March 25, 2024 • 21 mins
Have you ever felt the weight of history on your shoulders, or pondered the indomitable spirit that drives a people toward freedom? Our latest episode breathes life into the ancient saga of Moses, Aaron, and the Hebrews' epic struggle against the Pharaoh of Egypt. As we unroll the scrolls of time, we reveal the heartrending trials and the unwavering faith that carved the path from bondage to the Promised Land. Through the echoes of the past, discover the human experience of the Israelites' suffering and the divine promise that tethered them to hope against all odds.
Embark with us as we traverse the dynastic lines of Pharaohs from Amenhotep III to the mighty Ramses II, dissecting their possible links to the enigmatic Moses. No stone is left unturned as we scrutinize the historic showdown that pitted brother against supposed deity, and the relentless drive for liberation that followed. We draw not only from the scriptures but also from the annals of history, painting a comprehensive picture of an era that forever changed the course of a nation. Join us as we navigate through this narrative of adversity, intervention, and the enduring quest for a place to call home, all woven into the rich tapestry of our shared heritage.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to our ancient future story, navigating
Scripture Through the Eyes ofFamily, where I share with you
biblical stories like a familymember would share a story
around the dinner table.
As children of God, we are apart of God's family and His
family story has a lot ofhistory.
Each week we will take onestory and talk about it the
(00:29):
cultural, historical,geographical and sociological
impacts.
We will be looking at thesestories from the perspective of
our ancestors, through the lensof ancient times, in hopes of
learning more about our family.
This is our ancient futurestory.
Welcome back to our ancientfuture story.
(01:02):
I'm Vek and I am so excited toshare the story of Moses with
you today.
When we left of Dolf last time,moses had met with God at the
burning bush and received Hismission to go back to Egypt and
free the Israelites from slavery.
But Moses had many questions,but Yahweh was right there to
answer all of them with yeah,but I will.
So in today's episode we aregoing to dive back into the
(01:25):
story and find out what happenedwhen Moses returned to Egypt.
So grab your cup of coffee orsomething to drink and let's get
ready to dive into the story ofMoses.
Our story opens with Moses andAaron going to see Pharaoh.
(01:47):
They had just told the leadersof Israel all that God had told
them to say and did all thesigns and wonders that God told
them to do.
And the people of Israelbelieved Yahweh.
But now Moses and Aaron arestanding in front of Pharaoh
Thus says Yahweh, let my peoplego that they may hold a feast
for me in the wilderness.
But Pharaoh responds who isthis Yahweh that I should obey
(02:11):
what he says?
I don't know Yahweh.
Therefore, I will not letIsrael go.
Moses and Aaron retort the Godof the Hebrews has met with us.
Please let us go worship andsacrifice so that he will not be
angry with us and send plaguesupon us or kill us.
But Pharaoh still does notrelent.
He says why do you take thepeople from their work?
There are many Israelites andyou are making them rest from
(02:33):
their work.
That same day, pharaoh orderedthe taskmasters to no longer
provide straw for the Hebrews.
Instead, he declared they mustfind straw for themselves, but
their quota must remain the same, for they are idle and that is
why they cry out to let us go inthe wilderness and worship our
God.
Therefore, let's put heavierwork on them so that they will
not have time to think aboutsuch things.
(02:54):
So the taskmasters went out andtold the Hebrews we will no
longer be providing the strawneeded for bricks, yet your
daily quota will remain the same.
So the people scattered allacross Egypt to find straw.
But day after day, theIsraelites continued to come up
short of their daily quota.
So the taskmasters pulled theforemen whom Pharaoh had set
over the Israelites.
And the taskmasters beat themand asking them why have you not
(03:16):
done your task of making brickstoday, yesterday or any day?
The foremen of Israel cried outto Pharaoh why do you treat
your servants like this?
You no longer provide straw,yet you beat us for the actions
of your people.
Pharaoh responded you are idle.
That's why you beg to go out tothe wilderness and worship and
sacrifice to your God.
Now get back to work.
