Page by page in the Old Testament introduces readers to a plethora of fascinating characters, men, and women, chosen by God and intricately connected in the process of creation and development of the nation of Israel. Among those personages, the story of Miriam, Moses’ sister, stands out by its captivating plot filled with perseverance, resilience, prominence, a triumph of victory over the enemies, but also humility and sorrow. Miriam bears many roles throughout her lifespan, is reflected in both, positive and negative connotation. Miriam’s character attracts readers attention by unique qualities of perseverance and standing firm on her beliefs, courage, trust in God and rebellion against the Pharaoh, charity work, kindness, …show more content…
Miriam is officially introduced by name to the readers at the banks of seemingly impassable Red Sea after the great exodus and miraculous crossing of people through the parted waters. She takes the lead in the praise, her spirit, charisma, and musical ability influences other women to exalt the Lord (bible.org). She has been called “prophetess” and acts as a frontrunner in worshipping, singing, dancing, and playing drums for the Hebrew women (Websites, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/miriam-bible). The song of Miriam proclaims the power of the Lord, who has “triumphed gloriously” by throwing the enemies and their chariots into the parted sea (Exodus, 15, 20-21). It reflects her utmost trust in God’s omnipotence and reassures the Israelites that Yahweh will fight the battles on their behalf (Boasek). These ideas are echoed in first Samuel 2:9, in the prayer of Hannah, who believed that “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones… for not by might shall a man prevail”. The strength of Israel in the Old Testament did not lay in the military power or domination in wars at all but rather the mercy and greatness of Yahweh manifested through the liberation of slaves, justice to the poor, stranger, widow and orphan. God's plan to free the Jews from cruelty and slavery was not by the military confrontation between Jews and Egyptians but through his numerous divine miracles (Boesak, p3,
Howard Thurman in his book, “Jesus and the Disinherited” presented Jesus as a role model for the oppressed on how to find strength, freedom and peace within God and oneself. Thurman shares the story of how Jesus offered an alternative to accepting the Roman rules, like the Sadducees did in hope of being allowed to maintain their Jewish traditions; A solution to remaining silently obedient, like the Pharisees, as hatred and resentment destroyed them from within. Jesus provided an alternative solution to the Zealots of his day who resorted to physical force to advance their justified cause, often paying the ultimate cost, their life. Jesus taught love. Love of God, self, neighbor and especially your enemy. Thurman stresses that Jesus know that “it is man’s reaction to things that determines their ability to exercise power over them”.(Thurman, 18) Jesus taught and modeled the art of strength through humility. He
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
Unfortunately, Moshe’s stories went through on ear and out of the other for those who even listened. He went from one Jewish house to the next telling about his experience, “people not only refused to believe, his tales, they refused to listen. Others flatly said that he had gone mad” (7). Also in Night, Madame Sch...
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives and to understand the significance Rachel's life had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapter titled “Shul” and “School” next to each other with each giving a view of the problems they faced in school. Here both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassm...
Moses is characterized as a hard-working man who is very kind and intimate with nature. He is the last worker out in the fields on many days and he is extremely comfortable outside in nature. In Edward P. Jones’ excerpt from The Known World, the character of Moses is developed through the imagery that is used, the third person point of view, and the details that Jones chooses to use.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.(Biblegateway)” Reading this passage, I have felt that this verse calls out to God’s people to be His hands and feet. In the book, “Good News About Injustice,” it states it well, “The great miracle and mystery of God is that he calls me and you to be a part of what he is doing in history. He could, of course, with no help from us proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ with lifeless stones, feed the entire world with five loaves and two fish, heal the sick with the hem of his garment, and release
Jezebel, an “evil” woman in the Hebrew Scriptures, is another representation of women’s bravery. When Jezebel arrived at Israel, she introduced her God Baal, whom she worships rather than Yahweh (SOURCES). Although worshipping Yahweh is what the majorities believes the righteous act, Jezebel did not submerge herself to this belief. Rather, she remained true to her religious beliefs. Her role is significant in representing a woman with loyalty and faithfulness. Evilness become associated with Jezebel when she “[was] killing off the prophets of the Lord.” However, her opponent, Elijah, also ordered his men to kill the supporters of Jezebel, but was not depicted as evil. Therefore, if murdering prophets was not depicted as evil for one, then Jezebel’s action was not to be considered evil.
The personal insight and experience Zaru brings to the article provides an insightful perspective into the subject of oppression and liberation. The author states her argument clearly, but with obvious presuppositions deriving from her life as a Quaker (Zaru 123), thus making her argument slightly confusing at times. For example, as a Quaker, Zaru calls for justice, peace, and nonviolence in all situations, but fails to account for how justice should be sought, and simply acknowledges that a tension exists between peace and justice (135). Additionally, Zaru paints a relatively bleak picture of Old Testament accounts, even claiming that “the God of that portion of the biblical account is the God of people’s consciousness and perception rather than the God who really is” (125). This claim proves incredibly bold and seems to suggest inconsistency between the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament, a claim quite abrasive to those who, like myself, view the Bible as authoritative. Additionally, throughout the article, the author read her own experience into several Biblical accounts (Zaru 127), a practice that can provide clarity into one’s own experience, but should carefully avoid presentism. Despite these few critiques, Zaru offer incredible insight and perspective into the life of someone often viewed as “unchosen” and oppressed due to such views. In her
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.
LaSor, W., Hubbard, D., Bush, F., & Allen, L. (1996). Old Testament survey: The message, form, and background of the Old Testament (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans
Scholz, S. (2014). Feminist Scholarship on the Old Testament: Introduction. Available: http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393361/obo-9780195393361-0020.xml. Last accessed 19th March 2014.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.
The book of Esther tells the faithfulness of one woman and her uncle. It is only one of two books that contain the heroism and bravery of a woman heroine. The story of Esther accomplishes two profound things, the first: “To demonstrate God’s providential care of his people, even those outside the land of Israel, and 2) to commend the observance of the feast of Purim by relating how it originated” (Breneman 289).Unlike the rest of the Bible the story of Esther does not directly state or talk about God, but instead shows God’s plans for all of our lives and how in all frightening moments of life, He remains faithful to those who trust and have faith in Him. “In spite of the omission of any name for deity, there is no other book in all the bible where God is more evident, working behind the scenes, than in this book” (Willmington 200). In order to understand who Esther was as a woman and her significance in the history of the Jews, we must first examine the circumstances and other individuals that impacted the events leading up to and after Esther became queen.
... people. It also shows the dependence of people on God. Moses was a man of courage who sought to see the face of the God. He received the laws of the lord and made sacrifices for them when they sinned. Moses acted as a mediator between Yahweh and his people (Woolfe).
In conclusion, I am intrigued by Moses story and accomplishments he had made throughout his lifetime. The fact that some of his accomplishments still today hold some sort of importance is amazing. Moses remains one of the most well known men throughout the Bible, and whose story is still told today. The life of Moses’s is full of accomplishments with the help of God, but also struggles along the