MOSES

From slavery to freedom

By
Prudencio García Pérez
 MOSES
FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM

0. INTRODUCTION

The book of Genesis is the introduction to the events found in the book
of Exodus: the creation of Israel as God’s holy nation. God’s promises
to Abraham are fulfilled in the birth of this nation led by Moses to the
Promised Land.

Before talking about Moses, we must answer this question: How did
Jacob and his sons get to live in Egypt? Joseph, son of Jacob, is the
main reason for the Hebrews to end up in Egypt (Gn 37-50). The story
of Joseph shows how God brings good out of evil; God uses the sins of
men to bring salvation to his chosen people. Joseph was sold by his
brothers to merchants going to Egypt and, after some time, he saved
his family from hunger and invited them to live there. That is why
Joseph talks to his brothers in these terms:

• “God sent me before you to assure the survival of your race

on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Gn
45: 7).

• “The evil you planned to do me has by God’s design been

turned to good, to bring about the present result: the survival
of a numerous people” (Gn 50: 20).

What can we say about Joseph and the historical situation at that time?
Joseph probably entered Egypt at around 1.700 B. C., when the Hiksos
(“foreign kings”) invaded the country. This is probably why Joseph
became such an important person in Egypt (interpreter of dreams -
minister of agriculture) and invited his family to live there. They lived
in the Goshen region, near the mouth of the river Nile (Gn 47: 1-6).
They enjoyed the comfort of an easy life where the cattle and the
members of the tribe multiplied very fast.

Why were the Hebrews reduced to slavery? According to the book of

Exodus: “Then there came to power in Egypt a new king who had
never heard of Joseph” (Ex 1: 8). The expression seems to refer to
Ahmosis I, the prince who defeated and expelled the Hiksos from
Egypt. He also hated the Hebrews because they were protected by
those invaders. The final persecution came centuries later with

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Rameses II (1290-1224 B.C.), who wanted to build a great empire and
needed free workers.

- Objective of the persecution: avoid the multiplication of the

Hebrews because they were very numerous already.
- Reason: national security. They could join forces with the enemy
and help them to invade the country.
- Three effective measures of oppression: 1) Forced labour: make
bricks to build the store-cities of Pithom and Rameses and work
in the fields (Ex 1: 11-14); 2) Order the Hebrew midwives to kill
every baby boy at the moment of birth (Ex 1: 15-16); 3) Order
the Egyptians to throw every new-born boy into de river Nile and
let the girls live (Ex 1: 22).

1. WHO IS MOSES?

Moses was born in Tanis, at around 1.300 B. C., when the Pharaoh
ordered to throw every baby boy into the river Nile. Jochebed was his
mother and Amram his father, of the tribe of Levi (Ex 6: 16-20). He had
a brother, Aaron, and a sister, Miriam, both older than him (Nu 26: 59).
His mother and sister, to avoid Moses’ death, put him in a basket at
the margins of the Nile where he was found and saved by the
Pharaoh’s daughter. She called him Moses, which means “I drew him
out of the water” (Ex 2: 10). Miriam, his sister, look for a Hebrew
woman, his mother, to nurse him during the first years of his life.

The childhood and youth of Moses is a mystery for us, we do not know
anything. Probably he lived and was educated in the Pharaoh’s palace,
but he did not forget his people. In fact, Ex 2: 11-15 says: “When
Moses was grown up, he went to see his brothers. While he was
watching their forced labour he also saw an Egyptian striking a
Hebrew. Looking this way and that and seeing no one in sight, he killed
the Egyptian and hid him in the sand”. The Pharaoh heard about the
killing and Moses had to flee the country. He was welcomed by a priest
of Midian called Reuel (also known as Jethro) for helping his daughters.
Moses married Zipporah, daughter of Reuel, and had two sons:
Gershom and Eliezer (Ex 18: 1-4). He became a shepherd of sheep and
goats. The experience of the desert was like a spiritual retreat for him:
time for loneliness, reflection and encounter with himself and God.

While he was in the desert of Midian, the pharaoh died (probably

Rameses II). Then “the Israelites, groaning in their slavery, cried out for
help. God heard their groaning; God remembered his covenant with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Ex 2: 23-24). Finally God is going to break
his silence and intervene to solve the suffering of his people.