You will not have any strawgiven to you, but the daily
(03:39):
quota remains the same.
Then the foremen of Israel metwith Moses and Aaron and they
said may the Lord look upon youand judge, because you have made
a stink in the eyes of Pharaohand his servants.
You have all but put a sword intheir hands to kill us.
Then Moses turned to Yahweh andsaid oh Lord, why have you done
evil to these people?
Why did you send me?
For ever since I have returnedand spoken to Pharaoh, he has
(04:03):
only done more evil and youhaven't delivered your people at
all.
But the Lord responded to Mosesand said now you see what I
will do to Pharaoh, for with astrong hand, he will send them
out.
I am the Lord.
I have made myself known toAbraham Isaac and Jacob as El
Shaddai, but my name, yahweh, Idid not make known to them.
I established my covenant withthem that they will possess the
(04:26):
land of Canaan.
I have heard the groanings ofthe Israelites enslaved in Egypt
and I have remembered mycovenant with their ancestors.
Say therefore to the people ofIsrael I am Yahweh and I will
bring you out from Egypt.
I will deliver you from slavery.
I will redeem you with anoutstretched hand.
I will take you to be my peopleand I will be your God.
(04:47):
And you shall know that I amYahweh, your God, who has
brought you out from under theburdens in Egypt.
I will bring you into the landI promised to Abraham Isaac and
Jacob.
I will give it to you, for I amYahweh".
So Moses said to all the wordsto the people of Israel.
But the people did not listento Moses, for their burdens were
great and their spirits werebroken because of their slavery.
(05:10):
Then Yahweh said to Moses goback to Pharaoh and tell him to
let the people of Israel go.
But Moses said the people ofIsrael don't listen to me.
How will Pharaoh listen to me?
But Yahweh gave Moses and Aarona charge about the people of
Israel and Pharaoh, and that iswhere our story ends for today.
Yahweh working to get hispeople out of Egypt, but their
spirits are so broken because oftheir harsh labor that they
(05:32):
cannot see the hope that Yahwehis offering them.
With that, we'll see you nexttime.
We'll see you in the next video.
Subscribe to the ExtraordinaryYouTube channel.
Send us your comments.
If you grew up in church, youhave probably heard this story
many, many times.
It's basically part of theyearly VBS stories, but I think
(05:55):
there are a few things that areimportant for us to know that
will help shape the context ofthe story for us.
And first is location.
Our story takes place in Egypt,roughly around 1446 BC if you
take the early date, or 1275 BCif you take the late date.
Moses has been gone 40 years atthis point and the leadership
(06:15):
in Egypt has changed.
By how much depends on thetimeline.
So let's take the early datefirst.
When Moses flees, in roughly1486 BC, tupmus I is on the
throne.
This was Moses' adoptedgrandfather.
Remember, tupmus I's daughterwas Queen Hatshepsut, one of the
potential daughters of Pharaohwho could have found Moses in
(06:36):
the Nile.
Now let me tell you about QueenHetshepsut.
We said in the previous episodeshe was.
She likely found Moses in theNile around the age of six or
seven.
She then married herhalf-brother, tupmost II, when
she was 12.
This was to legitimize thesuccession of Tupmost II because
he was the male heir, but froma secondary wife, because
(06:57):
technically it should have beenHetshepsut who would have taken
over had she been male.
Nevertheless, she was madequeen, though, through her
marriage, and they had adaughter, neferuwe.
But they did not have any sons.
So Tupmost II died at a fairlyearly age in 1479 BC.
His son, tupmost III, becamethe legitimate heir as an infant
(07:17):
.
So Hetshepsut stepped up as theregent for Tupmost III until he
was of age.
But she was not satisfied withjust being his regent, so when
Tupmost III was of age she senthim out on military campaigns
and she ran Egypt from thethrone.
It wasn't until her death in1458 BC that Tupmost III fully
(07:38):
gained control of the throne,and it was only 12 years later
that Moses confronts Tupmost IIIasking to let the people of
Israel go to worship Yahweh.
