After the death of Patriarch Joseph, the situation of the Jews changed dramatically. The new king, who did not know Joseph, began to fear that the Jews, having become a numerous and strong people, would go over to the enemy’s side in the event of war. He appointed commanders over them to wear them out with hard work. Pharaoh also ordered the killing of newborn Israeli boys. The very existence of the chosen people is under threat. However, God's Providence did not allow this plan to be carried out. God saved the future leader of the people, Moses, from death. This greatest Old Testament prophet came from the tribe of Levi. His parents were Amram and Jochebed (Exodus 6:20). The future prophet was younger than his brother Aaron and sister Mariam. The baby was born when Pharaoh's order to drown newborn Jewish boys in the Nile was in effect. The mother hid her child for three months, but then was forced to hide him in a basket in the reeds on the river bank. Pharaoh's daughter saw him and took him into her house.. Moses' sister, who was watching from afar, offered to bring a nurse. According to God's will, it was arranged so that his own mother became his nurse, raising him in her home. When the boy grew up, his mother brought him to the pharaoh's daughter. While living in the king's palace as an adopted son, Moses was taught all the wisdom of Egypt, and was mighty in words and deeds (Acts 7:22).
When should he turned forty years old, he went out to his brothers. Seeing that the Egyptian was beating the Jew, he, defending his brother, killed the Egyptian. Fearing persecution, Moses fled to the land of Midian and was received in the house of the local priest Raguel (aka Jethro), who married his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Moses lived in the land of Midian Fourty years. Over these decades, he gained that inner maturity that made him capable of accomplishing a great feat - with God's help free the people from slavery. This event was perceived by Old Testament people as central in the history of the people. It is mentioned more than sixty times in the Holy Scriptures. In memory of this event, the main Old Testament holiday was established - Easter. The outcome has spiritual and educational significance. The Egyptian captivity is an Old Testament symbol of the slavish subordination of humanity to the devil until the redemptive feat of Jesus Christ. The Exodus from Egypt marks spiritual liberation through the New Testament Sacrament of Baptism.
The exodus was preceded by one of the most important events in the history of the chosen people. epiphanies. Moses tended his father-in-law's sheep in the desert. He reached Mount Horeb and saw that The thorn bush is engulfed in flames, but does not burn. Moses began to approach him. But God called to him from the midst of the bush: don't come here; take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.(Exodus 3:5-6).
The outer side of the vision - a burning but not consumed thorn bush - depicted the plight of the Jews in Egypt. Fire, as a destroying force, indicated the severity of suffering. Just as the bush burned and was not consumed, so the Jewish people were not destroyed, but were only purified in the crucible of disasters. This is a prototype of the Incarnation. The Holy Church adopted the symbol of the Burning Bush of the Mother of God. The miracle lies in the fact that this thorn bush, in which the Lord appeared to Moses, has survived to this day. It is located in the fence of the Sinai monastery of St. Catherine the Great Martyr.
The Lord who appeared to Moses said that scream the children of Israel suffering from the Egyptians reached Him.
God sends Moses on a great mission: bring my people the children of Israel out of Egypt(Exodus 3:10). Moses humbly speaks of his weakness. God responds to this hesitation with clear and overpowering words: I'll be with you(Exodus 3:12). Moses, having accepted high obedience from the Lord, asks the name of the Sender. God said to Moses: I Am That I Am (Exodus 3:14). In a word Existing in the Synodal Bible the sacred name of God is conveyed, inscribed in the Hebrew text with four consonants ( tetragram): YHWH. The above passage shows that the prohibition to pronounce this secret name appeared much later than the time of the Exodus (perhaps after the Babylonian captivity).
During the reading aloud of sacred texts in the tabernacle, temple, and later in synagogues, instead of the tetragram, another name of God was pronounced - Adonai. In Slavic and Russian texts the tetragram is conveyed by the name Lord. In biblical language Existing expresses the personal beginning of absolute self-sufficient being, on which the existence of the entire created world depends.
The Lord strengthened the spirit of Moses two miraculous actions. The rod turned into a snake, and Moses' hand, which was covered with leprosy, was healed. The miracle with the rod testified that the Lord was giving Moses the authority of the leader of the people. The sudden defeat of the hand of Moses by leprosy and its healing meant that God had endowed His chosen one with the power of miracles to fulfill his mission.
Moses said he was tongue-tied. The Lord strengthened him: I will be at your mouth and teach you what to say.(Exodus 4:12). God gives the future leader his elder brother as an assistant Aaron.
Coming to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron, on behalf of the Lord, demanded that the people be released into the desert to celebrate the holiday. Pharaoh was a pagan. He declared that he did not know the Lord and that the people of Israel would not let them go. Pharaoh became bitter against the Jewish people. Jews did hard work at this time - they made bricks. Pharaoh ordered their work to be made more difficult. God again sends Moses and Aaron to declare His will to Pharaoh. At the same time, the Lord commanded to perform signs and wonders.
Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. The wise men and sorcerers of the king and the magicians of Egypt did the same with their spells: they threw down their wands, and they became snakes, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.
The next day the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to perform another miracle. When Pharaoh went to the river, Aaron struck the water with his rod in front of the king's face and water turned to blood. All the reservoirs in the country were filled with blood. Among the Egyptians, Nile was one of the gods of their pantheon. What happened with the water was supposed to enlighten them and show the power of the God of Israel. But this one first of the ten plagues of Egypt only hardened Pharaoh's heart even more.
Second execution took place seven days later. Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and went out frogs covered the ground. The disaster prompted Pharaoh to ask Moses to pray to the Lord to remove all the frogs. The Lord fulfilled the requests of His saint. Toads are extinct. As soon as the king felt relief, he again fell into bitterness.
Therefore I followed third plague. Aaron struck the ground with his rod, and they appeared midges and began to bite people and livestock. In the original Hebrew these insects are called kinnim, in Greek and Slavic texts - sketches. According to the 1st century Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria and Origen, these were mosquitoes - a common scourge of Egypt during the flood period. But this time all the dust of the earth became midges throughout the whole land of Egypt(Exodus 8:17). The Magi were unable to repeat this miracle. They told the king: this is the finger of God(Exodus 8:19). But he didn't listen to them. The Lord sends Moses to Pharaoh to tell him on behalf of the Lord to let the people go. If he does not comply, they will be sent throughout the country dog flies. It was fourth plague. Her tools were flies. They are named canine, apparently because they had a strong bite. Philo of Alexandria writes that they were distinguished by their fierceness and persistence. The fourth plague has two features. Firstly, The Lord performs a miracle without the mediation of Moses and Aaron. Secondly, the land of Goshen, in which the Jews lived, was freed from disaster so that Pharaoh could clearly see absolute power of God. The punishment worked. Pharaoh promised to release the Jews into the desert and make a sacrifice to the Lord God. He asked to pray for him and not to go far. Through the prayer of Moses, the Lord removed all the dog flies from Pharaoh and the people. Pharaoh did not let the Jews go into the desert.
followed fifth plague - pestilence which struck all the livestock of Egypt. The Jewish cattle are no longer in trouble. God also carried out this execution directly, and not through Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh's tenacity remained the same.
Sixth plague was accomplished by the Lord only through Moses (in the first three, Aaron was the mediator). Moses took a handful of ashes and threw them towards the sky. People and livestock were covered boils. This time the Lord Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart. He did this, apparently, in order to further reveal His all-conquering power to the king and all the Egyptians. God says to Pharaoh: I will send tomorrow, at this very time, a very strong hailstorm, the like of which has not been seen in Egypt since the day of its foundation until now.(Exodus 9:18). The sacred writer notes that those servants of Pharaoh who feared the words of the Lord hastily gathered their servants and flocks into houses. The hail was accompanied by thunder, which can be explained as voice of God from heaven. Psalm 77 gives additional details of this execution: they beat down their grapes with hail, and their sycamores with ice; gave up their cattle to hail and their flocks to lightning(47-48). Blessed Theodoret explains: “The Lord brought upon them hail and thunder, showing that He is the Lord of all the elements." God carried out this execution through Moses. The land of Goshen was not damaged. It was seventh plague. Pharaoh repented: this time I have sinned; The Lord is righteous, but I and my people are guilty; pray to the Lord: let the thunders of God and the hail cease, and I will let you go and will no longer hold you back(Exodus 9:27-28). But the repentance was short-lived. Soon the pharaoh again fell into a state bitterness.
Eighth Plague was very scary. After Moses stretched out the rod over the land of Egypt, The Lord brought a wind from the east, which lasted day and night. Locusts attacked all the land of Egypt and ate all the grass and all the greenery on the trees.. Pharaoh repents again, but, apparently, as before, his repentance is superficial. The Lord hardens his heart.
Peculiarity ninth plague in that it was caused by the symbolic action of Moses stretching out his hands to heaven. Installed for three days thick darkness. By punishing the Egyptians with darkness, God showed the insignificance of their idol Ra, the sun god. Pharaoh yielded again.
Tenth Plague was the worst. The month of Abib has arrived. Before the exodus began, God commanded that Passover be celebrated. This holiday became the main one in the Old Testament sacred calendar.
The Lord told Moses and Aaron that every family on the tenth day of Abib (after the Babylonian captivity this month began to be called Nissan) took one lamb and kept him apart until the fourteenth day of this month, and then slaughtered him. When the lamb is slain, they shall take some of its blood and They will anoint it on both doorposts and on the lintel of the doors in the houses where they will eat it..
At midnight on the 15th of Aviva the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, as well as all the firstborn of livestock. The firstborn Jews were not harmed. Because the doorposts and lintels of their houses were anointed with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, The angel who smote the firstborn of Egypt, passed by. The holiday established in memory of this event was called Easter (Heb. Passover; from a verb meaning jump over something, pass by).
The blood of the lamb was a prototype of the atoning Blood of the Savior, the Blood of cleansing and reconciliation. Unleavened bread (unleavened bread), which Jews were supposed to eat on Easter days, also had a symbolic meaning: in Egypt, Jews were in danger of becoming infected with pagan wickedness. However, God brought the Jewish people out of the land of enslavement and made them a spiritually pure people, called to holiness: And you will be holy people to Me(Exodus 22, 31). He must reject the previous leaven of moral corruption and start a clean life. Unleavened bread that cooks quickly symbolized that speed, with which the Lord led His people out of the land of enslavement.
Easter meal expressed general unity of its participants with God and among themselves. The fact that the lamb was cooked whole, including the head, also had a symbolic meaning. The bone shouldn't have been crushed.
Ten Commandments of God
And God spoke to Moses all these words, saying (book of Exodus, chapter 20):
1. I AM THE LORD THY GOD; LET YOU HAVE NO OTHER GODS BUT ME.
Sins against this commandment: atheism, superstition, fortune telling, turning to “grandmothers” and psychics.
2. DO NOT MAKE YOURSELF AN IDOLM OR ANY IMAGE OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN THE HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS ON THE EARTH BELOW, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER BELOW THE EARTH; DO NOT WORSHIP OR SERVE THEM.
In addition to gross idolatry, there is also a more subtle one: passion for acquiring money and various property, gluttony, pride. " Covetousness is idolatry"(epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians, chapter 3, article 5).
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
In vain means, without need, in empty and vain conversations.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; You shall work for six days, and do all your work in them; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
In the Christian Church, it is not Saturday that is celebrated, but Sunday. In addition, other holidays and fasts must be observed (they are marked in the church calendar).
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well with you and that your days on earth may be long.
6. don't kill.
This sin also includes abortion, striking, and hatred of one’s neighbor: “ Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer"(1st Council Epistle of the Apostle John the Theologian, Chapter 3, Art. 15). There is spiritual murder - when someone seduces his neighbor into unbelief and sins. " Fathers who do not care to give a Christian education to their children are child killers, murderers of their own children"(St. John Chrysostom).
7. Do not commit adultery.
Sins against this commandment: fornication (carnal love between people who are not in marriage), adultery (adultery) and other sins. " Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor wicked people, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."(1st letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 6, art. 9). " Carnal lust in chaste people is kept in bondage through willpower and is relaxed only for the purpose of procreation.”(St. Gregory Palamas).
8. don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any of his livestock, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
Not only sinful deeds, but also evil desires and thoughts make the soul unclean before God and unworthy of Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ commanded to keep these commandments in order to receive eternal life (Gospel of Matthew ch. 19, v. 17), taught to understand and fulfill them more perfectly than they were understood before Him (Gospel of Matthew ch. 5).
He stated the essence of these commandments as follows:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself. (Gospel of Matthew, chapter 22, vv. 37-39).
THE HAPPINESS COMMANDMENTS
(excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount - Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5) with comments from the “Catechism” of St. Philaret (Drozdov)
Seeing the people, He went up the mountain; and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
1. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
To be poor in spirit means to understand that we have nothing of our own, but have only what God gives, and that we cannot do anything good without God’s help and grace. This is the virtue of humility.
2. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
The word weeping here refers to sorrow for sins, which God alleviates with gracious consolation.
3. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Meekness is a quiet disposition of spirit, combined with caution, so as not to irritate anyone or to be irritated by anything.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
These are those who, like food and drink, hunger and thirst for grace-filled justification through Jesus Christ.
5. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Deeds of physical mercy: feeding the hungry, giving clothes to the needy, visiting someone in hospital or prison, welcoming a stranger into your home, participating in a burial. Deeds of spiritual mercy: turning a sinner to the path of salvation, giving useful advice to a neighbor, praying to God for him, comforting a sad person, forgiving offenses from the heart. Whoever does this will receive pardon from the eternal condemnation for sins at the Last Judgment of God.
6. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
The heart becomes pure when a person tries to reject sinful thoughts, desires and feelings and forces himself to unceasing prayer (for example: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”). Just as a pure eye is able to see light, so a pure heart is able to contemplate God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Here Christ not only condemns mutual disagreement and hatred of people among themselves, but demands even more - namely, that we reconcile the disagreements of others. “They will be called sons of God,” since the work of the Only Begotten Son of God was to reconcile sinners with the justice of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
By righteousness here we mean life according to the commandments of God; This means that blessed are those who are persecuted for faith and piety, for their good deeds, for constancy and steadfastness in faith.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
Those who desire bliss must be ready to joyfully accept insults, persecution, disaster and death itself for the name of Christ and for the true Orthodox faith.
“Although Christ describes the rewards differently, he brings everyone into the kingdom. And when He says that those who mourn will be comforted, and the merciful will have mercy, and the pure in heart will see God, and the peacemakers will be called sons of God, by all this He means nothing other than the kingdom of heaven” (St. John Chrysostom).
Other commandments of God (from the Gospel of Matthew):
Anyone who is angry with his brother without cause is subject to judgment (Matthew 5:21).
Anyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28).
Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you (Matthew 5:44).
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7) - commandment about prayer.
Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go there; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it (Matthew 7:13-14).
Moses is the greatest Old Testament prophet, the founder of Judaism, who led the Jews from Egypt, where they were in slavery, accepted the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai and united the Israeli tribes into a single people.