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 2. MOSES VOCATION AND MISSION

2.1. GOD’S CALLING (THEOPHANY)

One day, while looking after the flock, Moses arrived to the Horeb, the
Mountain of God (also known as Sinai) and saw a burning bush, but the
bush was not being burnt up. The extraordinary vision attracted Moses
attention and prepared him for a dialogue with God:

“Moses, Moses!
Here I am, he answered.
Come no nearer, he said. Take off your sandals, for the place where
you are standing is holy ground.
I am the God of your ancestors! He said.
I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard
them crying for help and I have come to rescue them and bring them
to the Promised Land.
So now I am sending you to Pharaoh, for you will bring my people out
of Egypt” (Synthesis of Ex 3: 4-11).

This is the God of his ancestors: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God loves
His people, remembers His promises and decides to save them. God is
aware of their sufferings: I have seen, I have heard and I know… So He
wants to intervene: I have come down, I will rescue and bring them to
the Promised Land… This land is described with three adjectives: rich,
broad and fertile.

2.2. MOSES FEARS AND DOUBTS

Moses is the instrument chosen by God to liberate the people from

slavery. The mission is very hard: Moses is afraid of the unknown and is
aware of his people’s stubbornness. Despite his fears and doubts, God
invites him to look at the future with hope and rely on His assistance in
this project. Moses fears are four:

- First fear: “Who am I to go Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of

Egypt?” (Ex 3: 11-12). Moses is just a shepherd of sheep and an
assassin for the Egyptians. He feels incapable of fulfilling this
mission. God offers His constant help (“I shall be with you”) and
a sign for the future (“after you have led the people out of Egypt,

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 you will worship God on this mountain”). Moses must abandon
himself in God’s hands; believe in the success of the mission.
Moses is just an instrument; God knows that the mission is going
to have a happy ending.

- Second fear: “What is your name? God answered: I am who I

am” (Ex 3: 13-15). Moses question looks both at the past and at
the future: At the past: why God abandoned His people in slavery
and oppression in Egypt and if He can be trusted; at the future:
when they will ask him, he has to give them some explanations.
The name of God “I am who I am” (in Hebrew “eyeh ‘aser ‘eyeh”)
means that He is mysterious, impossible to comprehend for the
human mind. He is the God of their ancestors and His actions in
Egypt will reveal his true name and power.

- Third fear: “But suppose they will not listen to me or listen to my

words, and say to me: Yahweh has not appeared to you” (Ex 4:
1). Moses uses the incredulity of his people as an excuse to
reject the mission, but God will convince him with some mighty
signs: the staff that becomes a snake, the diseased hand and the
river water turning into blood. These signs will show the people
and the Pharaoh who God is. The people will need them to
believe and the Pharaoh will need them to let them go.

- Fourth fear: “I have never been eloquent, even since you have
spoken to your servant, for I am slow and hesitant of speech…
please God send someone else” (Ex 4: 10.13). God accepts Aaron
as the speaker of His words, but Moses is still God’s mouth and
the staff is the instrument of the divine miracles.

3. MOSES RETURNS TO EGYPT

3.1. MOSES MEETS THE PHARAOH (Ex 5-6)

Moses meets probably Merneptah, son of Rameses II, and asks him to
let them go to the desert to offer a spring sacrifice to God. The Pharaoh
refused because he thought this was a trick to escape from Egypt.

Furthermore, the Pharaoh ordered them to work harder: produce the

same quantity of bricks per day and also look for the straws. This
conflict between God and Pharaoh is at the highest point here: God
wants to free his people and Pharaoh wants to keep them slaves.
Through dialogue was impossible to solve the problem, and then God
will use all his power to change Pharaoh’s mind.

3.2. THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT (Ex 7-11)

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The 10 plagues are signs used by God to free his people from slavery
and to punish the Pharaoh. They reveal God’s power and human
fragility. They are also the opportunities that God gave the Pharaoh to
change his wrong attitude.

These are the 10 plagues: 1) water turns to blood; 2) the frogs; 3) the
mosquitoes; 4) the horseflies; 5) the death of the Egyptians’ livestock;
6) the boils; 7) the hail; 8) the locusts; 9) the darkness; 10) the death
of the first-born.