We will talk a little bit moreabout Tupmost III in a little
bit, but for now let's go backto the late date and see who
would have been in charge in1275 BC.
This is the famous Ramses II.
(07:59):
But how he came to be Pharaohis an interesting story.
Let's go back to the beginningof Moses' life In this timeline.
The daughter of Pharaoh wasSiddharth Moon, remember.
She was the daughter wife ofKing Amenhotep III, but she did
not have any biological childrenbecause of this union.
So Akhenaten took over for hisfather, amenhotep III, as
(08:20):
Pharaoh.
When he died, akhenaten was thefather of King Tut, the boy
king, who suspiciously died.
And since there was nobiological children, I, the
nephew of Amenhotep III, tookover the crown.
But he also had no sons.
But he chose Hornhebb, thecommander of King Tut's army, to
be his successor.
But guess what?
(08:40):
He also didn't have sons.
So he chose Ramses I, who wasone of the most trusted advisors
and thus began the Ramsesdynasty.
Ramses I had a son, settie I,and his son, ramses II, is the
Pharaoh Moses confronted.
Now, it is interesting thatthese are the two pharaohs that
could have been the ones Mosesconfronted, because they were
(09:02):
both not people to mess with.
They were ruthless and built areputation throughout the known
world.
Tut, most of the third was awarrior as soon as he came of
age and then most of theexpansion campaigns out of Egypt
.
And Ramses II was no picniceither.
Also a warrior, but anunpredictable one.
His famous battle was in thebattle of Kadesh against the
(09:24):
Hittai empire.
He is said to have struck downthe entire army by himself in a
surprise attack.
Needless to say, these men werenot crossed without severe
punishment.
But if you're like me andyou're asking, did they know
Moses?
The answer is yes.
Well, maybe.
Tut, most of the third verylikely grew up with Moses in the
palace, especially if QueenHetshepsut was Moses's adopted
(09:48):
mom, though by the time Tut mostof the third was born, moses
would have been older andserving in the advisor role, but
they very well could have knowneach other.
They were half brothers throughthe adoption, whereas Ramses II
and Moses probably did not knoweach other at all by the time
Moses returned, so many Pharaohlineages had changed and it was
very it's very unlikely thatRamses would have known anything
(10:11):
about Moses or his time at thepalace.
He may have heard stories, butit's very unlikely that they
lived in the palace at the sametime.
The next thing I want to pointout is Moses's plea to Pharaoh.
Moses pleas with Pharaoh andsays please let them go and
worship the god of the Hebrews.
Least he be angry and sendplagues on us or kill us.
(10:31):
So why did Moses use thislanguage?
Remember, moses grew up in thepalace, acutely aware
proceedings of approaching andpleading with the king.
He knew what the Egyptians didabout gods and if you disobey it
will not go well for you.
Plagues, disease and death areoften chalked up to someone
angering the gods.
So Moses pleads with Pharaoh ina way that he would understand.
(10:55):
Yet Pharaoh refuses.
He says who is this Yahweh?
I don't know, yahweh.
Remember no one had heard thename of God except Moses.
The burning bush is the firsttime God shares his name with
humanity.
So of course Pharaoh doesn'tknow who he is, but he will.
It's also interesting aboutPharaoh's response to Moses.
(11:16):
Moses pleads with Pharaoh toallow the Israelites to go and
worship, but instead of lettingthem go, pharaoh takes away the
straw for making bricks.
But where did the straw comefrom?
Some scholars have suggestedthat Egypt, specifically around
the Nile, was very fertileground for farming, and when the
farmers would thresh the wheatstalks to get the grain, they
(11:37):
would leave the stalks thatwould be used for making bricks,
while others suggested thatthey use the reeds from the Nile
and cut them up and use that asstraw for bricks.
In either case, it isimperative that bricks have
straw in them.
Brick making is an ancientpractice and many remote
communities in the modern worldwill still use this practice to
(11:58):
make bricks.
For centuries, the ancientswould have made mud bricks, but
there were some difficultieswith this, the main one in Egypt
being that they would get theirmud from the Nile, and the Nile
water runoff was mostly sand,as you would expect in the
desert, unlike other parts ofthe world where the mud was
mostly clay, and unlike claythat sticks to itself easily,
(12:19):
sand does not hold together aswell.
We know this.
If we collect a bucket of sandand put water in it and make a
mixture, then we build somethingwith it and let it sit in the
hot sun.
As it begins to dry, it startsto crumble, but the ancients
discovered that by putting strawinto the mix the bricks would
hold together more easily.
Now I think there is a fairargument for why the Israelites
(12:42):
were upset when Pharaoh toldthem they had to find their own
straw.
Because it's possible that theIsraelites did not have access
to farmers, to the leftoverstocks from the weeds, since
slaves and farmers did notinteract.
Or it is equally as possible.
They were upset because theyhad to go to the reeds of the
Nile with the wildlife-infestedwaters to cut down the reeds to
(13:05):
use for the straw.
I'm thinking about how much timeit would have taken to go and
find straw to make bricks, inaddition to just making them,
emphasizes the cruelty ofPharaoh's claim that the people
were idle and therefore theyneeded more work.
The next thing I want to pointout is the idiom you have made a
stink in the sight of Pharaoh.
This one is a little moreobvious than other idioms from
(13:28):
this time.
It's pretty clear that Jewishforemen had favor with Pharaoh
in his court, and now they havelost that favor because they
pushed back on the straw andbricks quota.
But it's a little deeper thanthat.
To say stink in the sight ofwas to put a target on their
backs.
These Jewish foremen werechosen to be in charge of the
Israelites, but because of Mosesand Aaron, the foremen were
(13:51):
being accused of disloyalty tothe throne.
And when the Pharaoh, who wasruthless, wouldn't think twice
about killing them, even theperception of treason wasn't
easily a death sentence.
Now I'd want to take a minuteand talk about Yahweh
remembering his covenant.
I love this because it remindsus that Yahweh has not forgotten
.
He tells Moses, who feelscompletely defeated after his
(14:14):
meeting with Pharaoh and afterthe foremen come back, accusing
him of giving them a deathsentence.
But God comes to him and says Iam the God of Abraham, isaac
and Jacob.
I have heard the groans of mypeople and I remember the
covenant I made with Abraham Tobring them into the land I told
him his descendants wouldpossess, and I love that.
God tells Moses that he stillremembered the covenant, even
(14:35):
though Moses felt completelydefeated.
God was about to do somethingawesome.
Moses just had to hold on forjust a little bit longer.
The last thing I want to pointout is the point of the entire
Moses story Redemption.
If you have taken ZanderRichter's Bible study Epic of
Eden, you know that redemptionwas a secular term that humanity
(14:56):
used to describe theirexperience with God the Hebrew
word ga'el, which literallymeans to redeem.
This word has three maincomponents to it.
To redeem something or someone,you must put your own resources
on the line, your own life onthe line, and stake your claim
on that person or thing.
And next week we will seeYahweh display all three of
(15:17):
these before Pharaoh.
So how does this point toYahweh?
Each time we get together, wewill talk about how this story
points to Yahweh.
In today's story we will seeGod setting up the deliverance.
And when the people's spirit isso broken they have lost all
hope, god tells them again whathe will do.
He will pull them out of Egyptwith a mighty right hand and he
(15:39):
will fulfill the covenant hemade with their forefathers,
abraham, isaac and Jacob.
And God does the same with us.
Even we who are broken into amillion pieces, he still comes
in and gives us hope.
He pieces us back together.
It may not be all at once, buthe will fulfill His promises as
we end our time together.
(15:59):
I want to read the scripturefrom which our story comes from
today, in Exodus 5 and 6.
I hope that as we read thispassage and reflect on all that
we have learned, that the storywould be illuminated for you.