In Christianity, Moses is considered one of the most important prototypes of Christ: just as through Moses the Old Testament was revealed to the world, so through Christ the New Testament was revealed.
The name "Moses" (in Hebrew - Mosheʁ) is believed to be of Egyptian origin and means "child". According to other instructions - “recovered or rescued from the water” (this name was given to him by the Egyptian princess who found him on the river bank).
The four books of the Pentateuch (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), which make up the epic of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, are dedicated to his life and work.
Birth of Moses
According to the biblical account, Moses was born in Egypt to a Jewish family during the time when the Jews were enslaved by the Egyptians, around 1570 BC (other estimates around 1250 BC). Moses' parents belonged to the tribe of Levi 1 (Ex. 2:1). His older sister was Miriam and his older brother was Aaron (the first of the Jewish high priests, the ancestor of the priestly caste).
1 Levi- the third son of Jacob (Israel) from his wife Leah (Gen. 29:34). The descendants of the tribe of Levi are the Levites, who were responsible for the priesthood. Since the Levites were the only tribe of all the tribes of Israel not endowed with land, they were dependent on their fellows.
As you know, the Israelis moved to Egypt during the lifetime of Jacob-Israel 2 (XVII century BC), fleeing famine. They lived in the eastern Egyptian region of Goshen, bordering the Sinai Peninsula and watered by a tributary of the Nile River. Here they had extensive pastures for their herds and could roam freely around the country.
2 JacoborYakov (Israel)- the third of the biblical patriarchs, the youngest of the twin sons of the patriarch Isaac and Rebekah. From his sons came the 12 tribes of the people of Israel. In rabbinic literature, Jacob is seen as a symbol of the Jewish people.
Over time, the Israelites multiplied more and more, and the more they multiplied, the more hostile the Egyptians were towards them. Eventually there were so many Jews that it began to inspire fear in the new pharaoh. He told his people: “The Israeli tribe is multiplying and can become stronger than us. If we have a war with another state, then the Israelis can unite with our enemies.” To prevent the Israelite tribe from strengthening, it was decided to turn it into slavery. The pharaohs and their officials began to oppress the Israelites as strangers, and then began to treat them as a conquered tribe, like masters and slaves. The Egyptians began to force the Israelites to do the most difficult work for the benefit of the state: they were forced to dig the ground, build cities, palaces and monuments for kings, and prepare clay and bricks for these buildings. Special guards were appointed who strictly monitored the execution of all these forced labors.
But no matter how the Israelites were oppressed, they still continued to multiply. Then Pharaoh gave the order that all newborn Israeli boys should be drowned in the river, and only girls should be left alive. This order was carried out with merciless severity. The people of Israel were in danger of complete extermination.
During this time of trouble, a son was born to Amram and Jochebed, from the tribe of Levi. He was so beautiful that light emanated from him. The father of the holy prophet Amram had a vision that spoke of the great mission of this baby and of God's favor towards him. Moses' mother Jochebed managed to hide the baby in her home for three months. However, no longer able to hide him, she left the baby in a tarred reed basket in the thickets on the banks of the Nile.
Moses being lowered by his mother onto the waters of the Nile. A.V. Tyranov. 1839-42
At this time, Pharaoh's daughter went to the river to swim, accompanied by her servants. Seeing a basket among the reeds, she ordered it to be opened. A tiny boy lay in the basket and cried. Pharaoh's daughter said, "This must be one of the Hebrew children." She took pity on the crying baby and, on the advice of Moses’ sister Miriam, who approached her and was watching what was happening from afar, agreed to call the Israeli nurse. Miriam brought her mother Jochebed. Thus, Moses was given to his mother, who nursed him. When the boy grew up, he was brought to Pharaoh's daughter, and she raised him as her son (Ex. 2:10). Pharaoh's daughter gave him the name Moses, which means "taken out of the water."
There are suggestions that this good princess was Hatshepsut, daughter of Thothmes I, later the famous and only female pharaoh in the history of Egypt.
The childhood and youth of Moses. Flight into the desert.
Moses spent the first 40 years of his life in Egypt, raised in the palace as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Here he received an excellent education and was initiated into “all the wisdom of Egypt,” that is, into all the secrets of the religious and political worldview of Egypt. Tradition says that he served as commander of the Egyptian army and helped the pharaoh defeat the Ethiopians who attacked him.
Although Moses grew up free, he never forgot his Jewish roots. One day he wanted to see how his fellow tribesmen lived. Seeing an Egyptian overseer beating one of the Israelite slaves, Moses stood up for the defenseless and, in a fit of rage, accidentally killed the overseer. Pharaoh found out about this and wanted to punish Moses. The only way to escape was to escape. And Moses fled from Egypt to the Sinai desert, which is near the Red Sea, between Egypt and Canaan. He settled in the land of Midian (Ex. 2:15), located on the Sinai Peninsula, with the priest Jethro (another name is Raguel), where he became a shepherd. Moses soon married Jethro's daughter, Zipporah, and became a member of this peaceful shepherd family. So another 40 years passed.
Calling of Moses
One day Moses was tending a flock and went far into the desert. He approached Mount Horeb (Sinai), and here a wondrous vision appeared to him. He saw a thick thorn bush, which was engulfed in a bright flame and was burning, but still did not burn out.
The thorn bush or “Burning Bush” is a prototype of God-manhood and the Mother of God and symbolizes the contact of God with a created being
God said that He chose Moses to save the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Moses had to go to Pharaoh and demand that he release the Jews. As a sign that the time has come for a new, more complete Revelation, He proclaims His Name to Moses: "I Am Who I Am"(Ex.3:14) . He sends Moses to demand, on behalf of the God of Israel, to release the people from the “house of slavery.” But Moses is aware of his weakness: he is not ready for a feat, he is deprived of the gift of speech, he is sure that neither Pharaoh nor the people will believe him. Only after persistent repetition of the call and signs does he agree. God said that Moses in Egypt had a brother Aaron, who, if necessary, would speak in his place, and God himself would teach both what to do. To convince unbelievers, God gives Moses the ability to perform miracles. Immediately, by His order, Moses threw his rod (shepherd's stick) to the ground - and suddenly this rod turned into a snake. Moses caught the snake by the tail - and again there was a stick in his hand. Another miracle: when Moses put his hand in his bosom and took it out, it became white from leprosy like snow, when he put his hand in his bosom again and took it out, it became healthy. “If they don’t believe this miracle,- said the Lord, - then take water from the river and pour it on the dry land, and the water will become blood on the dry land.”
Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh
Obeying God, Moses set out on the road. On the way, he met his brother Aaron, whom God ordered to go out into the desert to meet Moses, and they came together to Egypt. Moses was already 80 years old, no one remembered him. The daughter of the former pharaoh, the adoptive mother of Moses, also died long ago.
First of all, Moses and Aaron came to the people of Israel. Aaron told his fellow tribesmen that God would lead the Jews out of slavery and give them a land flowing with milk and honey. However, they did not immediately believe him. They were afraid of Pharaoh's revenge, they were afraid of the path through the waterless desert. Moses performed several miracles, and the people of Israel believed in him and that the hour of liberation from slavery had come. Nevertheless, the murmur against the prophet, which began even before the exodus, then flared up repeatedly. Like Adam, who was free to submit to or reject the higher Will, the newly created people of God experienced temptations and failures.
After this, Moses and Aron appeared to Pharaoh and declared to him the will of the God of Israel, so that he would release the Jews into the desert to serve this God: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may celebrate a feast for Me in the wilderness.” But Pharaoh answered angrily: “Who is the Lord that I should listen to him? I don’t know the Lord and I won’t let the Israelites go.”(Ex.5:1-2)
Then Moses announced to Pharaoh that if he did not release the Israelites, then God would send various “plagues” (misfortunes, disasters) to Egypt. The king did not listen - and the threats of the messenger of God came true.
