Exodus

I finished with Exodus and thought I would list off some interesting things I found. But first, my overall impression. Exodus is boring compared to Genesis, and I found Moses lacking as a character, at least compared to Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. He seems to be meek, afraid, and overly obedient. I prefer the faith of Abraham, the swindling of Jacob, and the rising through the ranks power of Joseph.

My quick thoughts:

1. God appears to be causing Pharoah's heart to "harden". That is, it is God that won't let the Istraelites leave; He does this by influencing Pharoah's mind. I thought this was odd, but let it go as another strange word choice. Then I read "The Good Book," and realized this was wishy-washy at best, disturbing at worst. The only reason why God does this to (dare I say it?) poor Pharoah, is because He wants to show His power. He wants to terrify the Hebrews into worshipping him. So the plagues weren't really about terrifying the Egyptians at all, it was actually about terrifying the Israelites.

2. Another interesting thing, Moses and his brother Aaron are descended from Levi. The same Levi that Jacob spoke so ill of on his death bed. Jacob says,

"Simeon and Levi are brothers;
weapons of violence are their swords;
May I never come into their council;
may I not be joined to their company--
for in their anger they killed men,
and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.
Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce,
and their wrath, for it is cruel!
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel." (Genesis, 49.5-7)

So Exodus could almost be taken as a redemption story. A story of a wicked house finally coming into its own and becoming priestly. And Moses does show his anger many times. He destroys the first tablet, he orders the deaths of 3,000 of his fellows, and he always seems to be angry at the Israelites. (Not saying that I wouldn't be, with all their belly-aching. Hey, If I had seen the plagues, the sea part, and food basically fall from the sky, I would not be questioning God's power.) Again, it seems as God doesn't favor those that are powerful, wealthy, and great men. He prefers lessers from a lesser house. Moses has grown from a whiner himself, to a man capable of strength and leadership. Maybe I was too hard on the old man.

You could also see this another way, as God actually showing his approval of what Levi and Simeon did... but I really don't think... right? I mean... no, God wouldn't.... never.

3. It almost seems as if the people who wrote Genesis and Exodus believed other gods existed. I think I remember this term to be "henotheists". The belief other gods exist, but that your's is the TRUE god. Another term, "Iconoclast", is the destruction of other religious symbols that are not yours. (Such as invading another country, and destroying all their religious symbols.) Again, very important. God supports "Iconoclasm" tooth and nail, and believes if this isn't done, the Israelites will be corrupted and start worshipping other gods. Which brings me to another point:

4. God, who loves saying He is a "Jealous God", finally throws his cards down. I don't remember the exact location, but God says He is Jealous with a capital "J". God is God, God is Jealous, Jealous is Jealous. I find it interesting that God is so jealous that He believes His name can be interchanged with the adjective. I AM WHO I AM. I AM JEALOUS. So is God actually in fear for the Israelites' souls? or is he more in fear of having no one to worship him? of being jealous that they have found a new god? And if God is afraid, what does that say about his power? Remember what a wise, little, green man once said, "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hates leads to suffering." What is God's motives in this story?