Let's read Afterward Moses andAaron went and said to Pharaoh
Thus says the Lord, the God ofIsrael, let my people go, that
they may hold a feast for me inthe wilderness.
(16:21):
But Pharaoh said who is the Lordthat I should obey his voice
and let Israel go?
I do not know the Lord and,moreover, I will not let Israel
go.
Then they said the God of theHebrews has met with us.
Please let us go three daysjourney into the wilderness that
we may sacrifice to the Lord,our God.
At least he fall upon us withpestilence and the sword.
(16:42):
But the king of Egypt said tothem, moses and Aaron, why do
you take the people away fromtheir work?
Get back to your burdens.
And Pharaoh said Behold, thepeople of the land are now many
and you make them rest fromtheir burdens.
That same day, pharaoh commandedthe taskmasters of the people
and their foremen you shall nolonger get the people's straw to
(17:02):
make bricks, as in the past.
Let them.
Go and gather straw forthemselves, but the number of
bricks that they made in thepast shall impose on them.
You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle.
Therefore they cry Let us goand offer sacrifice to our God.
Let heavier work be laid on themen.
That they may labor at it andpay no regard to the lying words
(17:25):
.
So the taskmasters and theforemen of the people went out
and said to the people Thus saysPharaoh, I will not give you
straw.
Go and get your own strawyourselves, wherever you can
find it, but your work will notbe reduced in the least.
So the people were scatteredthroughout all the land of Egypt
to gather stubble for straw.
The taskmasters were urgent,saying Complete your work, your
(17:48):
daily task, each day, as whenthere was straw.
And the foremen of the peoplewhom Pharaoh's taskmasters had
set over them were beaten andwere asked why have you not done
all your tasks in making brickstoday, yesterday or in the past
?
Then the foremen of the peopleof Israel came and cried to
Pharaoh why do you treat yourservants like this?
No straw is given to yourservants.
(18:08):
Yet they say to us Make bricks.
And behold, your servants arebeaten, but the fault is on your
own people.
But he said you are idle.
You are idle.
That is why you say Let us goand sacrifice to the Lord.
Go now and work.
No straw will be given to you,but you must still deliver the
same number of bricks.
The foremen of the people ofIsrael saw that they were in
(18:29):
trouble when they said you shallby no means reduce the number
of bricks in your daily taskeach day.
They then met with Moses andAaron who were waiting for them,
and they came out from Pharaohand they said to him the Lord,
look on you and judge, becauseyou have made a stink in the
sight of Pharaoh and hisservants and have put a sword in
their hand to kill us.
(18:50):
Then Moses turned to the Lordand said oh Lord, why have you
done this evil to these people?
Why did you ever send me?
For since I came to Pharaoh tospeak your name, he has done
evil to the people and you havenot delivered your people at all
.
But the Lord said to Moses Nowyou will see what I will do to
Pharaoh, for with a strong handhe will send them out and with a
(19:11):
strong hand he will drive themout of his land.
God spoke to Moses and said tohim I am the Lord.
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaacand to Jacob as God Almighty,
but my name the Lord.
I did not make myself known tothem.
I also established my covenantwith them I will give them the
land of Canaan, the land inwhich they live as sojourners.
Moreover, I have heard thegroaning of the people of Israel
(19:34):
, whom the Egyptians hold asslaves, and I have remembered my
covenant.
Say therefore to the people ofIsrael I am the Lord and I will
bring you out from under theburdens of the Egyptians.
I will deliver you from slaveryto them.
I will redeem you with anoutstretched arm and with great
acts of judgment.
I will take you to be my peopleand I will be your God.
(19:54):
You shall know that I am theLord, your God, who has brought
you out from under the burdensof Egypt.
I will bring you into the landthat I swore to give to Abraham,
to Isaac and to Jacob.
I will give it to you for apossession.
I am the Lord.
Moses spoke thus to the peopleof Israel, but they did not
listen to Moses because of theirbroken spirit and harsh slavery
(20:15):
.
So the Lord said to Moses Go in, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt to
let the people of Israel gofrom his land.