Ten Plagues and the Establishment of Easter
Pharaoh's refusal to fulfill God's command entails 10 "plagues of Egypt", a series of terrible natural disasters:
However, the executions only embitter the pharaoh even more.
Then the angry Moses came to Pharaoh for the last time and warned: “This is what the Lord says: At midnight I will pass through the middle of Egypt. And every firstborn in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh...to the firstborn of the slave girl...and all the firstborn of livestock.” This was the last and most severe 10th plague (Exodus 11:1-10 – Exodus 12:1-36).
Then Moses warned the Jews to slaughter a one-year-old lamb in each family and anoint the doorposts and lintel with its blood: by this blood God will distinguish the homes of the Jews and will not touch them. Lamb meat was to be baked over a fire and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Jews must be ready to hit the road immediately.
At night, Egypt suffered a terrible disaster. “And Pharaoh arose by night, he and all his servants, and all Egypt; and there was a great cry in the land of Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not a dead man.”
The shocked Pharaoh immediately summoned Moses and Aaron and ordered them, along with all their people, to go into the desert and perform worship so that God would take pity on the Egyptians.
Since then, Jews every year on the 14th day of the month of Nissan (the day falling on the full moon of the vernal equinox) Easter holiday. The word "passover" means "to pass by," because the angel who struck the firstborn passed by Jewish houses.
From now on, Easter will mark the liberation of the People of God and their unity in a sacred meal - a prototype of the Eucharistic Meal.
Exodus. Crossing the Red Sea.
That same night, the entire Israeli people left Egypt forever. The Bible indicates the number of those who left was “600 thousand Jews” (not counting women, children and livestock). The Jews did not leave empty-handed: before fleeing, Moses ordered them to ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold and silver items, as well as rich clothes. They also took with them the mummy of Joseph, which Moses searched for for three days while his fellow tribesmen collected property from the Egyptians. God himself led them, being in a pillar of cloud during the day and in a pillar of fire at night, so the fugitives walked day and night until they reached the seashore.
Meanwhile, Pharaoh realized that the Jews had deceived him and rushed after them. Six hundred war chariots and selected Egyptian cavalry quickly overtook the fugitives. There seemed to be no escape. Jews - men, women, children, old people - crowded on the seashore, preparing for inevitable death. Only Moses was calm. At the command of God, he extended his hand to the sea, struck the water with his staff, and the sea parted, clearing the way. The Israelites walked along the bottom of the sea, and the waters of the sea stood like a wall to their right and left.
Seeing this, the Egyptians chased the Jews along the bottom of the sea. Pharaoh's chariots were already in the middle of the sea when the bottom suddenly became so viscous that they could hardly move. Meanwhile, the Israelis made it to the opposite bank. The Egyptian warriors realized that things were bad and decided to turn back, but it was too late: Moses again extended his hand to the sea, and it closed over Pharaoh’s army...
The crossing of the Red (now Red) Sea, accomplished in the face of imminent mortal danger, becomes the culmination of a saving miracle. The waters separated the rescued from the “house of slavery.” Therefore, the transition became a prototype of the sacrament of baptism. A new passage through water is also a path to freedom, but to freedom in Christ. On the seashore, Moses and all the people, including his sister Miriam, solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God. “I sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; he threw his horse and rider into the sea..." This solemn song of the Israelis to the Lord underlies the first of the nine sacred songs that make up the canon of songs sung daily by the Orthodox Church in worship.
According to biblical tradition, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years. And the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt took place, according to Egyptologists, around 1250 BC. However, according to the traditional point of view, the Exodus occurred in the 15th century. BC e., 480 years (~5 centuries) before the construction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem began (1 Kings 6:1). There are a significant number of alternative theories of the chronology of the Exodus, consistent to varying degrees with both religious and modern archaeological perspectives.
Miracles of Moses
The road to the Promised Land ran through the harsh and vast Arabian Desert. At first they walked for 3 days through the desert of Sur and found no water except bitter water (Merrah) (Ex. 15:22-26), but God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to throw a piece of some special tree into the water.
Soon, having reached the Sin desert, the people began to grumble from hunger, remembering Egypt, when they “sat by the cauldrons of meat and ate bread to their fill!” And God heard them and sent them from heaven manna from heaven(Ex. 16).
One morning, when they woke up, they saw that the entire desert was covered with something white, like frost. We began to look: the white coating turned out to be small grains, similar to hail or grass seeds. In response to the surprised exclamations, Moses said: “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.” Adults and children rushed to gather manna and bake bread. From then on, every morning for 40 years they found manna from heaven and ate it.
Manna from heaven
The collection of manna took place in the morning, since by noon it melted under the rays of the sun. “The manna was like coriander seed, the appearance of bdellium.”(Num. 11:7). According to Talmudic literature, when eating manna, young men felt the taste of bread, old people - the taste of honey, children - the taste of oil.
In Rephidim, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod.
Here the Jews were attacked by a wild tribe of Amalekites, but were defeated by the prayer of Moses, who during the battle prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God (Ex. 17).
Sinai Covenant and 10 Commandments
In the 3rd month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites approached Mount Sinai and camped opposite the mountain. Moses first ascended the mountain, and God warned him that he would appear before the people on the third day.
And then this day came. The phenomenon in Sinai was accompanied by terrible phenomena: clouds, smoke, lightning, thunder, flames, earthquakes, and the sound of a trumpet. This communication lasted 40 days, and God gave Moses two tablets - stone tables on which the Law was written.
1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; Let you have no other gods before Me.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water below the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I am the Lord your God. God is jealous, punishing the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. 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.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor yours, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor the stranger who is in your gates; For in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, (so that it may go well with you and) that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
6. Don't kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor (any of his livestock), nor anything that is thy neighbor's.
The law that was given to ancient Israel by God had several purposes. First, he asserted public order and justice. Secondly, he singled out the Jewish people as a special religious community professing monotheism. Thirdly, he had to make an internal change in a person, morally improve a person, bring a person closer to God through instilling in a person the love of God. Finally, the law of the Old Testament prepared humanity for the adoption of the Christian faith in the future.
The Decalogue (ten commandments) formed the basis of the moral code of all cultural humanity.
In addition to the Ten Commandments, God dictated laws to Moses that outlined how the people of Israel should live. Thus the Children of Israel became a people - Jews.
The Wrath of Moses. Establishment of the tabernacle of the covenant.
Moses ascended Mount Sinai twice, remaining there for 40 days. During his first absence the people sinned terribly. The wait seemed too long to them and they demanded that Aaron make them a god who led them out of Egypt. Frightened by their unbridledness, he collected gold earrings and made a golden calf, in front of which the Jews began to serve and have fun.
Coming down from the mountain, Moses in anger broke the Tablets and destroyed the calf.
Moses breaks the tablets of the Law
Moses severely punished the people for their apostasy, killing about 3 thousand people, but asked God not to punish them. God had mercy and showed him His glory, showing him a chasm in which he could see God from behind, because it is impossible for man to see His face.
After that, again for 40 days, he returned to the mountain and prayed to God for the forgiveness of the people. Here, on the mountain, he received instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle, the laws of worship and the establishment of the priesthood. It is believed that the book of Exodus lists the commandments on the first broken tablets, and Deuteronomy lists what was written the second time. From there he returned with God's face illuminated by the light and was forced to hide his face under a veil so that the people would not go blind.
