slaves.
This story parallels many of the models of mythological heroes who have fallen from the favor of gods or kings and suffers until a new generation of heroes is born. Many years passed before this family’s hero would be Moses. During his early life he was miraculously saved from the pharaoh’s ordered massacre during which every slave’s son born that year was to be killed. The magical Masonic fortunetellers of the king’s court had foretold of a future leader arising from the slaves who would end the pharaoh’s rule if not killed as a child.
As a newborn baby Moses was placed in a papyrus basket and in this boat of reeds was set adrift in the river before he could be discovered by the king’s guard who would have slaughtered him on sight. Good fortune smiled upon him as he drifted into the queen’s reach and as God intended she fell in love with the newborn and was raised by the pharaoh as one of his own sons. Moses became the greatest of the free masons and while overseeing the construction of a temple for his adopted father and mother’s pleasure, he accidentally killed an Egyptian soldier who was beating a Hebrew. Moses was disgraced and exiled from Egypt to live in the Midian Desert and kept sheep for his father-in-law, Jethro, who was the high priest of the desert. While Moses was paying his penance for his crime, he witnessed a burning bush that was not being consumed by the flames. This sensational sight drew his curiosity and it is here that God commissioned Moses to return to Egypt and bring his family out of slavery. This is before Moses gains the divine revelation of the divine name of Yahweh, and the messenger is only known to him as “I am who I am”.
Even without knowing the speaker’s name, Moses is still greatly impressed and returns to tell the pharaoh, “Let my people go”. The king didn’t want to lose all of his free labor and thus the Lord started this kingdom’s prolonged period of misery. Plague after plague continued on until the tenth calamity of the death of all first born children and then the pharaoh relented and the Israelites left town for a new beginning.
But then the pharaoh changed his mind and chased them down to the Red Sea. The sea of reeds’ waters parted for the Israelites but closed over the pursuing Egyptians and drowned their army.
But this was just the start of troubles for Moses and his people. The tribe quarreled with each other, Moses and even God. Not even miracles such as water from a rock or bread from heaven could stop all the complaining. But, after all, forty days and nights in the desert is bound to try anyone’s patience.
So at Mount Sinai after hearing that some of the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt, God in the midst of a smoke and fire episode that echoed Moses’ earlier burning-bush experience, gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. His people’s doubts soon faded after this experience.
After a tabernacle was constructed to hold God’s words, the tribe took off to the Promised Land. They were now led by a priesthood which was composed of a subset of the Levites which was responsible for the tabernacle, religious services and instructions for the preparation of food. They also oversaw medical attention and religious holidays such as Passover, which celebrated the angel of death passing over the Israelites’ homes and only killing the first born of Egypt’s children.
During the next year while the priesthood was being ordained and animals were offered as burnt offerings, a census of the tribe was taken. At the end of the count it was determined that 603,550 men over the age of twenty now populated the twelve tribes. These men would become the united army of Moses and eventually attack the citizens of Canaan who occupied the Promised Land. But the Levites and priests would not become part of the army because they would be too busy with sacrifices, teaching the law of Moses, and furnishing the tabernacle to engage in combat.
After a year of preparations the army broke camp, but disorder soon again became the rule of each day as the internal squabbling broke down the chain of command. The troops were tired of the food and didn’t like Moses telling everyone what to do. Even God became frustrated because His earlier miracles had failed to convince His chosen people that they could overcome the hostile environment and conquer the Canaanites.
Since neither God’s miracles nor Moses’ marching order could convince the twelve tribes to move onward, at this point Moses sent forth twelve spies to scout the Promised Land. One was commissioned from each tribe and they spent the next forty days searching and spying out the land. When the spies returned they were impressed with the richness of the land, but scared to death of the people who populated and protected the Promised Land. By a vote of ten to two they sent forth their opinion that twelve tribes could not win this war.
Both God and Moses were angry and frustrated by the tribes’ fears. The decision was soon reached that since neither the Lord’s miracles nor the might of Moses could convince the tribes to attack, then they would use the test of time to turn the opinion of the tribes. God decided to wait for the next generation of Israelites to enact His plan and commanded Moses to remain in the desert one year for each day that the scouts spent spying out the Promised Land.
During the next forty years of wandering the desert the old generation died out and was replaced with new blood. Although God was angry with His chosen children He never failed to keep them clothed and fed well.
During the forty years of preparing for their forthcoming battle, the troops of Moses first attacked each of the bordering nations to prepare them for the ultimate attack against the much stronger Canaanite troops. The Israelites gained or were granted victories and having secured their flanks and rear against counter attacks and improved their confidence, their military strategy next led them towards Canaan.
Standing now at the edge of the Promised Land, Moses again spoke to his nation as he was about to die. It had been a long and tiring journey for Moses. He was eighty years old when he first told the pharaoh of Egypt to let God’s people go and now he had reached his one hundred twentieth year. Even though he was the leader of his nation, because of his own flaws he would not be allowed by God to enter Canaan. He was destined to perish with is own disobedient generation. As great a man as he was, he was still not above God’s will or laws. God did allow him, however, to view the Promised Land and from high above a mountaintop he spoke to the rising generation.
With an eloquence befitting his senior statesman position, he first reviewed the bitter years of slavery and discontentment that brought this younger generation to the threshold of victory. He restates the Ten Commandments and repeats many of the laws of the new land. He reminds his followers that their victory and longevity of remaining on the Promised Land does now and forever more depend upon their faithfulness to God’s law. Moses confirms that the Canaanites were losing their land because of their disbelief of the Almighty and their wicked ways of worshipping false gods. But he tells the faithful tribe that they were not being given the land due to their goodness, but rather because of God’s graciousness. Their God was a patient God, but if they ever forgot God’s law or misinterpreted God’s long willed patience as indifference, then as surely as the Canaanites would lose their land, so would the followers of Moses also lose their land. Be faithful and you will be rewarded. Become false and you will forfeit all you have fought to claim. This sense of conviction would continue to guide the Jews throughout all of their days.
After Moses died Joshua next succeeded him as the tribe’s leader. He led his army across the Jordan River into Canaan to face his first city-state foe known as Jericho. This walled city appeared to be impregnable, but this didn’t seem to faze the invading Israelites since they had spent the previous forty years in reflection for their previous doubts and now just crossed the Jordan River without getting their feet wet. For in the same manner as Moses led the tribe across the Red Sea, God had again parted the waters for them.
Leading the way was the Ark of the Covenant carried by the Levite priests and symbolized God’s presence and protection of his chosen people. Instead of directly attacking the high walls of the city, the battle plan of Joshua was to slowly walk around the walls of the city for six straight days. The citizens and king of this city-state must have thought that these invaders had become ill in their heads, but on the dawn of the seventh day the Israelites let loose a harmonized battle cry and cracked open the holy ark which first shook and then in a thundering roar tumbled down the city’s walls. The city’s citizens and troops were in a state of confusion and awe and the Israelites easily won this battle.
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