The Mystery of Moses

The Mystery of Moses

Moses is one of the most revered and important characters of the Old Testament. Yet, as much as we know about the people of that time, Moses is still a figure shrouded in mystery. His existence is not proven; his life is contradictory to itself, and his persona, as shown through the bible, is immensely glorified. But, who was he? Was he real or just a bedtime myth?

There are many theories of the origin of Moses. According to the bible Moses was a man born of Hebrew descent. At the time of his birth, the Pharaoh felt his kingdom threatened by the Israelites (Hebrews) and ordered that every newborn male Israelite be dropped into the Nile River. His mother, daughter of Levi according to the New American Standard Bible, placed him in a basket made of reed and send him down the river in fear for his safety. He was picked up and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter. One day Moses witnessed a taskmaster beating an Israelite for no reason so Moses killed the taskmaster. The Pharaoh heard of this and ordered that Moses be sentenced to death. He escaped the land of Egypt to Midian where he met his wife Zipporah. He had lived in Midian for a while when the Lord appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush. The lord gave Moses the task of leading the Israelites out of bondage and into then Promised Land. He reluctantly accepted after god told him the name by which to call him. The New American Standard Bible states simply that god revealed his secret name to Moses and Moses accepted. Other versions of the bible talk of a staff that can transform into a snake and a hand of Leperas. Either way, Moses accepted and descended into Egypt to talk with the Pharaoh.

Moses asked for his people s freedom and the Pharaoh refused. He then brought ten plagues to Egypt water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, pestilence, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the first born. The Israelites were granted passage out of the lands of Egypt and they headed towards the Red Sea. When they reached the Red Sea, the Pharaoh was behind them, pursuing with a sense of vengeance. The Lord helped Moses to part the waters of the Red Sea and the Israelites made their way through the towering waters. The Egyptian army followed and was swallowed by the waters as they came crashing back down.

"Then the Lord told Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots