Who is Moses
Prophet Moses was born around 1570 BC into the Jewish family of Amram and Jochebed. At that time, the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians. The Egyptian Pharaoh, fearing that they would become a large nation, ordered the killing of all newborn male Israelites.
To save the child from death, Moses' mother put him in a tarred basket and left him in the water near the bank of the Nile. At this time, Pharaoh's daughter saw a basket with a baby. She took pity on the child, realizing that he was from the Jewish people and that death awaited him. She took him into her house; according to God’s providence, his own mother became the nurse for Moses. He grew up in courtly luxury and received the best education. But at the same time, he always remembered his origin and loved his people.
“The life of the great Moses is like a certain prototype of beauty in the faces, from which we, each individually, by imitation of these exercises, can depict in ourselves the outline of the beauty shown to us. That Moses succeeded in possible perfection, is there any witness for us that is more reliable than God’s word, which says to him: “And you have found favor in My sight”” (St. Gregory of Nyssa “On the Life of Moses the Lawgiver”).
Prophet Moses leads the Jewish people through the sea (Orthodox fresco)
Musa helps the girls
Moses did not have any supplies, and he set off on the road, trusting only in the Almighty and praying to him that the Lord would save him from wicked people. It took Musa eight days to reach the land of Midian from Egypt - he walked all this way, ate the plants that he came across on the way, and the roots that he mined in the ground. Approaching Midian, he met several people near a well who were giving water to sheep. Among these people were two girls who stood aside and did not water the sheep, waiting for the men to leave. When the shepherds finished watering their cattle, they covered the well with a large stone, which would have required the strength of ten men to remove. Moses picked up this stone and moved it to the side, after which the girls were able to water their sheep, and Musa himself turned to the Almighty with a prayer: “ Lord! Truly, I need any good that You send to me " (Al-Qasas (Story), 24th verse).
After the girls returned to their father and told about what help the stranger had given them, their father, and this was the prophet Shuaib, told one of them, whose name was Safura, to go and invite this man to their house, so that Shuaib could thank him. Following the girl, Musa was embarrassed by the way the wind lifted the hem of her dress, and offered to go ahead of her, since the descendants of Yakub, to whom he counted himself, did not cast immodest glances at women.
The Story of Moses
At the age of 40, Moses saw an overseer beating a Jew and in anger killed the Egyptian. Frightened by the consequences, Moses fled from Egypt to Arabia. There he married the daughter of the priest Jethro - Zipporah, from whom two sons were born - Gersam and Eliezer. The prophet Moses spent the next 40 years of his life in his wife’s family, being an ordinary shepherd.
One day he was tending his flocks and went far from home to Mount Horeb. There he saw a thorn bush (Burning Bush), which was burning, but was not consumed. And he heard the voice of God from the middle of the bush, who ordered him to return to Egypt and lead the people of Israel out of slavery. At the same time, God endowed Moses with the gift of performing miracles. And since he was tongue-tied (apparently he stuttered), God appointed his brother Aaron as his assistant.
According to legend, Moses' tongue-tiedness is explained by an incident from his childhood. Moses sat on Pharaoh's lap and, while playing, accidentally pulled his beard. Pharaoh wanted to order the execution of Moses for such an offense. But the pharaoh's daughter tried to prove the innocence of the act. Moses was handed a piece of gold and a hot, smoking coal. The child chose coal. I burned my fingers and put them in my mouth to cool them, thereby damaging my tongue.
The thorn bush that Moses saw was called the Burning Bush. This is a symbol of the Mother of God who gave birth to God and was not damaged.
FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
The Creator created for six days, and on the seventh day He rested from His labors. Six days are temporary, vain and short-lived, but the seventh is eternal, peaceful and long-lasting. By creating the world, the Lord God entered time, but did not leave eternity. This mystery is great... (Eph. 5:32), and it is fitting to think about it more than to talk about it, for it is not accessible to everyone, but only to God’s chosen ones.
Moses and the Jewish people
Moses returned to Egypt with Aaron. But Pharaoh did not want to let go of the large people who were doing all the hard work. God showed many miracles through the prophet Moses to deliver the people of Israel from Egyptian captivity. And only after the disasters sent by the Lord to Egypt, known as the ten plagues of Egypt, did Pharaoh allow the Israelites to leave. But he changed his mind and sent a large army after Moses.
When the soldiers caught up with the Jewish people near the shores of the Red Sea, the Israelis began to be indignant. They accused the prophet that Moses led them out of Egypt and they would die at the hands of the Egyptians. Then God showed another miracle through the prayers of Moses. A large cloud obscured the Israeli troops from view. The Prophet extended his staff towards the sea and the waters parted in different directions, allowing the Jews to cross unhindered to the other side. Then Moses again pointed towards the sea with his rod and the depths of the sea covered Pharaoh’s army.
SECOND COMMANDMENT
You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.
Do not deify the creation instead of the Creator. If you climbed a high mountain, where you met the Lord God, why would you look back at the reflection in the puddle under the mountain? If a certain person longed to see the king and, after much effort, managed to appear before him, why would he then look left and right at the king’s servants? He can look around for two reasons: either because he does not dare to face the king alone, or because he thinks: the king alone cannot help him.
