Exodus And Moses

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The Book of Exodus begins hundreds of years later once Joseph and his brothers have all died. This leaves a void in leadership over Israel and is eventually subdued to Moses. He is a Hebrew boy who starts off as a slave, and eventually encounters God through the burning bush where he is convinced to assume his role as leader of the Israelites. With the help of his brother Aaron, they face controversy with the Pharaoh of Egypt trying to rid their people and lead them to a land full of prosperity, which God has promised. It is through Moses leadership that they find freedom and religious conformity as a community. Although Moses is initially timid, he consequently develops the willpower of a traditional hero through attaining a personal relationship with God and his people through the breaking of the clay tablets along with using the power God has given him through his staff to intimidate the Pharaoh and shows his urgency and pride as leader of a great nation. In one of the first conversations with God, Moses exposes his weak self-esteem and lack of confidence. After being given orders by God, Moses states, “Even the Israelites will not listen to me, so why should the king? I am such a poor speaker” (Exodus, 60). Being found in a river as a Hebrew child, the author of the text seems to integrate that Moses lack of knowledge for his parents seems to transmit over to not knowing his place in society. As the central character in the text he seems more fragile than strong since his Hebrew past calls for such. After killing an Egyptian, he flees and becomes a sheppard. This is a great example of having fear of Egyptian power and not having the initial ambition to be someone of great potential as God eventually suggests. Du... ... middle of paper ... ...ng God but instead he wants to resurrect the faith that his people gave up once they took part in erecting the bull calf and forgot God. His success as a leader is shown in the final parts of the text where he has his people build God a tabernacle and give up gold, silver and other precious items for sacrifice. It is evident in the text that Moses erects himself as a magnificent leader over the Israelites. In the beginning of the text, the author is able to show Moses human faults when he backs down from God’s challenge of being a leader yet finds the strength to eventually lead his people and convey God’s message through his own actions. He comes a long way in proving his effectiveness as a leader. He begins to accept the blame of others and overcomes all of his own personal flaws because he is motivated by the responsibilities that have been given to him.

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