We cannot read these terrible and tragic events literally. The plagues
are a natural phenomenon for those who know the geography and
climatology of Egypt. For example: The annual flooding of the Nile
River explains the red colour of the water (mud); it also explains the
death of the fish and the appearance of frogs and mosquitoes. The
darkness is caused by sandstorms from the desert… These natural
events were interpreted by the Hebrews as powerful signs used by God
against the Pharaoh, the symbol of oppression and slavery.

Besides, the book of Exodus was finally redacted at the end of the 5th
century B. C. It means that these stories were repeated and
embellished generation after generation for more than 800 years and,
in the end, what was a natural event became a miracle. The message
is clear: God is the hero: He liberates the oppressed people from the
Egyptian power; Pharaoh is the antagonist: he refuses to let the
Hebrews go and brings misfortune for his people.

The literary scheme of these accounts reflects their intention: a) God

wants to bring his people out of slavery to worship Him in freedom; b)
Mankind is free to make decisions and to oppose God’s will; c) Human’s
stubbornness will never be able to hinder the accomplishment of God’s
projects. In other words, the God of Israel is the liberator of the
oppressed who rejects any kind of tyranny.

• “Let my people go and worship me in the desert” (Ex 7:

16.26; 8: 16; 9: 1.13; 10: 3).
• “The Pharaoh was stubborn and obstinate” (Ex 7: 14.17; 8:
11. 15. 18. 28; 9: 7.12; 10: 20.27; 11: 10).
• “You will know that I am Yahweh” (Ex 7: 17; 8: 6.18; 9: 14; 10:
2).

3.3. THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER (Ex 12)

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This is the spring feast of the nomad shepherds whom offer their god a
lamb or a goat to ensure the fecundity and protection of their flocks. It
was celebrated every year, going 3 days to the desert, when the sheep
were about to give birth and before leaving a place in search for fresh
pastures. The Hebrews also celebrated it every year before leaving
Egypt. This is the ritual of the feast:

• Animal: a pure year old male lamb or goat. It was killed at

sunset, after the shepherds came from their work.
• Meal: the lamb was roasted, without breaking any bones, and
eaten with herbs from the desert.
• Date: the 14th of Nissan, the first full moon of spring (March or
April). That night the shepherds brought their flocks to the
summer pastures and it was dangerous because of the wild
beasts and the thieves.
• Marking the posts of the tents with the blood of the
lamb: it means that God will protect flocks and shepherds,
and nothing bad will happen to them (Passover means “pass
through”, indicating that the dangers of that night will pass
without harming them).
• How to eat the lamb: standing up with a belt around their
waist, sandals on their feet and a staff in their hand. It means
eating it fast, in a hurry, because they must leave that place
immediately.

That year, because of the stubbornness of the Pharaoh, God ordered

them to celebrate the feast in Egypt and the same night that the first-
born of the Egyptians would die. The houses of the Hebrews, painted
with the blood of the lamb, will be safe and the angel of God will not
touch the people inside. But the houses of the Egyptians will be filled
with mourning and weeping because the angel of God will kill the first-
born of their children and livestock. In this way, what was a shepherd’s
feast became a feast to celebrate the exodus and liberation of the
Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt.

3.4. THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (Ex 12: 15-20)

In this account, the feasts of Passover and Unleavened bread seem to

be just one feast, but originally they were two different feasts. The
Passover (‘pesah’) was the feast of the shepherds; the unleavened
bread (matsot) was the feast of the farmers. This feast was also
celebrated in spring and consisted in offering God the first grains of the
harvest in the form of unleavened bread.

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But that year the feast was associated with the lamb of the Passover
and took a new meaning too: the exodus from Egypt was so fast and
quick that the bread did not have time to ferment (Ex 12: 39). When
they will reach the Promised Land, every family will celebrate both
feasts on the 14th of Nissan in happiness and with religious respect.
This feast will be the memory of God’s love for its people and the
liberation from every kind of slavery.

4. THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT (Ex 13-14)

The reason why the Pharaoh let the Hebrews go out of Egypt was the
death of the first-born of their children and livestock (Ex 12: 29-30). As
we know, the Bible attributes to God actions that may have a different
origin. Probably this last plague was caused by an infectious disease,
many children died in Egypt, and the Hebrews saw in it God’s hand at
work to free his people.