Six months later, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated - a large, richly decorated tent. Inside the tabernacle stood the Ark of the Covenant - a wooden chest lined with gold with images of cherubim on top. In the ark lay the tablets of the covenant brought by Moses, a golden container with manna and Aaron’s rod that flourished.
Tabernacle
To prevent disputes about who should have the right of the priesthood, God commanded that a staff be taken from each of the twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel and placed in the tabernacle, promising that the staff of the one He had chosen would blossom. The next day Moses found that Aaron's rod had produced flowers and almonds. Then Moses laid Aaron's rod before the ark of the covenant for safekeeping, as a testimony to future generations of the Divine election of Aaron and his descendants to the priesthood.
Moses' brother, Aaron, was ordained high priest, and other members of the tribe of Levi were ordained priests and "Levites" (in our opinion, deacons). From this time on, the Jews began to perform regular religious services and animal sacrifices.
End of wandering. Death of Moses.
For another 40 years Moses led his people to the promised land - Canaan. At the end of the journey, the people again began to be faint-hearted and grumble. As punishment, God sent poisonous snakes, and when they repented, he commanded Moses to erect a copper image of a serpent on a pole so that everyone who looked at it with faith would remain unharmed. The serpent lifted up in the desert, as St. Gregory of Nyssa - is the sign of the sacrament of the cross.
Despite great difficulties, the prophet Moses remained a faithful servant of the Lord God until the end of his life. He led, taught and mentored his people. He arranged their future, but did not enter the Promised Land because of the lack of faith shown by him and his brother Aaron at the waters of Meribah in Kadesh. Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, and water flowed from the stone, although once was enough - and God became angry and declared that neither he nor his brother Aaron would enter the Promised Land.
By nature, Moses was impatient and prone to anger, but through Divine education he became so humble that he became “the meekest of all people on earth.” In all his deeds and thoughts, he was guided by faith in the Almighty. In a sense, the fate of Moses is similar to the fate of the Old Testament itself, which through the desert of paganism brought the people of Israel to the New Testament and froze on its threshold. Moses died at the end of forty years of wandering on the top of Mount Nebo, from which he could see the promised land from afar - Palestine. God told him: “This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not enter it.”
He was 120 years old, but neither his vision was dull nor his strength exhausted. He spent 40 years in the palace of the Egyptian pharaoh, another 40 with flocks of sheep in the land of Midian, and the last 40 wandering at the head of the Israeli people in the Sinai desert. The Israelites commemorated the death of Moses with 30 days of mourning. His grave was hidden by God so that the Israeli people, who were inclined at that time towards paganism, would not make a cult out of it.
After Moses, the Jewish people, spiritually renewed in the desert, were led by his disciple Joshua, who led the Jews to the Promised Land. For forty years of wandering, not a single person remained alive who came out of Egypt with Moses, and who doubted God and worshiped the golden calf at Horeb. In this way, a truly new people was created, living according to the law given by God at Sinai.
Moses was also the first inspired writer. According to legend, he is the author of the books of the Bible - the Pentateuch as part of the Old Testament. Psalm 89, “The Prayer of Moses, the Man of God,” is also attributed to Moses.
A truly good Christian life can only be had by someone who has the faith of Christ in himself and tries to live according to this faith, that is, fulfills the will of God through good deeds. So that people knew how to live and what to do, God gave them His commandments - the Law of God. The prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments from God approximately 1500 years before the birth of Christ. This happened when the Jews emerged from slavery in Egypt and approached Mount Sinai in the desert.
God Himself wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (slabs). The first four commandments outlined man's duties towards God. The remaining six commandments outlined man's duties towards his fellowmen. People at that time were not yet accustomed to living according to the will of God and easily committed serious crimes. Therefore, for violating many commandments, such as: for idolatry, bad words against God, for bad words against parents, for murder and for violation of marital fidelity, the death penalty was imposed. The Old Testament was dominated by a spirit of severity and punishment. But this severity was useful for people, as it restrained their bad habits, and people little by little began to improve.
The other Nine Commandments (the Beatitudes) are also known, which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave to people at the very beginning of His preaching. The Lord ascended a low mountain near Lake Galilee. The apostles and many people gathered around Him. The Beatitudes are dominated by love and humility. They set out how a person can gradually achieve perfection. The basis of virtue is humility (spiritual poverty). Repentance cleanses the soul, then meekness and love for God’s truth appear in the soul. After this, a person becomes compassionate and merciful and his heart is so purified that he becomes able to see God (feel His presence in his soul).
But the Lord saw that most people choose evil and that evil people will hate and persecute true Christians. Therefore, in the last two beatitudes, the Lord teaches us to patiently endure all injustices and persecution from bad people.
We should focus our attention not on the fleeting trials that are inevitable in this temporary life, but on the eternal bliss that God has prepared for people who love Him.
Most of the commandments of the Old Testament tell us what we should not do, but the commandments of the New Testament teach us how to act and what to strive for.
The content of all the commandments of both the Old and New Testaments can be summarized in two commandments of love given by Christ: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is similar to it—thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. " And the Lord also gave us the right guidance on how to act: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them.”
Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
Explaining the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
First Commandment of the Old Testament
“I am the Lord your God; let you have no other Gods besides Me.”
With the first commandment, the Lord God points man to Himself and inspires us to honor His one true God, and besides Him, we should not render Divine veneration to anyone. With the first commandment, God teaches us correct knowledge of God and correct worship of God.
Knowing God means knowing God correctly. Knowledge of God is the most important of all knowledge. It is our first and most important duty.
To acquire the knowledge of God we must:
1. Read and study the Holy Scriptures (and children: the book of God’s Law).
2. Regularly visit God’s temple, delve into the content of church services and listen to the priest’s sermon.
3. Think about God and the purpose of our earthly life.
Worship of God means that in all our actions we must express our faith in God, hope for His help and love for Him as our Creator and Savior.
When we go to church, pray at home, observe fasts and honor church holidays, obey our parents, help them in any way we can, study hard and do homework, when we are quiet, do not quarrel, when we help our neighbors, when we constantly think about God and recognize His presence with us - then we truly honor God, that is, we express our worship of God.
Thus, the first commandment to a certain extent contains the remaining commandments. Or the remaining commandments explain how to fulfill the first commandment.
Sins against the first commandment are:
Atheism (atheism) - when a person denies the existence of God (for example: communists).
Polytheism: veneration of many gods or idols (wild tribes of Africa, South America, etc.).
Unbelief: doubt about Divine help.
Heresy: a distortion of the faith that God gave us. There are many sects in the world whose teachings were invented by people.
Apostasy: renunciation of faith in God or Christianity due to fear or hopes of receiving a reward.
Despair is when people, forgetting that God arranges everything for the better, begin to grumble dissatisfiedly or even attempt to commit suicide.
Superstition: belief in various signs, stars, fortune telling.
Second Commandment of the Old Testament
“You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, that is on the earth below, or that is in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down or serve them.”
Jews revere the golden calf, which they themselves made.
This commandment was written when people were very inclined to revere various idols and deify the forces of nature: the sun, stars, fire, etc. Idol worshipers built idols for themselves representing their false gods and worshiped these idols.
These days such gross idolatry is almost non-existent in developed countries.
However, if people give all their time and energy, all their worries to something earthly, forgetting family and even God, such behavior is also a kind of idolatry, which is prohibited by this commandment.
Idolatry is excessive attachment to money and wealth. Idolatry is constant gluttony, i.e. when a person only thinks about that, and does only that, to eat a lot and tasty. Drug addiction and drunkenness also fall under this sin of idolatry. Proud people who always want to be the center of attention, want everyone to honor them and obey them unquestioningly also violate the second commandment.
At the same time, the second commandment does not prohibit the correct veneration of the Holy Cross and holy icons. It does not prohibit it because, by honoring a cross or an icon where the true God is depicted, a person gives honor not to the wood or paint from which these objects are made, but to Jesus Christ or the saints who are depicted on them.
Icons remind us of God, icons help us pray, because our soul is structured in such a way that what we look at is what we think about.
When we honor the saints depicted on icons, we do not give them equal veneration as equals to God, but we pray to them as our patrons and prayer books before God. Saints are our older brothers. They see our difficulties, see our weakness and inexperience and help us.
God Himself shows us that He does not prohibit the correct veneration of holy icons; on the contrary, God shows help to people through holy icons. There are many miraculous icons, for example: the Kursk Mother of God, weeping icons in different parts of the world, many renewed icons in Russia, China and other countries.
In the Old Testament, God Himself commanded Moses to make golden images of cherubim (Angels) and place these images on the lid of the Ark, where the tablets with the commandments written on them were kept.
Images of the Savior have been revered in the Christian Church since ancient times. One of these images is the image of the Savior, called “Not Made by Hands.” Jesus Christ put a towel to his face, and the image of the Savior’s face miraculously remained on this towel. The sick king Abgar, as soon as he touched this towel, was healed of leprosy.
Third Commandment of the Old Testament
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
The third commandment is forbidden to pronounce the name of God in vain, without due reverence. The name of God is pronounced in vain when it is used in empty conversations, jokes, and games.
This commandment generally prohibits a frivolous and irreverent attitude towards the name of God.
Sins against this commandment are:
Bozhba: frivolous use of an oath with the mention of the name of God in ordinary conversations.
Blasphemy: bold words against God.
Blasphemy: disrespectful treatment of sacred objects.
It is also prohibited here to break vows - promises made to God.
The Name of God should be pronounced with fear and reverence only in prayer or when studying the Holy Scriptures.
We must avoid distraction in prayer in every possible way. To do this, it is necessary to understand the meaning of the prayers that we say at home or in church. Before saying a prayer, we must calm down even a little, think that we are going to talk with the eternal and omnipotent Lord God, before whom even the angels stand in awe; and finally, say our prayers slowly, trying to ensure that our prayer is sincere - coming straight from our mind and heart. Such reverent prayer pleases God, and the Lord, according to our faith, will give us the benefits that we ask.
Fourth Commandment of the Old Testament
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall work and do all your work in them, and the seventh day, a day of rest, will be dedicated to the Lord your God.”
The word "Sabbath" in Hebrew means rest. This day of the week was called this because on this day it was forbidden to work or engage in everyday affairs.
With the fourth commandment, the Lord God commands us to work and attend to our duties for six days, and to devote the seventh day to God, i.e. on the seventh day to perform holy and pleasing deeds to Him.
Holy and pleasing to God deeds are: caring for the salvation of one’s soul, prayer in the temple of God and at home, studying the Holy Scriptures and the Law of God, thinking about God and the purpose of one’s life, pious conversations about the objects of the Christian faith, helping the poor, visiting the sick and others good deeds.
In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was celebrated in memory of the end of God's creation of the world. In the New Testament from the time of St. The apostles began to celebrate the first day after Saturday, Sunday - in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.
On Sunday, Christians gathered for prayer. They read the Holy Scriptures, sang psalms and received communion at the liturgy. Unfortunately, now many Christians are not as zealous as in the first centuries of Christianity, and many have become less likely to receive communion. However, we must never forget that Sunday should belong to God.
Those who are lazy and do not work or do not fulfill their duties on weekdays violate the fourth commandment. Those who continue to work on Sundays and do not go to church violate this commandment. This commandment is also violated by those who, although they do not work, spend Sunday in nothing but fun and games, without thinking about God, good deeds and the salvation of their souls.
In addition to Sundays, Christians dedicate to God some other days of the year on which the Church celebrates great events. These are the so-called church holidays.
Our greatest holiday is Easter - the day of the Resurrection of Christ. It is "the celebration of celebrations and the celebration of celebrations."
There are 12 great holidays, called the twelve. Some of them are dedicated to God and are called the Lord's feasts, others of them are dedicated to the Mother of God and are called the Theotokos feasts.
The Lord's holidays: (1) Nativity of Christ, (2) Baptism of the Lord, (3) Presentation of the Lord, (4) Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, (5) Resurrection of Christ, (6) Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (Trinity), (7) Transfiguration of the Lord and (8) Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Theotokos feasts: (1) Nativity of the Mother of God, (2) Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, (3) Annunciation and (4) Dormition of the Mother of God.
Fifth Commandment of the Old Testament
“Honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well with you and may you live long on earth.”
With the fifth commandment, the Lord God commands us to honor our parents and for this he promises a prosperous and long life.
To honor parents means: to love them, to be respectful to them, not to insult them either by words or deeds, to obey them, to help them in daily labors, to take care of them when they are in need, and especially during their illness and old age, also pray to God for them both during their life and after death.
The sin of disrespect for parents is a great sin. In the Old Testament, anyone who spoke bad words to their father or mother was punished by death.
Along with our parents, we must honor those who in some respect replace our parents. Such persons include: bishops and priests who care about our salvation; civil authorities: the president of the country, the governor of the state, the police and everyone in general from those who have the responsibility to maintain order and normal life in the country. Therefore, we also need to honor teachers and all people older than us who have experience in life and can give us good advice.
Those who sin against this commandment are those who do not respect elders, especially old people, who are distrustful of their comments and instructions, considering them “backward” people and their concepts “outdated.” God said: “Rise up before the face of the gray-haired man and honor the face of the old man” (Lev. 19:32).
When a younger person meets an older one, the younger one should be the first to say hello. When the teacher enters the classroom, students must stand up. If an elderly person or a woman with a child enters a bus or train, the young person must stand up and give up his seat. When a blind person wants to cross the street, you need to help him.
Only when elders or superiors require us to do something against our faith and law should we not obey them. God's law and obedience to God are the supreme law for all people.
In totalitarian countries, leaders sometimes make laws and give orders that are contrary to God's Law. Sometimes they demand that a Christian renounce his faith or do something against his faith. In this case, a Christian must be ready to suffer for his faith and for the name of Christ. God promises eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for these sufferings. “He who endures to the end will be saved...Whoever gives his life for Me and for the Gospel will find it again” (Matt. 10th chapter).
The Sixth Commandment of the Old Testament
"Don't kill."
The sixth commandment of the Lord God prohibits murder, i.e. taking life from other people, as well as from oneself (suicide) in any way.
Life is the greatest gift of God, therefore no one has the right to take this gift away.
Suicide is the most terrible sin because this sin consists of despair and murmuring against God. And besides, after death there is no opportunity to repent and make amends for your sin. A suicide condemns his soul to eternal torment in hell. In order not to despair, we must always remember that God loves us. He is our Father, He sees our difficulties and has enough strength to help us even in the most difficult situation. God, according to His wise plans, sometimes allows us to suffer from illness or some kind of trouble. But we must firmly know that God arranges everything for the better, and He turns the sorrows that befall us to our benefit and salvation.
Unjust judges violate the sixth commandment if they condemn a defendant whose innocence they know. Anyone who helps others commit murder or helps a murderer escape punishment also violates this commandment. This commandment is also violated by the one who did nothing to save his neighbor from death, when he could well have done so. Also the one who exhausts his workers with hard work and cruel punishments and thereby hastens their death.
He who wishes the death of another person also sins against the sixth commandment, hates his neighbors and causes them grief with his anger and words.
Besides physical murder, there is another terrible murder: spiritual murder. When a person tempts another to sin, he spiritually kills his neighbor, because sin is death for the eternal soul. Therefore, all those who distribute drugs, seductive magazines and films, who teach others how to do evil, or who set a bad example, violate the sixth commandment. Those who spread atheism, unbelief, witchcraft and superstition among people also violate this commandment; Those who sin are those who preach various exotic beliefs that contradict Christian teaching.
Unfortunately, in some exceptional cases it is necessary to allow murder to stop an inevitable evil. For example, if the enemy attacked a peaceful country, warriors must defend their homeland and their families. In this case, the warrior not only kills out of necessity to save his loved ones, but also puts his life in danger and sacrifices himself to save his loved ones.
Also, judges sometimes have to sentence incorrigible criminals to death in order to save society from their further crimes against people.
Seventh Commandment of the Old Testament
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
By the seventh commandment, the Lord God forbids adultery and all illegal and unclean relationships.
The married husband and wife made a promise to live together all their lives and share both joys and sorrows together. Therefore, with this commandment God forbids divorce. If a husband and wife have different characters and tastes, they should make every effort to smooth out their differences and put family unity above personal gain. Divorce is not only a violation of the seventh commandment, but also a crime against children, who are left without a family and after a divorce are often forced to live in conditions alien to them.
God commands unmarried people to maintain purity of thoughts and desires. We must avoid everything that can arouse unclean feelings in the heart: bad words, immodest jokes, shameless jokes and songs, violent and exciting music and dances. Seductive magazines and films should be avoided, as well as reading immoral books.
The Word of God commands us to keep our bodies clean, because our bodies “are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit.”
The most terrible sin against this commandment is unnatural relations with persons of the same sex. Nowadays, they even register a kind of “families” between men or between women. Such people often die from incurable and terrible diseases. For this terrible sin, God completely destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as the Bible tells us about (chapter 19).
Eighth Commandment of the Old Testament
"Don't steal."
By the eighth commandment, God prohibits theft, that is, the appropriation in any way of what belongs to others.
Sins against this commandment can be:
Deception (i.e. appropriation of someone else's thing by cunning), for example: when they evade paying a debt, hide what they found without looking for the owner of the found thing; when they weigh you down during a sale or give the wrong change; when they do not give the worker the required wages.
Theft is the theft of someone else's property.
Robbery is the taking of someone else's property by force or with a weapon.
This commandment is also violated by those who take bribes, that is, take money for what they should have done as part of their duties. Those who violate this commandment are those who pretend to be sick in order to receive money without working. Also, those who work dishonestly do things for show in front of their superiors, and when they are not there, they do nothing.
With this commandment, God teaches us to work honestly, to be satisfied with what we have, and not to strive for great wealth.
A Christian should be merciful: donate part of his money to the church and poor people. Everything that a person has in this life does not belong to him forever, but is given to him by God for temporary use. Therefore, we need to share with others what we have.
Ninth Commandment of the Old Testament
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against another.”
By the ninth commandment, the Lord God forbids telling lies about another person and forbids all lies in general.
The ninth commandment is broken by those who:
Gossiping - retelling to others the shortcomings of his acquaintances.
Slanders - deliberately tells lies about other people with the aim of harming them.
Condemns - makes a strict assessment of a person, classifying him as a bad person. The Gospel does not forbid us to evaluate actions themselves in terms of how good or bad they are. We must distinguish evil from good, we must distance ourselves from all sin and injustice. But we should not take on the role of a judge and say that such and such our acquaintance is a drunkard, or a thief, or a dissolute person, and so on. By this we condemn not so much evil as the person himself. This right to condemn belongs only to God. Very often we see only external actions, but do not know about a person’s mood. Often, sinners themselves are then burdened by their shortcomings, ask God for forgiveness of sins, and with God’s help overcome their shortcomings.
The ninth commandment teaches us to bridle our tongue and watch what we say. Most of our sins come from unnecessary words, from idle talk. The Savior said that man would have to give an answer to God for every word he spoke.
Tenth Commandment of the Old Testament
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, you shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his field... nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
With the tenth commandment, the Lord God forbids not only doing anything bad to others, our neighbors, but also forbids bad desires and even bad thoughts towards them.
The sin against this commandment is called envy.
Anyone who envyes, who in his thoughts desires the things of others, can easily lead from bad thoughts and desires to bad deeds.
But envy itself defiles the soul, making it unclean before God. The Holy Scripture says: “Evil thoughts are an abomination to God” (Prov. 15:26).
One of the main tasks of a true Christian is to cleanse his soul from all internal impurity.
To avoid sin against the tenth commandment, it is necessary to keep the heart pure from any excessive attachment to earthly objects. We must be content with what we have and thank God.
Students in school should not be jealous of other students when others are doing very well and doing well. Everyone should try to study as best as possible and attribute their success not only to themselves, but to the Lord, who gave us reason, the opportunity to learn and everything necessary for the development of abilities. A true Christian rejoices when he sees others succeed.
If we sincerely ask God, He will help us become true Christians.
The very existence of Moses is quite controversial. For many years, historians and biblical scholars have been discussing this topic. According to biblical scholars, Moses is the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Jewish and Christian Bible. But historians have found some contradictions in this.
The Prophet Moses is one of the central figures in the Old Testament. He saved the Jews from the oppression of the Egyptian rulers. True, historians continue to insist on their own, because there is no evidence of these events. But the personality and life of Moses certainly deserve attention, since for Christians he is a prototype.
In Judaism
The future prophet was born in Egypt. Moses' parents belonged to the tribe of Levi. From time immemorial, the Levites had the duties of priests, so they did not have the right to own their own lands.
Estimated period of life: XV-XIII centuries. BC e. At that time, the Israeli people were resettled in Egypt due to famine. But the fact is that they were strangers to the Egyptians. And soon the pharaohs decided that the Jews could become dangerous for them, because they would side with the enemy if anyone decided to attack Egypt. The rulers began to oppress the Israelites; they literally made them slaves. Jews worked in quarries and built pyramids. And soon the pharaohs decided to kill all Jewish male babies in order to stop the growth of the Israeli population.
Moses' mother Jochebed tried to hide her son for three months, and when she realized that she could no longer do this, she put the child in a papyrus basket and sent it down the Nile River. The basket with the baby was noticed by the pharaoh's daughter, who was swimming nearby. She immediately realized that it was a Jewish child, but she spared him.
Moses' sister Mariam watched everything that happened. She told the girl that she knew a woman who could become a nurse for the boy. Thus, Moses was nursed by his own mother. Later, the pharaoh's daughter adopted the child, and he began to live in the palace and received an education. But with his mother’s milk, the boy absorbed the faith of his ancestors, and was never able to worship the Egyptian gods.
It was difficult for him to see and tolerate the cruelty to which his people were subjected. One day he witnessed a terrible beating of an Israeli. He simply could not pass by - he snatched the whip from the hands of the warden and beat him to death. And although the man believed that no one had seen what happened, soon the pharaoh ordered to find his daughter’s son and kill him. And Moses had to flee from Egypt.
Moses settled in the Sinai desert. He married the priest's daughter Zipporah and became a shepherd. Soon they had two sons - Gersham and Eliezer.
Every day a man tended a flock of sheep, but one day he saw a thorn bush that was burning with fire, but was not consumed. Approaching the bush, Moses heard a voice calling him by name and ordering him to take off his shoes, since he was standing on holy ground. It was the voice of God. He said that Moses was destined to save the Jewish people from the oppression of the Egyptian rulers. He must go to Pharaoh and demand that the Jews be made free, and in order for the people of Israel to believe him, God gave Moses the ability to perform miracles.
