Exodus Essay, Research Paper

Marolda 9/25/00

Religion Summary of Exodus

Exodus begins with the death of Joseph and his generation and with the arrival of a new king in Egypt. This new king did not know Joseph and feared the Israelites because they became to numerous. In an effort to deal with the Israelites, the new king oppressed them by forcing them into labor. But the more they were oppressed the more fruitful they became, so the Egyptians came to loath the Israelites. Pharaoh then commanded all his people, Every Boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live. (Ex. 1:22)

A son was born from two Levites and hidden for three months. When he could no longer be hidden, his mother placed him in a basket along the edge of the Nile River. He was found by Pharaoh s daughter and raised as her own. The child was named Moses.

One day, after Moses had grown up, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. After seeing that no one was around he killed the Egyptian and hid him on the sand. The next day, while trying to stop an altercation between two Hebrews, Moses was told by the man who was wrong that he knew what Moses had done. Moses was now afraid for his life and fled from Pharaoh. When Pharaoh heard what had happened he wanted to kill Moses. Moses found shelter with a man named Jethro and married his daughter Zipporah, whom with he boar a son named Gersshom.

After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites preyed to God to help them out of slavery. God remembered his promise to Abraham and took notice of the Israelites.

While Moses was tending his flock, the angle of the Lord appeared to him in the form of a burning bush and commanded him to lead his people out of slavery. God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let his people go, and if he was refused to perform miracles before Pharaoh. So Moses and his brother Aaron went to Pharaoh and did as the Lord commanded. But Pharaoh s heart was hardened just as the Lord had foretold. In spite of Moses, Pharaoh commanded his taskmasters to make the Israelites gather their own straw to make bricks.

Now, after seeing what his people must go through, Moses asked the Lord why he has done this. The Lord reassured Moses that his people would be saved and that he would deal with Pharaoh. God then told Moses to return to Pharaoh and perform another miracle by turning the water in the Nile River to blood. This was to be the first of the ten plagues that would ravage Egypt.

Moses did what he was told, but Pharaoh s heart was still hardened. Then the Lord told Moses to once again ask Pharaoh to let his people go, and once again Pharaoh refused. So the Lord sent a plague of frogs to Egypt which devastated the entire area. Moses returned to Pharaoh for a third time and was refused, so the lord sent a plague of gnats to Egypt. Once again Moses went back to Pharaoh with the same request and was denied. Because of this the lord sent a plague of flies to Egypt. For the fifth time Moses returned to Pharaoh and was renounced so a plague of diseased livestock swept across the land. Again Moses went to Pharaoh asking him to let the Lord s people go and again he refused so a plague of boils came to Egypt.

Moses went to Pharaoh for the seventh time asking for his people s freedom and was denied once more. The seventh plague brought thunder and hail, which rained down on Egypt killing everything that was not sheltered. After seeing what was going on, Pharaoh told Moses that he would let the Israelites go if he stopped the storm. Moses agreed and stopped the storm, but once more Pharaoh heart was hardened and he went back on his word refusing to let the Israelites go. The lord told Moses to go back to Pharaoh and ask him again to let his people go, but he was refused another time. So the Lord brought forth a swarm of locusts which devoured all of the vegetation in Egypt. Pharaoh then told him that he would let his people go save the livestock. Moses told Pharaoh that this was unacceptable, so Pharaoh s heart was once again hardened and he would not let the Israelites go.

Moses then warned Pharaoh that if he did not let his people that the Lord would kill all of the firstborn in the land. In order to be spared from this plague, all those who followed the Lord must perform the Passover ritual. Those who preformed the Passover ritual were saved from God s wrath, but those who didn t lost their firstborn. After loosing his son Pharaoh finally gave in and let the Israelites go.

The Israelites hastily made there way out of Egypt but only made it to the Red Sea before Pharaoh, with his once again hardened heart, caught up with them. Moses then parted the Red Sea so they could escape from Pharaoh. After everybody was safely across the river, the Lord unparted the water and crushed the perusing Egyptian army.

While in the wilderness, the Lord performed many miracles for his people. He gave them mana from heaven and water from the rock. The Lord also helped them defend against the attack from Amalek.

Finally the Israelites reached Mt. Sinai. Their the lord gave them the Ten Commandments and laws concerning various things like the alter, slaves, violence, property and restitution. The Israelites were also given instructions on how to build the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.

When Moses was returning from the mountain top with the Ten Commandments, he found his people worshiping a golden calf and was so angry that he threw the tablets to the ground and broke them. He punished the people by making them burn the golden calf, grind it into powder, scatter it into water and drink it. He then had to make new tablets just as the Lord commanded.

They then constructed the Tabernacle and the Arch of the Covenant. The Tabernacle was erected and all of its equipment was installed. Moses then took the Covenant and put it into the ark. After that the exodus was complete.

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