How many Hebrews left Egypt? The Priestly Tradition says about
600.000 men capable of fighting, without counting their families (Ex
12: 37; Nu 33: 3). This number is not real! Probably the word “elef”
should not be translated for “thousand”, but for “group or family” (like
in 1 Sam 10: 19). In that case, it would be around 700 families: 25.000
or 30.000 people.

Who were those people that left Egypt? Nowadays it is accepted that
only some of the 12 tribes of Israel and a mix crowd of people left
Egypt. Some of the Israelites had already gone back to Canaan some
time earlier or some did not even go to Egypt (like the tribes in the
north: Zebulun, Naphtali and Asher). The “mix crowd of people” (Ex 12:
39) was formed by those oppressed who took advantage of the
situation to escape and live in freedom somewhere else.

When did they leave Egypt? The most probable date of the exodus is
the 13th century B. C. Rameses II (1290-1224) was the Pharaoh who
oppressed the Hebrews and his son, Merneptah (1224-1204), the one
who let them go.

What route did they follow after leaving Egypt? The most logic and
fastest way out was to follow the Mediterranean coast, used by the
merchant’s caravans. Instead, God chose a longer and more difficult
way: He led them into the desert and forced them to live there for 40
years. There will learn their national and religious identity, forget about
other gods and behave like the people of God.

What did really happen at the Red Sea? Two different mixed traditions
tell us the story in two different ways:

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 - The Yahwist writer says that “Yahweh drove the sea back with a
strong easterly wind all night and made the sea into dry land”
allowing the Hebrews to pass through. In the morning, the
Egyptians went after them, but the wheels of their chariots got
stuck in the mud. Suddenly the wind stopped, the waters
returned to their levels and the Egyptians died under the water
(Ex 14: 212.24-25).
- The Priest Tradition says that “Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea, the waters were divided and the Israelites went on dry
ground right through the sea, with walls of water to right and left
of them” (Ex 14: 21). This is an exaggeration! This is the kind of
picture that movie-makers like.

The Hebrews, already on the other side of the sea, started singing a
song of victory and praising God for his protection and care. The
events of the exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea do
not appear in the Egyptian documents. But for the people of Israel,
these happenings marked the beginning of their existence as a free
nation. For them is a historic event and it will be in their memory for
ever.

5. JOURNEY THROUGH THE DESERT AND COVENANT AT

SINAI (Ex 16-24)

5.1. THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE DESERT

When the Israelites entered the desert, they started to feel hungry and
thirsty, tired and insecure. This is the test of the desert: the temptation
of looking backwards and miss what you left behind. Immediately they
began to complain against Moses and Aaron: “Why did we not die at
Yahweh’s hand in Egypt, where we used to sit round the flesh pots and
eat to our heart’s content! As it is, you have led us into this desert to
starve this entire assembly to death” (Ex 16: 3). “Think of the fish we
used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and
garlic!” (Nu 11: 5). The hardness of the journey makes them doubt of
God: “Is Yahweh with us or not?” (Ex 17: 7). God answers these
complaints by giving them three gestures of his kindness: Manna,
quails and water.

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 5.2. THE COVENANT AT SINAI (Ex 19-24)

The chapters of Ex 19-24 are the heart and axe of the Old Testament.
What comes before it is preparation for this moment and what comes
after is a consequence. The covenant will decide the historical destiny
of Israel: will be blessed or curse according to the fidelity or infidelity to
the covenant at Sinai.

God invites the Hebrews to seal a permanent communion of life

between both parties based on certain temporal aspects:

• Past: God freed them from the slavery of Egypt, protected

them in the desert and wants to enjoy a closer relationship
with them.
• Present: God asks the people if they want to accept freely this
covenant with Him and if they are ready or mature to keep it.
• Future: If they accept God’s covenant, they will become his
personal property, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

The people of Israel accepted God’s covenant with these words:

“Whatever Yahweh has said, we will do” (Ex 19: 8). Now is time to
show the people that this covenant will have a few rules that must be
kept, this is what we called the Decalogue or 10 commandments.