At that time, another pharaoh ruled Egypt, not the one from whom Moses fled. Moses was not so eloquent, so he went to the palace with his older brother Aaron, who became his voice. He asked the ruler to release the Jews to the promised lands. But Pharaoh not only did not agree, but also began to demand even more from the Israeli slaves. The Prophet did not accept his answer; he came to him with the same request more than once, but each time he was refused. And then God sent ten disasters, the so-called biblical plagues, to Egypt.
First the waters of the Nile became blood. Only for the Jews did it remain pure and drinkable. The Egyptians were able to drink only the water they bought from the Israelites. But Pharaoh considered this witchcraft, and not God’s punishment.
The second plague was an invasion of frogs. Amphibians were everywhere: on the streets, in houses, beds and food. Pharaoh told Moses that he would believe that God had sent this disaster to Egypt if he would make the frogs disappear. And he agreed to let the Jews go. But as soon as the toads disappeared, he retracted his words.
And then the Lord sent midges to attack the Egyptians. Insects crawled into my ears, eyes, nose and mouth. At this point the sorcerers began to assure Pharaoh that this was a punishment from God. But he was adamant.
And then God brought down the fourth plague on them - dog flies. Most likely, gadflies were hidden under this name. They stung people and livestock, giving no rest.
Soon the Egyptians' livestock began to die, while nothing happened to the Jews' animals. Of course, Pharaoh already understood that God was protecting the Israelites, but he again refused to give the people freedom.
And then the bodies of the Egyptians began to become covered with terrible ulcers and boils, their bodies itched and festered. The ruler was seriously frightened, but God did not want him to let the Jews go out of fear, so he sent down a hail of fire on Egypt.
The eighth punishment of the Lord was an invasion of locusts, they ate all the greenery on their way, not a single blade of grass remained on the land of Egypt.
And soon thick darkness fell over the country; not a single source of light dispelled this darkness. Therefore, the Egyptians had to move by touch. But the darkness became denser every day, and it became more and more difficult to move, until it became completely impossible. Pharaoh again called Moses to the palace, he promised to let his people go, but only if the Jews left their livestock. The Prophet did not agree to this and promised that the tenth plague would be the most terrible.
In one night, all the firstborn children in Egyptian families died. To prevent punishment from befalling the Israelite babies, God ordered that every Jewish family slaughter a lamb and smear its blood on the doorposts of their houses. After such a terrible disaster, Pharaoh released Moses and his people.
This event came to be referred to by the Hebrew word “Pesach,” which means “passing.” After all, the wrath of God “went around” all the houses. The holiday of Passover, or Passover, is the day of the deliverance of the Israeli people from Egyptian captivity. Jews had to bake the slaughtered lamb and eat it standing with their family. It is believed that over time this Easter transformed into the one that people know now.
On the way from Egypt, another miracle happened - the waters of the Red Sea parted for the Jews. They walked along the bottom, and so they managed to cross to the other side. But Pharaoh did not expect that this path would be so easy for the Jews, so he set off in pursuit. He also followed along the bottom of the sea. But as soon as Moses’ people were on the shore, the water closed again, burying both Pharaoh and his army in the abyss.
After a three-month journey, the people found themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses climbed to its top to receive instructions from God. The dialogue with God lasted 40 days, and it was accompanied by terrible lightning, thunder and fire. God gave the prophet two stone tablets on which the main commandments were written.
At this time, the people sinned - they created the Golden Calf, which people began to worship. Coming down and seeing this, Moses broke both the tablets and the Calf. He immediately returned to the top and for 40 days atone for the sins of the Jewish people.
The Ten Commandments became God's law for people. Having accepted the commandments, the Jewish people promised to observe them, thus a sacred Covenant was concluded between God and the Jews, in which the Lord promised to be merciful to the Jews, and they, in turn, were obliged to live correctly.
In Christianity
The life story of the prophet Moses is the same in all three religions: a Jewish foundling, raised in the family of an Egyptian pharaoh, frees his people and receives the Ten Commandments from God. True, in Judaism the name of Moses sounds differently - Moshe. Also, sometimes Jews call the prophet Moshe Rabbeinu, which translated means “our teacher.”
In Christianity, the famous prophet is revered as one of the main prototypes of Jesus Christ. By analogy with how in Judaism God gives people the Old Testament through Moses, so Christ brings the New Testament to Earth.
Also considered an important episode in all branches of Christianity is the appearance of Moses together with the prophet Elijah before Jesus on Mount Tabor during the Transfiguration. And the Orthodox Church included the icon of Moses in the official Russian iconostasis and designated September 17 as the day of remembrance of the great prophet.
In Islam
In Islam, the prophet also has a different name - Musa. He was a great prophet who spoke to Allah as to a simple man. And at Sinai, Allah sent down to Musa the sacred scripture - Taurat. In the Koran, the name of the prophet is mentioned more than once, his story is given as an edification and example.
Real facts
Moses is believed to be the author of the Pentateuch, the five volumes of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. For many years, right up to the seventeenth century, no one dared to doubt this. But over time, historians found more and more inconsistencies in the presentation. For example, the last part describes the death of Moses, and this contradicts the fact that he himself wrote the books. There are also a lot of repetitions in the books - the same events are interpreted differently. Historians believe that there were several authors of the Pentateuch, since different terminology is found in different parts.
Unfortunately, no physical evidence of the existence of the prophet was discovered in Egypt. There was no mention of Moses in either written sources or archaeological finds.
Over hundreds of years, his personality has become overgrown with legends and myths, there are constant debates around the life of Moses and the “Pentateuch,” but so far no religion has abandoned the “Ten Commandments of God,” which the prophet once presented to his people.
Death
For forty years Moses led the people through the desert, and his life ended on the threshold of the promised land. God commanded him to climb Mount Nebo. And from the top Moses saw Palestine. He lay down to rest, but it was not sleep that came to him, but death.
The place of his burial was hidden by God so that the people would not begin a pilgrimage to the grave of the prophet. As a result, Moses died at 120 years old. He lived for 40 years in the palace of Pharaoh, another 40 - he lived in the desert and worked as a shepherd, and for the last 40 - he led the Israeli people out of Egypt.
Moses' brother Aaron did not even reach Palestine; he died at the age of 123 due to lack of faith in God. As a result, the follower of Moses, Joshua, brought the Jews to the promised land.
Memory
- 1482 – fresco “The Testament and Death of Moses”, Luca Signorelli and Bartolomeo della Gatta
- 1505 – Painting “The Trial of Moses by Fire”, Giorgione
- 1515 – Marble statue of Moses,
- 1610 – Paintings “Moses with the Commandments”, Reni Guido
- 1614 – Painting “Moses in front of the burning bush”, Domenico Fetti
- 1659 – Painting “Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Covenant”
- 1791 – Fountain in Bern “Moses”
- 1842 – Painting “Moses lowered by his mother onto the waters of the Nile”, Alexey Tyranov
- 1862 – Painting “The Finding of Moses”, Frederick Goodall
- 1863 – Painting “Moses pouring out water from a rock”,
- 1891 – Painting “The Crossing of the Jews through the Red Sea”,
- 1939 – Book “Moses and Monotheism”,
- 1956 – Film “The Ten Commandments”, Cecil DeMille
- 1998 – Cartoon “Prince of Egypt”, Brenda Chapman
- 2014 – Film “Exodus: Kings and Gods”,
