10 Essential Facts About Moses for Believers
1. Birth and Lineage:
– Moses was born in Egypt during Jewish enslavement.
– His parents were Amram and Yocheved from the tribe of Levi.
– He had older siblings, Aaron and Miriam.
2. Prophecy and Persecution:
– Egyptian astrologers predicted a Jewish savior, which led Pharaoh to order the drowning of male Jewish babies.
– Moses’ mother hid him for the first three months, then placed him in a basket on the Nile.
3. Adoption and Name:
– Pharaoh’s daughter, Batya, found and adopted Moses.
– She named him Moshe (“drawn out”), as she had drawn him from the water.
4. Speech Impediment:
– Moses had a stutter as a child.
– This is interpreted as a reflection of his spiritual transcendence and difficulty communicating with the mundane world.
5. Fugitive Status:
– Moses killed an Egyptian slave driver and fled Egypt after the incident was discovered.
– His neck miraculously turned to ivory, allowing him to escape execution.
6. Shepherd and Compassion:
– Moses worked as a shepherd for Jethro, the priest of Midian.
– He showed compassion by rescuing a lost sheep, which earned him God’s favor.
7. Burning Bush Revelation:
– God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed.
– He instructed Moses to demand the freedom of the Jewish people.
8. Ten Plagues:
– Moses brought ten plagues upon Egypt to force Pharaoh to release the Jews.
– The plagues included turning the Nile to blood, frogs, and locusts.
9. Joseph’s Bones:
– Moses fulfilled Joseph’s request to bury his bones in the Land of Israel.
– He retrieved the coffin from the Nile River and carried it with the Jewish people on their exodus.
10. Parting of the Sea:
– After the Jews escaped Egypt, Pharaoh pursued them.
– Moses parted the Red Sea, allowing the Jews to cross on dry land while the Egyptian army was destroyed.
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