The making of a nation

After Joseph died the new Egyptian pharaoh began to realize that the Israelite population was on the rise and oppressed them by making them slaves. As a result of being slaves and beginning to populate Egypt the Egyptians decided to kill all the firstborn Israelite male babies. The only one to escape this massacre was Moses who’s mother put him in a basket and put him in the water. He was then found by Pharaoh’s daughter and she saved him and treated him as if he was her own son. As a result of the event of having been enslaved and having their male children killed the Israelites cried out to God and he heard them.

Carson D.A. & Moo, D. J. (2005), An Introduction To The New Testament, 2nd Edition

F. F. Bruce. The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Grand Rapids: William B. Eardmans Publishing Company, sixth edition, 1981

The Hebrews served a monotheistic God, who they called Yahweh. He is an all-powerful and non human like being. They believed he made them in his image and gave them dominion over the earth. Their God was unlike any other gods at the time because he was friendly, compassionate, forgiving and all-powerful. God gave the Hebrews structure, a background, hope, and purpose. Every society needs rules to protect and keep the community in line. God gave Moses the ten commandments which they lived on.1 The Hebrews created the Bible a sacred book containing their lives and relationships with God. The Bible gave the Hebrews an understanding of how the world and humankind emerged. They also believed in an afterlife. Heaven for people who lived a righteous life and Hell for people who lived an unholy life in the eyes of God. So the Hebrews had a set of laws follow and hopes to believe in. This unified the Hebrews because they had the same goals, beliefs and obligation to suppress their desires for the well being of God and their society.

I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to

Harris, R. L. (1999). 68 אָחַר. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.

This journey is more difficult than I thought; I doubt that the other slaves would disagree with me. Hopefully this Moses will not lead us into a death trap but I have heard many stories of him rescuing many slaves that were once captive.

This lead the reader question why God did not provide defined rules, or expectations, prior to the commandments? Previous covenants focused on God’s obligations: to not destroy mankind again and to provide Abraham offspring and the land of Canaan, whereas Exodus focused on Israelite responsibilities (p. 114). In the end, the reader found Exodus a “rite of passage” that displayed God’s trust in the Israelites and a formalized relationship with God.

Moses channels God’s power and relays his messages to the Israelites, which establishes and strengthens the idea of monotheism, which is the backbone of the Hebrew religion. The following paragraphs will look deeper into the primary source and demonstrate how Moses forms a relationship with not only the slaves but also serve as an

Although many Africans already practiced varying religions, a major moral justification for slavery was to provide religion to the so-called savages. While many slaves did in fact adopt Christianity, its teachings did not quite coincide with slavery. That is, slaves related to stories of triumph and overcoming the odds, using them as an example of their deserved freedom. For example, the famous story of “The Exodus,” where Moses, as directed by God, leads the Hebrews out slavery in Egypt, was often seen as direct Biblical anti-slavery sentiment.

Moses: Moses was born in a time when his people, the Israelites, an enslaved minority, were increasing in numbers and the Egyptian Pharaoh was worried that they might ally with Egypt's enemies. God sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. Moses said that he could not speak with assurance or eloquence, so God allowed Aaron, his brother, to become his spokesperson. After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments

The Hebrew people were chosen as the people of God. After being enslaved in Egypt for centuries, God leads them out of oppression to the Promised land. He works through two Judges, Moses, and Joshua.

This course is an examination of the writings of the Old Testament, using an historical and interpretive approach to these writings. GER REL and Humanities

Moses was a humble man, but God sees that he is mightier than Moses sees himself. When God tells him that he must lead the Jews out of Egypt, he grows fearful and unworthy of such a task. Moses humility toward God is what makes him capable of such a tremendous mission. Although, he would have much rather not lead the Jews out of Egypt because he is afraid and does not have faith in himself, however, he is able to do it because God has told him to and God would not ask him to do so if it was impossible. Moses successfully leads the Hebrews out of Egypt. Moses was capable of freeing the Jews of slavery with a quality of humility (No Title, 1986).

At the end of Genesis and into exodus, we see a God who is delivering a people out of slavery and promising this same people a literal land of their own. He promised to be their God. We find moving into exodus that Jacob and Joseph are dead. In Exodus, we see God taking the blessings of Egypt to Jacob and his seed making it bondage to prepare their heart to be His people. Deuteronomy teaches the people how they will live in the promised land. Moses was used of God to lead them out of Egypt and to prepare the new generation to be His people, but Moses could not enter the promised land (Deuteronomy 34:4, HCSB). As Deuteronomy ends God provides new leadership, but His words live on with the people. He continues to choose to work among them. They conquer the land He promised with His guidance and by their obedience to His commands. In conclusion, the storyline from