"I will make of you a great nation…And you shall be a blessing…And all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you" (Gen. 12:2-3). Israel is a blessing to the other nations. As long as Israel succeeds in informing other peoples and proving that Yahweh is God, it will be understood to be a blessing to these nations. The very examples often employed to dispel the idea of Israel's being a blessing serve as evidence to support it. The plagues in Genesis actually prove that Yahweh is God to the Israelites and the Egyptians. In the infamous conquest of Canaan, Rahab and her family are spared because she acknowledges that Yahweh is God. Joseph gathers food to feed the Egyptians during the 7 years of famine. Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites relationship with other nations ultimately leads its peoples to benefit by the realization that Yahweh is God.
At first, Israel's relationship with the Egyptians does not seem to be a blessing; however, The Plagues result in the Egyptians ultimately perceiving Yahweh as God. God, so that the "Egyptians shall know that I am Lord" (Exodus 7:3,5), puts the Egyptians through a gauntlet, comprised of some of the worst conceivable ills that can befall man. When God states that He will bring down a hail storm, Pharaoh's courtiers, "…who feared the Lord's word brought their slaves and livestock indoors to safety" (9:20). This quotation signals a change in faith: previously, Pharoah's courtiers did not pay attention to Moses' premonitions. Gradually though, the courtiers begin to take notice of Yahweh's power. Similarly, God vows to unleash locusts all over the land. Pharaoh's courtiers become increasingly involved with Pharoah's decisions and favor allowing the Israelites to leave: ...
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...distinction of whom He rules. After Israel captures Edom, "… all the Edomites became vassals of David" (II Sam. 8:14). Initially, this is capture is not seen as a blessing. However, after examining what nations typically did after capturing another nation, Israel is truly a blessing, because not only did Israel refrain from destroying, robbing, and murdering the citizens and the city, but instead appointed them to official positions. Israel's conquests prove to be a blessing to other nations, as they allow the peoples to live by accepting Yahweh as God.
Though Israel's actions may not initially allow it to be apparent, Israel is a blessing to other nations. It is true that many people suffer, some innocently and others because they chose not to accept Yahweh as God. However, the Tanakh says it is much better to die with the truth, than it is to live in ignorance.
Israel was created as a haven for persecuted Jew as a result of the Holocaust, however, it was soon run by the military. “The new Israel seemed to be a nation where the military ruled ignoring the will of the countr...
...thousands of years from times of nomadic tribes to kings that ruled over millions. While the land covered has been vast and the people many, one thing has been a constant in the history of the Jewish people, conflict. The conflict the people of Israel has faced has caused much destruction and horror in the lives of many, however, Israel has turned the history of conflict into a positive light in order to create a nation unified behind it. Israel has created a fast military force that gives thousands jobs both in factories and within the military itself. They have also created an economic system that creates vast productions of quality goods in order to compete with other countries in the Middle East and around the world. Israel has turned the devastation of war and the worries of continual conflict into a constructive action that has kept Israel alive and powerful.
Unique favor to Abraham’s offspring: According to the Book of Genesis it is indisputable how God vowed to make a great nation out of Abraham, which turned out to be Israel. (Christian, Messaianic, and Jewish Research into Israel’s Two Houses) It has been christened as Kingdom of God or Christendom. The earth multiplied and even today many descendants of Abraham exist.
Pharaoh also expresses more and more guilt as the plagues intensify but the instant there is a reprieve in the suffering the king reverts back to his old ways. This could be teaching us how only pressing needs create enough discomfort to grab our attention and make us want to change. Another way of viewing G-d’s actions is seeing them as a method of serving justice. Pharaoh, as well as the Egyptians, had 430 years to change the Israelites position in their society. Plaguing the land compensated for the mistreatment of the Israelites by inflicting suffering upon the Egyptians while favoring the Israelites. This partiality also builds faith between the Israelites and G-d, sending the broader message that G-d is watching over them. Moses patiently obeys G-d and ultimately his trust is rewarded. It is hard to tell if Pharaoh would have given in sooner without the stiffening of his heart by G-d. However, by enhancing Pharaoh’s stubbornness, G-d made possible a true punishment for the Egyptians and created a story that clearly has endured the test of
This section of exodus focuses on Moses, an Israelite who was raised as an Egyptian, who has fled from Egypt after the Pharaoh tried to kill him for killing an Egyptian man. By Exodus 3:1 Moses is married to Zipporah daughter of Jethro who gives him a job working as a shepherd. While tending to his animals Moses arrives at Horeb also known as Mount Sinai or the Mountain of God. Here Moses has his first theophany with God in the form of a burning bush. During this passage God talks to Moses telling him what he needs to do: go to Egypt and convince the Pharaoh to let the Egyptians go by performing a series of miracles. What god is asking Moses to do is intimidating. At this time the Pharaoh was the ruler of Egypt who had a powerful army and the Israelite’s weren’t going to be easy to convince that God sent him. Despite the “signs” Moses is reluctant to take the role beca...
