The record of Moses' life is a lengthy one in Exodus. He is one of the few individuals whose lives are recorded literally from his birth to his passing. In the course of his lifetime, Israel sees both great misfortune and great blessings.
Moses' early life takes place among the Egyptian royalty, to whom his people, the Israelites, are slaves. They were not involved, so far as we know, in the construction of the pyramids of ancient Egypt, the products of an even earlier age, but hard work under the hot Egyptian sun was their daily lot, toiling on behalf of a different dynasty from the benevolent one that welcomed Israel as guests during the famine recorded in Genesis.
Moses, the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, had no part in this, but he came to know his real heritage, probably from his mother, who had the good fortune to obtain employment as the young Moses' nurse maid. This phase of his life seems to have lasted about 40 years, ending abruptly when Moses flees the justice which might have ended his life as a result of his slaying of an abusive Egyptian slave master.
The second phase of his life could be described as "obscurity", serving as a herdsman under his future father-in-law. This life could not have been anything but spartan and unadorned, but there is no record of his missing "the good life" he had fled from back in Egypt. He was, as far as we know, reconciled to the simple life.
This phase of Moses' life also ended without warning through the message delivered through the burning bush, calling Moses as Jehovah's instrument in freeing the Israelites from bondage. The call leaves Moses intimidated by the skills he felt he would need to succeed, but is assured that he was called by God, and that his brother Aaron would serve as his mouthpiece.
The final phase of Moses life could be described simply as prophet/leader. The skills needed for this huge assignment sometimes proved elusive, but Moses was both divinely instructed and aided by faithful associates like Joshua and Jethro. No doubt Moses was surprised to find that delivering the people from Pharaoh was no guarantee that the Israelites would be willing followers from then on.
In fact, God became so exasperated with the Chosen People that he denied entrance for most of them into the Promised Land, including, at last, Moses himself. These condemned people simply kept crisscrossing the desert, following the direction which marked the sky both day and night until they simply wore out, fed by manna, but unfulfilled in reaching the final destination.
Moses left things that both Christians and Jews today find very important, particularly the record of Genesis through Numbers - to Jews "The Law" and to Christians the origins of humanity along with the Jewish roots of today's beliefs.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
John the Baptist, New Testament
Often a prophet is called to reveal things that will not happen for a long time, sometimes hundreds of years. This is true of Isiah and others, whose words are recorded, but perhaps not understood until the events actually occur.
With John the Baptist, it's a bit different. He is a player in his own prophecies, preparing, as he said, the way for the mortal Messiah. In the process, we learn about John, as well as Jesus, whose ministry is just beginning.
John's mother, Elizabeth, and Jesus' mother Mary were cousins. Both were the object of miracles - Elizabeth for giving birth to a son at an advanced age, and Mary, giving birth even though she had not "know a man". They knew one another, and celebrated their connection in these great coming events.
It is unclear whether John and Jesus had much acquaintance growing up. John's family lived in Jerusalem where his father served in the temple. Jesus' family lived some distance away, to the North in Nazareth of Galilee, though they also traveled to Jerusalem at least once.
John is often portrayed as a kind of wild wilderness man whom others went to hear. He is like preceding prophets who fearlessly denounced those nominally in charge of teaching and holding people to the Law of Moses. Naturally, this placed him in danger, not so much from the Romans as the Jewish power grabbers.
This didn't faze John, who practiced baptism for all those willing to make the requisite changes in their lives. At the same time, he foretold of One to come who would change everything about the practice of true religion.
That day came, when Jesus joined in the line of those seeking baptism. John was humbled to have a role in this ordinance, and questioned whether he should be the one to perform it. Jesus gave his consent, the baptism took place and evidence of a great event took the form of the voice of God the Father,, and the appearance of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove.
Later, when John was imprisoned, his faith was tested. He sent a follower to Jesus to ask if, in fact, he was the Messiah. The answer (positive, though a bit vague) was sent back. John was put to death shortly thereafter, but we have reason to think that he perished knowing he had done right, and, even more importantly, that his prophecies were true.
With John the Baptist, it's a bit different. He is a player in his own prophecies, preparing, as he said, the way for the mortal Messiah. In the process, we learn about John, as well as Jesus, whose ministry is just beginning.
