Prophet and deliverer of Israel Moses

finding of moses (detail), 1638, nicolas poussin

the israelites had settled in land of goshen in time of joseph , jacob, new pharaoh arose oppressed children of israel. @ time moses born father amram, son of kehath levite, entered egypt jacob s household; mother jochebed (also yocheved), kin kehath. moses had 1 older (by 7 years) sister, miriam, , 1 older (by 3 years) brother, aaron.

the finding of moses, painting sir lawrence alma-tadema, 1904

the pharaoh had commanded male hebrew children born drowned in river nile, moses mother placed him in ark , concealed ark in bulrushes riverbank, baby discovered , adopted pharaoh s daughter. 1 day after moses had reached adulthood killed egyptian beating hebrew. moses, in order escape pharaoh s death penalty, fled midian (a desert country south of judah), married zipporah.

moses strikes water stone, francesco bacchiacca

there, on mount horeb, god revealed moses name yhwh (probably pronounced yahweh) , commanded him return egypt , bring chosen people (israel) out of bondage , promised land (canaan). during journey, god tried kill moses, zipporah saved life. moses returned carry out god s command, god caused pharaoh refuse, , after god had subjected egypt ten plagues did pharaoh relent. moses led israelites border of egypt, there god hardened pharaoh s heart once more, destroy pharaoh , army @ red sea crossing sign of power israel , nations.

moses before pharaoh, 6th-century miniature syriac bible of paris

from egypt, moses led israelites biblical mount sinai, given ten commandments god, written on stone tablets. however, since moses remained long time on mountain, of people feared might dead, made statue of golden calf , worshiped it, disobeying , angering god , moses. moses, out of anger, broke tablets, , later ordered elimination of had worshiped golden statue, melted down , fed idolaters. wrote ten commandments on new set of tablets. later @ mount sinai, moses , elders entered covenant, israel become people of yhwh, obeying laws, , yhwh god. moses delivered laws of god israel, instituted priesthood under sons of moses brother aaron, , destroyed israelites fell away worship. in final act @ sinai, god gave moses instructions tabernacle, mobile shrine travel israel promised land.

from sinai, moses led israelites desert of paran on border of canaan. there sent twelve spies land. spies returned samples of land s fertility, warned inhabitants giants. people afraid , wanted return egypt, , rebelled against moses , against god. moses told israelites not worthy inherit land, , wander wilderness forty years until generation had refused enter canaan had died, children possess land.

when forty years had passed, moses led israelites east around dead sea territories of edom , moab. there escaped temptation of idolatry, received god s blessing through balaam prophet, , massacred midianites, end of exodus journey had become enemies of israelites. moses twice given notice die before entry promised land: in numbers 27:13, once had seen promised land viewpoint on mount abarim, , again in numbers 31:1 once battle midianites had been won.

moses holding arms during battle against amalek, assisted aaron , hur; painting john everett millais

on banks of jordan river, in sight of land, moses assembled tribes. after recalling wanderings delivered god s laws must live in land, sang song of praise , pronounced blessing on people, , passed authority joshua, under whom possess land. moses went mount nebo top of pisgah, looked on promised land of israel spread out before him, , died, @ age of 1 hundred , twenty. more humble other man (num. 12:3), there hath not arisen prophet since in israel unto moses, whom yhwh knew face face (deuteronomy 34:10). new testament states after moses death, michael archangel , devil disputed on body (epistle of jude 1:9).

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