Saturday, March 19, 2011

Moses and the Israelites


It would be foolish of me to continue talking about the origins and history of the Word, without giving an honorable mention to the first man to receive the written Word from God Himself. Let's talk about Moses. He was the son of a Levite (the people chosen to be priests by God) woman, given up to the river to be found by Pharaohs daughter and raised by her Hebrew maidservant.

Now before Moses was a chosen leader by God, he did some questionable things (such as killing the Egyptian slave driver who was beating his fellow Hebrews) that some may view as early world terrorism but most would agree was heroic with the desire to free his captive people. Eventually God spoke to Moses and commanded Him to lead Israel out of slavery and into the promised land by way of miraculous signs and divine favor from God Himself. God warns him of not allowing anyone else other than Aaron to come up to meet Him in Exodus 19: 20-23 because if they did they would die by rousing God's anger(which we later find out could kill a mortal being in Exodus 33: 18-23).

Now who exactly is this man Moses that could speak face to face with God, and make such incredible demands such as "Now show me your glory" and still live? God even told him that if anyone shall see His face, they will surely die. Was he simply a Warrior which was lead to free his enslaved brothers, a true Prophet of God, a Magician with good intentions, or was he something more? Well speaking from a faith perspective, this man is the corner stone and example for ALL of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and a few other faith systems such as Bahá'í faith.

Historically the man Moses, or Moshe Rabbenu (our teacher/rabbi in modern Hebrew), is believed (by some scholars) to be a historical "fiction hero" who's origin and story are complete fabrications. There are other scholars who would argue that a "Moses-like-figure" would have been more accurately told from the perspective of the Canaanites exile from slavery in Egypt circa 1250-1200 B.C. Still there are others who attest to Moses being made up during the Persian empire.

For all intents and purposes we only have the testimony of Moses, which if certain scholars were correct, would deal a crippling blow to every faith that is Abrahamic and that believes in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel. While many a skeptic and atheist alike would love this to be true, what can be said for the 2.8 billion + people who have followed this same God and been lead to the promised results (be they good for obedience or bad for disobedience)? Are we all having a huge trans-hallucinogenic experience, or are we collectively experience a Law system, given to us by Moses, which is not only Divine, but also has resulted in the peace, love, joy, growth, and healing power that is God's written Word?

I can't speak for the atrocities committed by so-called Christians, Muslims, and Jews, but I can speak for a small but true population who actually live according to the Word of God and have experienced His promises and His favor in life. The choice is yours!

God bless, and thank you for your time!


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Spiritual Corner:  As you may, or may not know, this is the segment of the Blog dedicated to those who truly believe that the Word of God, a.k.a the Holy Bible, is a Living Word that speaks to us... This is for those who are willing to listen.

"And he said, "Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.
7Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house.8With him I speak face to face—clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"" - Numbers 12: 6-8 (New Revised Standard; 3rd Book of Moses)

The Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is speaking to two of his other chosen prophets (who are the siblings of Moses) Aaron and Miriam. It is understood both historically and spiritually, that Aaron and Miriam were also prophets who heard/dreamed/seen the Will of God and would speak it to the people. What was the purpose of this? The role of the prophet was simple, it was to speak what God wanted His people to do, and to lead them to a life of prosperity in the spirit, and then the flesh.

"Hear my words" - Is a command from God letting us know that He is speaking to them now. We see how a Prophet of God communicates with the Lord by means of visions or dreams (day/night dreams). So God does not speak to them directly, but He still speaks to them which is a great privilege and an honor. To KNOW that the God who created all of the universe  has even taken a moment to speak to a lowly mortal is a gift by itself...

"Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house." - So obviously God does NOT speak via dreams or visions with Moses. Well doesn't that mean that God is playing favorites? God forbid because the Lord shows us in the Torah and later in the book of Romans: "For God does not show favoritism." Why then would God entrust Moses with ALL of His house? What is His house in the first place? God's House is where two or more honor, exalt, and worship His Holy name, but in this context, it is the House of Israel.

There is a reason that God speaks face-to-face, and clearly as opposed to riddles which must be studied and deciphered. Do you want to know why God said that Aaron and Miriam should be afraid to speak badly about Him? What I will show you now is something that isn't taught in most congregations but is the secret to being honored by God and favored in all your ways in real life. The reason why God made Moses the one to be entrusted with all of Israel, and why no one should curse his name is because of this:

"Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth." - Numbers 12:3


It's all about being humble. More so than anyone who was alive at the time, God choose Moses because He was humble. He was not perfect and he was made of the same flesh and blood that we all share, but it was his true humility that made him highly honored and protected by God Himself... So if you want true blessings from God, it's time to be humble and be like Moses (which is exactly how Jesus Christ elaborates on how we should behave), and you will be blessed and entrusted with treasures from God that you never thought possible!

Amen & God bless :) 

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