John's mother, Elizabeth, and Jesus' mother Mary were cousins. Both were the object of miracles - Elizabeth for giving birth to a son at an advanced age, and Mary, giving birth even though she had not "know a man". They knew one another, and celebrated their connection in these great coming events.
It is unclear whether John and Jesus had much acquaintance growing up. John's family lived in Jerusalem where his father served in the temple. Jesus' family lived some distance away, to the North in Nazareth of Galilee, though they also traveled to Jerusalem at least once.
John is often portrayed as a kind of wild wilderness man whom others went to hear. He is like preceding prophets who fearlessly denounced those nominally in charge of teaching and holding people to the Law of Moses. Naturally, this placed him in danger, not so much from the Romans as the Jewish power grabbers.
This didn't faze John, who practiced baptism for all those willing to make the requisite changes in their lives. At the same time, he foretold of One to come who would change everything about the practice of true religion.
That day came, when Jesus joined in the line of those seeking baptism. John was humbled to have a role in this ordinance, and questioned whether he should be the one to perform it. Jesus gave his consent, the baptism took place and evidence of a great event took the form of the voice of God the Father,, and the appearance of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove.
Later, when John was imprisoned, his faith was tested. He sent a follower to Jesus to ask if, in fact, he was the Messiah. The answer (positive, though a bit vague) was sent back. John was put to death shortly thereafter, but we have reason to think that he perished knowing he had done right, and, even more importantly, that his prophecies were true.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Simon, The New Testament
The New Testament narrative contains several men with this name, including two of Jesus first disciples. The Simon referred to here was from Samaria, and his story is told in the Book of Acts, Chapter 8. He is sometimes referred to as Simon the Sorcerer.
Simon enjoyed great popularity among the Samaritans for his use of spells and sorcery. The Latter Day Saints would identify his type as using priestcraft - applying religious principles to pursue personal gain. It's hard to know just how this worked on a day to day basis, but he evidently had plenty of paying customers.
The first Christian teaching among these people was by Phillip, who baptized large numbers of people, including Simon. Later, Peter and John came to confer the Holy Ghost on this new converts. Simon witnessed the proceedings, and approached the two Apostles with a proposal. He offered to buy the right to confer the Holy Ghost, much as one magician might make an offer to another to acquire the equipment or a working knowledge for a dazzling new illusion of some kind.
Given the seriousness of Simon's sin, treating the power of the Gift of the Holy Ghost as a commodity to be traded in the marketplace like fruit or furniture, Peter's rebuke to Simon is fairly mild. Perhaps he realized that mass conversions are something of a hit-and-miss process, and that the level of understanding might vary wildly from one convert to another. Surely, there was error here, but there was no attempt to deceive or set up some kind of competing church. This fellow simply wanted some new moneymaker for his professional bag of tricks.
To be sure, Peter spoke sharply to Simon, but not to the point of expelling him from the church or revoking the baptism he had already received. For his part, Simon did not argue the point or try to justify himself, only asking forgiveness. We don't know what the remainder of his life was like, but we can hope he found a new way to earn a living, and that his repentance was successful.
Simon enjoyed great popularity among the Samaritans for his use of spells and sorcery. The Latter Day Saints would identify his type as using priestcraft - applying religious principles to pursue personal gain. It's hard to know just how this worked on a day to day basis, but he evidently had plenty of paying customers.
The first Christian teaching among these people was by Phillip, who baptized large numbers of people, including Simon. Later, Peter and John came to confer the Holy Ghost on this new converts. Simon witnessed the proceedings, and approached the two Apostles with a proposal. He offered to buy the right to confer the Holy Ghost, much as one magician might make an offer to another to acquire the equipment or a working knowledge for a dazzling new illusion of some kind.
Given the seriousness of Simon's sin, treating the power of the Gift of the Holy Ghost as a commodity to be traded in the marketplace like fruit or furniture, Peter's rebuke to Simon is fairly mild. Perhaps he realized that mass conversions are something of a hit-and-miss process, and that the level of understanding might vary wildly from one convert to another. Surely, there was error here, but there was no attempt to deceive or set up some kind of competing church. This fellow simply wanted some new moneymaker for his professional bag of tricks.
To be sure, Peter spoke sharply to Simon, but not to the point of expelling him from the church or revoking the baptism he had already received. For his part, Simon did not argue the point or try to justify himself, only asking forgiveness. We don't know what the remainder of his life was like, but we can hope he found a new way to earn a living, and that his repentance was successful.
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