The story of Moses and his extraordinary leadership (chps 5-14)


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THE STORY OF MOSES AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP. Exodus 5-14

Moses grapples with Pharaoh to extract the people of Israel from their prolonged slavery in Egypt. God is helping out, but not in a smooth, painless fashion, rather in a lengthy campaign of agony that ends up with the mass drowning of Pharaoh and his army. Moses finds himself with 600,000 Israelites facing the desert, on their long walk towards the promised land.

Exodus Chapter 5: Moses first appeal to Pharaoh ends up hurting Israel. Moses asks Pharaoh to give Israel a three day break to worship their God. Pharaoh dismisses the request, and issues orders for harsher work schedule, to rid Israel from thinking such thoughts of relief. Moses is disheartened by the outcome of his appeal, and complains to God about it. 23 verses.

Exodus Chapter 6: God reassures Moses. God reminds Moses of the long standing contract with the paternal origin of the people of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and reassured him of redeeming Israel in the promised land. Moses wonders: my own people have dismissed me (after the debacle of the first appeal), how in the world would Pharaoh listen to me? God reassures Moses, and reaffirms Aaron as Moses' spokesman. The chapter mentions specific families among Israel -- destined for freedom. 30 verses.

Exodus Chapter 7: Moses tries (in vain) to Impress Pharaoh with divine miracles: staff turns into snake, water into blood. Moses turn his staff into a snake, then turns the water of the Nile to blood, to impress Pharaoh with the validity and power of God of Israel. Pharaoh mimics some of those "tricks" with his own tricksters, and otherwise is not overly impressed, and does not acquiesce to Moses. 29 verses.

Exodus Chapter 8: Moses Afflicts Pharaoh thrice more. Pharaoh remains stubborn. 28 verses. Moses afflicts the Egyptians with swarming frogs, a lice attack, and with wild animals. Each times Pharaoh may say he obliges Moses demand to allow the Israelites to walk out into the desert for three days to worship their God, and each time he rescinds his ascent.

Exodus Chapter 9: Three more futile afflictions: plague, skin disease, and hail 35 verses. The afflictions by pass Israel and impress Pharaoh who yields in exchange of undoing of the affliction, only to change his mind once the affliction is off.

Exodus Chapter 10: Two more plagues (locust, darkness) subdue Pharaoh but only temporarily. 29 verses. God explains to Moses why He chooses this prolonged sequence to free his people: to make this a story worth telling generations to come -- the power and the immensity of God. After rescinding his decision to allow Israel to go worship God in the desert for three days, Moses threatens to bestow upon Egypt the plague of locust. They would consume all the green left after the hail. Pharaoh's advisors urge him to let Israel go because Egypt is dying. Pharaoh, reluctantly, summons Moses and his brother Aaron and offers a deal: Only the men would go, and the women and children would be left behind. Obviously, Pharaoh fears that Israel would not return to its slaveposts after the three day holiday, and his counteroffer seeks to secure their return. Moses replies: No deal! The negotiations collapse, and Moses unleashes the locust. God blows an eastern wind that brings forth swarms of locust. They prove themselves devastating, finishing up all resources left after the previous plagues. Pharaoh has no choice but to summon Moses, and plead with him to remove this awful death from the land of Egypt. Moses complies, and God blows a western wind that cleans Egypt from the locust. No sooner is the locust out of the way, and Pharaoh hardens his heart once more. God then instructs Moses to point his arm (not his staff this time!) to the heavens, and plunge the land of Egypt into pitch darkness. For three days Egyptians could not see each other; however, it was light as usual in the land of Goshen where the Israelites resided. This is a curious plague: didn't the Egyptian see each other, even when they lit fire? Was there a sharp borderline between the dark area, and the lit area? Pharaoh summons Moses once more and offers a deal: "Go, with the women and children, but leave behind the cattle and the livestock." Moses: "Not good enough. We must leave with all our livestock because we need it to sacrifice to our God, and we don't know ahead of time, which animals would be needed for the sacrifice. And besides, we expect you to gift us some livestock before we go!" Pharaoh is naturally incensed, orders Moses and Aaron out, saying: "Don't come to see me again, because the day you do, is the day you die!" Moses replies: "Like you say, I shall see you no more!"

Exodus Chapter 11: God plans to kill the first born in all of Egypt. 10 verses. God divulges to Moses his plan to kill all the first born in Egypt -- the rich and the poor, even the animal's first born! At the same time Israel would be spared. Gold also instruct Moses to instruct Israel to borrow gold and silver from each other -- the purpose is unclear.

Exodus Chapter 12: God kills Egypt's first born, and designates Passover as an eternal Jewish celebration. 51 verses. After 430 years in Egypt, God instructs Israel to dress up, bake unleavened bread and mark their abodes with blood, so that the angel of death would by-pass them. The unleavened bread must be consumed for seven days, by everyone, including all guests and foreign residents. That month is designated as the first month of the year. The event of redemption is to be honored with consumption of unleavened bread throughout the ages. In the middle of the night Egypt's first born are struck dead. Pharaoh is jolted and immediately agrees to give leave to Israel, including the women, and the cattle. What's more, Pharaoh says: "Prey for me too!" Israel exploits the Egyptian agony and borrows utensils of gold and silver from ordinary Egyptians, and are ready to move out!

Exodus, Chapter 13: Instructions to celebrate Passover. 22 verses. Moses bids Israel to remember for generations the strong hand God applied to redeem them from Egypt. Israel should redeem its first borns -- spared when God has smitten the Egyptian first born. This chapter gives the instructions for passover: seven days without leavened bread, and constant remembrance of the strong hand God used to redeem Israel from Egypt.

Exosodus, Chapter 14: The Climax of the Moses-Pharoh Saga -- drowning of Pharoh and his mighty forces. Once the Israelites were gone, albeit by Pharoh's agreement, the king of Egypt had second thoughts (as usual). He reasoned that the Israelites must be lost in the desert, and marshalled his army to give chase. When Israel saw Pharoh chasing them, they panicked, but Moses beefed up their spirit saying with great drama: "You shall not see these Egyptians again, after today! All that you have to do is watch!" Moses then cried to God for rescue, and God instructed Moses to lift his staff towards the red sea, and it would part. Moses did so, and an eastern wind blew all night until the water parted. All the while the pillar of smoke, and God's angel positioned themselves behind Israel, and in front of the Egyptians, protecting the former from the latter. Israel crossed the sea in the dry opening, and Pharoh followed them forth with. God has shocked the Egyptians, and monkey-wrenched their chariot wheels (it happened after dawn), until the Egyptians realized that a divine force works against them. They admitted as much and turned back, only that by then God instructed Moses to lift his staff again towards the water, and the sea closed down on the trapped army, and no one survived. The Israelites, watching all this from the crossed bank, became profound believers in God, and in his prophet Moses.