to forget or ignore the power of stories, yet virtually everything around us is a story. There is always a tale behind everything, no matter how fleeting it may be. The Bible is a compilation of stories; some of the most powerful fables the world has ever seen, yet it does not receive the recognition it deserves. It tells the story of mankind in a way that few mediums could; original, thought-provoking, and comprehensive. Exodus is one of the most intuitive books in the Bible. It combines multiple subjects into one powerful message. It also provides a seamless and chronological account of the Israelites’ move from Egypt, in a way that few texts can. Exodus also teaches us a few things that I would like to speak to you about today. These are leadership, obedience, sacrifice, and compassion. In the age of Moses and the prophets, God used to reveal Himself to people in such explicit and remarkable ways that even the prophets themselves would be left astounded. In addition, God used to correspond with prophets directly, and this communication was so direct to the point that it was virtually face-to-face. Modern religion finds it difficult to reconcile with such events because they are unheard of nowadays. However, this does not mean that God’s presence in our lives has waned. All of us are His children, and so long as we walk in His ways He will manifest Himself to us in ways that serve His purpose. Speech In Exodus 3, we can see that God chose Moses to carry out His mission, which was to deliver the Israelites from Egypt and bring them back to Him. Moses’ story is remarkable because he was abandoned as an infant because his mother feared he would be killed by the Egyptians1. More remarkably, he was later rescued by the unlikeliest of people: Pharaoh’s daughter. He was, subsequently, raised as royalty, an Egyptian prince. Another observation is that Moses was the youngest in his family, and going by the standards of that age he was the least likely to be chosen by God. However, God works in mysterious ways, especially when it comes to choosing leaders. People need to understand that leadership is ordained by God; it is not anyone’s birthright. Consequently, those who occupy leadership positions should work to fulfill God’s commands and guide His people in His path. Leadership, at whatever level, is not something to be trifled with; it is a manifestation of God’s nature and character. Moses had a life before God revealed Himself to him. Of course, he was just herding sheep, but his life was active by all accounts. Having been chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses had to abandon everything and execute God’s plan. This might seem trivial when examined superficially, but it must have taken a lot of sacrifice for Moses to drop all his plans and go back to Egypt. This was the land where he had committed a murder and fled as a fugitive. The risks were endless, and the task was tough, but he sacrificed everything for an uncertain mission2. This teaches us to put God’s commandments above everything else. He is our creator, and He tells us in the Bible that He has nothing but good plans for us. God is compassionate. As His children, He loves us and only wants the best for us. He displayed great compassion by telling Moses that He knew of the suffering His people (the Israelites) were undergoing in Egypt, and He wanted to free them from the yoke of their Egyptian slavers. However, He does not stop there. He wanted to take them to Canaan, which was far better than Egypt3. God showed us the way with His empathy towards the Israelites, and this is the way He wants us to follow in our interactions with others. God has demonstrated His love for us numerous times, but many of us cannot commit ourselves to loving Him and our fellow human beings. Considering the numerous sacrifices He has made for us in a compassionate manner, we should not find it so hard to do the same for others. After all, He does not owe us anything; we owe Him everything4. Compassion for others sits well with God and shows that we are obedient to His word. Obedience is one of the central themes of the Ten Commandments and one of the most emphasized aspects of human existence. In Exodus 3, God gave Moses orders and asked him to implement them to the latter. Moses, being of human disposition, questioned God by asking who He was. He also sought to know how he would lead the Israelites out of Egypt yet he was a stutterer who lacked authority in speech. The answers God gave Moses raised more questions than clues, and Moses could have been forgiven for wanting to inquire more5. However, he obeyed God’s instructions and accepted the mission. This level of obedience lacks in a majority of people today. In fact, some people obey nothing other than themselves, and any change in this practice is motivated by gains. Obedience enabled Moses to successfully complete the task given to him by God and fulfill God’s prophecy. The ultimate product of Moses’ acceptance of his mission was the Pentateuch6. Comprising a number of laws that summed up God’s new covenant with the Israelites, the Pentateuch introduced a new dimension in God’s relationship with mankind. It also marked the start of a new association that would define mankind’s relationship with God until the beginning of the New Testament and the birth of Jesus. It is worth posing the question of whether the Pentateuch would have come into existence if Moses had disobeyed God’s commands. However, it seems that Moses was merely a vessel used by God, who wanted to end the suffering of His people. The probability is that someone else would have assumed Moses’ role and executed God’s commands7. Bibliography Fluegel, Maurice. Exodus, Moses and the Decalogue Legislation. S.l.: Book on Demand, 2013. Ham, Ken, & Bodie Hodge. Begin a Journey Through Scriptures for Seekers and New Believers. Green Forest: New Leaf Publishing Group, 2011. Knight, Douglas A., & Amy Levine. The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us. New York: HarperOne/HarperCollins, 2012. Read More