Israelite people in the desert
This is how the Israelis gained freedom. Their deliverance from slavery was called “Exodus”, to which the book of the same name in the Bible is dedicated. In connection with the Exodus from Egyptian captivity, a holiday was established - the Old Testament Easter.
God promised to bring His people to a special land, now known as Palestine, where they would find prosperity and happiness. This is the Promised Land (promised, from the word “vow” - promise). But this was preceded by a 40-year wandering of the Jews in the desert. God did not determine this period of wandering by chance. During this time, a generation of Israeli slaves changed, people were born who were not subject to slave thinking and depraved lives.
THIRD COMMANDMENT
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.
What, are there really people who decide to commemorate, without reason or need, a name that awes - the name of the Lord God Almighty? When the name of God is pronounced in the sky, the heavens bow, the stars flash brighter, the Archangels and Angels sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” and the saints and saints of God fall on their faces. Then which mortal dares to remember the Most Holy Name of God without spiritual trembling and without deep sighing from longing for God?
Moses - leader, miracle worker, legislator
In order for the Israeli people to change their worldview and way of life, Moses in the desert on Mount Sinai received from the Lord the Ten Commandments of God. They were carved on two stone tablets by God Himself. But when the prophet Moses came down from the mountain, he saw that his people were dancing around the golden calf - an idol, forgetting about God and their duty to Him. Moses burned the golden calf, ground it to dust and scattered it on the water. In anger, he broke the tablets. God ordered to carve new ones with inscribed commandments to replace the destroyed ones.
In addition to the 10 commandments, God through the prophet Moses established other laws of life. These regulations regulated a variety of issues. Including what can be used for food, how to pray, how to maintain hygiene, how to communicate with different people, what punishments to apply for crimes, how to worship and make sacrifices to God. (Deuteronomy 5-26)
Moses had to endure a lot along with the Jewish people during their wanderings. The people grumbled, rebelled against Moses and Aaron, fought, and indulged in debauchery. The Lord punished the Israelites for these crimes. But at the same time, he strengthened him in faith through the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron.
Ten Commandments of Christianity
These are the Commandments that the Lord God of Hosts gave to the people through His chosen one and the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:2-17):
Truly, this law is short, but these commandments say a lot to anyone who knows how to think and who seeks the salvation of his soul.
Anyone who does not understand this main law of God in his heart will not be able to accept either Christ or His teachings. Whoever does not learn to swim in shallow water will not be able to swim in deep water, for he will drown. And whoever does not first learn to walk will not be able to run, for he will fall and be broken. And whoever does not first learn to count to ten will never be able to count thousands. And whoever does not first learn to read syllables will never be able to read fluently and speak eloquently. And whoever does not first lay the foundation of the house will try in vain to build a roof.
I repeat: whoever does not keep the commandments of the Lord given to Moses will knock in vain on the doors of Christ’s Kingdom.
Summary of the life of Moses
Moses was 120 years old when the wanderings of the people of Israel ended. He did not enter the borders of the Promised Land, but only managed to look at it from Mount Nebo before his death. Moses' burial place is unknown.
“He has become more perfect than anyone. For no one can serve God except one who has become the most perfect in the world. For Moses, the end of a virtuous life was accomplished “by the word of the Lord.” History calls it death, a living death, which is not followed by burial, no burial mound is built, no darkening of the eyes and no decay in the face.” (St. Gregory of Nyssa “On the Life of Moses the Lawgiver”).
“And Israel had no more a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10).
FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.
God is one, and there are no other gods besides Him. All creation comes from Him, thanks to Him they live and return to Him. In God resides all power and might, and there is no power outside of God. And the power of light, and the power of water, and air, and stone is the power of God. If an ant crawls, a fish swims and a bird flies, then it is thanks to God. The ability of a seed to grow, of grass to breathe, of a person to live is the essence of God’s ability. All these abilities are the property of God, and every creation receives its ability to exist from God. The Lord gives to everyone as much as he sees fit, and takes back when he sees fit. Therefore, when you want to gain the ability to do anything, look only in God, for the Lord God is the source of life-giving and mighty power. There are no other sources besides Him. Pray to the Lord like this:
“Merciful God, inexhaustible, the only source of strength, strengthen me, weak, and give me greater strength so that I can better serve You. God, give me wisdom so that I do not use the power I have received from You for evil, but only for the good of myself and my neighbors for the magnification of Your glory. Amen".
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
Don't steal.
Do not upset your neighbor by disrespecting his property rights. Don't do what foxes and mice do if you think you are better than the fox and the mouse. The fox steals without knowing the law on theft; and the mouse gnaws at the barn, not realizing that it is harming anyone. Both the fox and the mouse understand only their own needs, but not the loss of others. They are not given to understand, but you are given. Therefore, you cannot be forgiven for what is forgiven for a fox and a mouse. Your benefit must always be legal, it must not be to the detriment of your neighbor.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
Dont kill.
God breathed life from His life into every created being. Life is the most precious wealth given by God. Therefore, the one who encroaches on any life on earth raises his hand against the most precious gift of God, moreover, against the life of God itself. All of us living today are only temporary carriers of the life of God within ourselves, guardians of the most precious gift that belongs to God. Therefore, we do not have the right and cannot take away the life borrowed from God, either from ourselves or from others.