immense love God In Deuteronomy 7:7-9, 13 We that it is God who chose us not the other way around, and this is brought on without any help of their own accomplishments or righteousness in and of themselves. The Lord promises to fulfill his blessing towards us if we follow His Word and Law. we see that we are to In Deuteronomy 7:12 7:13
Miracles are fore-facts of the future done on a small scale. There had been no appearance of God to anyone for more than four hundred years, so people probably thought the age of miracles was long gone. The people would not have accepted Moses as God’s spokesperson without some kind of proof. The miracle-plagues were just that. They are significant because of the number of them that were brought forth. There were ten. The number ten is significant to completeness. God said that he would execute judgment against all of the false gods of Egypt, and each plague was said to be directed toward a particular heavenly deity. So the ten plagues reveal the full wrath of God’s judgment on Egypt. The first nine Plagues were just God proving that he was more powerful than the Egyptian gods. They were simply tricks in comparison to the final one. The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn, was the most powerful of all. This final plague brought death to all Egyptian homes, even the home of the beloved pharaoh, and ensured Israel’s release from slavery. After this calamity, pharaoh had no choice but grant Israel their demands and he even pleaded for blessings from them. This plague destroyed idolatry and showed that life and death are in the hands of God.
Every religious group has suffered a time when their religion was not considered to be popular or right. Out of all of these religious groups that have suffered, no one group has suffered so much as that of the Jewish religion. They have been exiled from almost every country that they have ever inhabited, beginning with Israel, and leading all the was up to Germany, France, Spain, England, and Russia. Not only have they been exiled but also they have suffered through torture, punishment, and murder. Thus, because of the history of the religion, the Jewish people have become a very resilient people. They have survived thousands of years carrying their religion with them from one country to the next and never loosing their faith. They have traveled form Eastern Europe, to the United States and have finally managed today to settle comfortable all over North America. The Jewish religion has suffered tremendously throughout the centuries, and unfortunately it did not become any easier for them during the twentieth century.
After each of these interventions, however, He ironically “hardened the Pharaoh’s heart… [so] he would not let the Israelites go” (9:35). To the most simplicity, God repeatedly dissuades the Pharaoh from listening to Moses and considering freeing the Israelites slaves. This demonstrates the idea that God intentionally wants to continue implementing evil deeds on the Pharaoh and his Egyptians. This is primarily because He want to let them live “to show [his] power, and to make [his] name resound through all the earth” so he “can gain glory for “himself” (9:16) (14:17). God have greatly “benefitted” the Israelites by harming the Egyptians; yet in the final analysis, he only intervened and used the mortal
Glory, however, in ancient times was also closely associated with an individual’s social position in society and the power that he wielded. A clear illustration of this type of hierarchical glory can be seen in Joseph’s rise to power and influence in Egypt (cf. Gen 41:37-57). Joseph acknowledges this new social status and the glory that it entails when he says to his brothers, “Tell my father all the glory [(i.e. kabod)] I have in Egypt” (Gen 45:13). In the Hebrew Scriptures, glory is also thought to be the property of the king.
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed
The use of Mosheh was perfectly orchestrated based on the previous behavior of Mosheh fighting against injustice. Throughout the plagues Egyptians did turn there beliefs away from there traditional beliefs to worship Yahweh along with the Hebrews. Which proves first reason for the final plague was that the Egyptians may know that Yahweh is the supreme God. To set a reminder to Hebrews who have my converted to Egyptian beliefs. So we ask ourselves why wouldn't Pharaoh believe in Yahweh? Let us remember in Mitsrayim, Pharaoh was worshipped as a god. If he would have believed Yahweh was greater, he would lose his "divinity." Why did Yahweh hardened his heart continuously. Had Yahweh allowed Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go after the first plague, the Egyptians and their gods were have felt a some of superiority to Yahweh and missed out on the purpose to exult Yahweh as the most high
...f the divine world but the kings were in charge of vocalizing god’s wishes on earth. The most famous of these law codes was Hammurabi’s law code. The Hebrews tried to establish order by using Yahweh’s Ten Commandments and the Torah. Mesopotamian deities were hard to please and easily angered. The Mesopotamians constantly felt they were letting their gods down and usually didn’t even know the reason behind it. Hebrews had a much more forgiving god. Through texts like “The Book of Job”, it is apparent that Yahweh was a tough god but always forgiving and fair in the end. He had few demands of his people and all of them were ethical and easy to adhere to. As long as his devotees followed Yahweh’s laws, they were all capable of receiving his blessings. Through it all, it seemed that God and religion was at the center of every aspect of life in the ancient civilization.
In the Biblical Book of Exodus, Moses was not originally supposed to be born under the Pharaoh’s rule because he was an Israelite male. Pharaoh decreed all Hebrew boys born were to be killed in the Nile River. Moses survived because Pharaoh’s servants feared God more. This law was one of Pharaoh’s ways to oppress the Hebrew people. It was a tactic to keep the majority of the population from growing as well as implementing slavery. However, that did not stop the Israelites from multiplying in size: “’And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them. So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt’” (New English Translation, Exodus 3:9-10). In this passage, God is speaking to Moses in the form of a burning bush that he has seen the hardships Pharaoh put the Israelites through, and that he will deliver them from their sufferings. M...
Hebrews 13:20, He is called "the God of peace." The peace that came from God and the