The goal of the Decalogue is to make of Israel a holy nation. God

liberated them from slavery, now it is time to free them from their sins.
That is why the Decalogue becomes the symbol of their freedom and
human dignity. We have two different versions of the Decalogue: Ex 20
(Elohist tradition, oldest one); Dt 5 (Deuteronomist tradition, recent
one). This is a summary of them:

I am Yahweh, your God,

The one who took you out of Egypt

1. You shall have no other gods than me

2. You shall not make carved images
3. You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh, your God
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
5. Honour your father and your mother
6. You shall not kill
7. You shall not commit adultery
8. You shall not steal
9. You shall not give false evidence against your
neighbour

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 10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife and
property

The Decalogue is a bit different from the one we have now. The first
three commandments emphasize our duty versus God and, the other
seven, our duties versus our neighbours. All of them must be kept! The
covenant with God can be broken every time we are unfaithful to God
or neighbour.

Is the Decalogue an exclusive phenomenon of Israel? The first four

precepts (monotheism, images, use of the name of God and Sabbath)
cannot be found in the ancient world. The other six already existed in
the ancient world because they reflect a natural ethic or basic rules for
every human society.

• In Egypt, the chapter 125 of the “Book of the Dead” (16th

Century B. C.), presents the dead person making a confession
to probe his innocence in front of Osiris’ tribunal (god of the
dead): “I did not take away the holy bread of the gods; I did
not hunt the holy birds of the gods; I did not commit adultery;
I did not steal; I did not lie; I did not kill anybody; I did not
take away the milk of the mouth of the babies; I did not use
false weights and measures; I did not offend our king; I did
not make anybody weep, etc…”.

• In Babylon, the magic ritual “Shurpu” asks the relatives of the

sick person about possible sins that could have caused the
sickness: “Has he offended any god or goddess? Does he
despise his father or mother? Does he hate his ancestors?
Does he hate his older sister? Has he used false weights and
measures? Has he killed anyone? Did he commit adultery?
Etc…”

As we can see, there are great similarities with the precepts of the
Decalogue. It does not mean that the Hebrews copied it from them; on
the contrary, it is the reflection of the Natural Law written in the human
conscience. It is a summary of universal ethics and also the
cornerstone of a society based on justice and love. Furthermore, the
Hebrews gave them a religious dimension (put them under the
supreme authority of god) because they know that Natural Law can be
obscured in the conscience of mankind, leading to degradation or
confusion.

- The celebration of the covenant is the most important moment of the

history of Israel: its birth as the people of God. In Egypt, they were just
a mixture of tribes. In the desert, it is a nation that walks, under Moses

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guidance, to the Promised Land. Now, with the covenant at Sinai, they
will become God’s property, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
This is how it happened:

• Moses explained the 10 Commandments to the people of

Israel.
• The people accepted them: “we shall do everything that
Yahweh has said; we shall obey” (Ex 24: 3.7). It is like saying:
Yahweh will be our God and we will be His people.
• Moses sealed this covenant a Sinai with blood. Some young
bulls were killed; then Moses spilled half of the blood on the
altar (symbol of God) and with the other half sprinkled the
people saying: “This is the blood of the covenant which
Yahweh has made with you” (Ex 24: 8).

6. THE DEATH OF MOSES (Dt 32: 48-52)

Yahweh asks Moses to climb up to the Mount Nebo and announces his
death on that spot. From the top of the mountain, Moses contemplates
the Promised Land, green and fertile because of the Jordan River. This
look at the land indicates that he has accomplished his mission, but
cannot enter it.

Why did Moses not die in the Promised Land? It is the price Moses has
to pay for his lack of faith in God at Meribah (Ex 17: 1-7). The people
did not have water and doubted Moses authority. He felt threatened
and tempted God by asking a miracle from Him. The people had lost
their faith in God despite all the signs He had shown them; Moses was
also more worried about saving his life than in trusting God. For not
believing in God and for not making God’s holiness clear to the
Israelites, Moses’ punishment is to die at the door of the Promised
Land.

The life of Moses, as well as his death, has always been in God’s hands.
Moses, faithful servant, fulfilled many signs and wonders that won him
the title of the greatest chief and prophet of Israel. In fact the Book of
Deuteronomy says: “Since then, there has never been such a prophet
in Israel as Moses, the man whom Yahweh knew face to face. What
signs and wonders Yahweh caused him to perform in Egypt against
Pharaoh, all his servants and his whole country! How mighty the hand
and great the fear that Moses wielded in the eyes of all Israel!” (Dt 34:
10-12).

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