But Moses said to the LordBehold, the people of Israel
have not listened to me, for Iam of uncircumcised lips, but
the Lord spoke to Moses andAaron and gave them a charge
about the people of Israel andabout Pharaoh, king of Egypt to
bring the people of Israel outof the land of Egypt.
(20:41):
Thank you for listening totoday's episode of our ancient
future story.
I hope that you really enjoyedit.
This episode was written by me.
Vic Harmon Music is embarkingon an adventure by Evan McDonald
.
Please support the show bysubscribing and rating us, and
if you want to know more or growdeeper, check out our website
at our ancientfuturestorycom.
(21:02):
See you next time.
Bye.
Welcome to our ancient future story, navigating
Scripture Through the Eyes ofFamily, where I share with you
biblical stories like a familymember would share a story
around the dinner table.
As children of God, we are apart of God's family and His
family story has a lot ofhistory.
Each week we will take onestory and talk about it the
(00:29):
cultural, historical,geographical and sociological
impacts.
We will be looking at thesestories from the perspective of
our ancestors, through the lensof ancient times, in hopes of
learning more about our family.
This is our ancient futurestory.
Welcome back to our ancientfuture story.
(01:02):
I'm Vek and I am so excited toshare the story of Moses with
you today.
When we left of Dolf last time,moses had met with God at the
burning bush and received Hismission to go back to Egypt and
free the Israelites from slavery.
But Moses had many questions,but Yahweh was right there to
answer all of them with yeah,but I will.
So in today's episode we aregoing to dive back into the
(01:25):
story and find out what happenedwhen Moses returned to Egypt.
So grab your cup of coffee orsomething to drink and let's get
ready to dive into the story ofMoses.
Our story opens with Moses andAaron going to see Pharaoh.
(01:47):
They had just told the leadersof Israel all that God had told
them to say and did all thesigns and wonders that God told
them to do.
And the people of Israelbelieved Yahweh.
But now Moses and Aaron arestanding in front of Pharaoh
Thus says Yahweh, let my peoplego that they may hold a feast
for me in the wilderness.
But Pharaoh responds who isthis Yahweh that I should obey
(02:11):
what he says?
I don't know Yahweh.
Therefore, I will not letIsrael go.
Moses and Aaron retort the Godof the Hebrews has met with us.
Please let us go worship andsacrifice so that he will not be
angry with us and send plaguesupon us or kill us.
But Pharaoh still does notrelent.
He says why do you take thepeople from their work?
There are many Israelites andyou are making them rest from
(02:33):
their work.
That same day, pharaoh orderedthe taskmasters to no longer
provide straw for the Hebrews.
Instead, he declared they mustfind straw for themselves, but
their quota must remain the same, for they are idle and that is
why they cry out to let us go inthe wilderness and worship our
God.
Therefore, let's put heavierwork on them so that they will
not have time to think aboutsuch things.
(02:54):
So the taskmasters went out andtold the Hebrews we will no
longer be providing the strawneeded for bricks, yet your
daily quota will remain the same.
So the people scattered allacross Egypt to find straw.
But day after day, theIsraelites continued to come up
short of their daily quota.
So the taskmasters pulled theforemen whom Pharaoh had set
over the Israelites.
And the taskmasters beat themand asking them why have you not
(03:16):
done your task of making brickstoday, yesterday or any day?
The foremen of Israel cried outto Pharaoh why do you treat
your servants like this?
You no longer provide straw,yet you beat us for the actions
of your people.
Pharaoh responded you are idle.
That's why you beg to go out tothe wilderness and worship and
sacrifice to your God.
Now get back to work.
You will not have any strawgiven to you, but the daily
(03:39):
quota remains the same.
Then the foremen of Israel metwith Moses and Aaron and they
said may the Lord look upon youand judge, because you have made
a stink in the eyes of Pharaohand his servants.
You have all but put a sword intheir hands to kill us.
Then Moses turned to Yahweh andsaid oh Lord, why have you done
evil to these people?
Why did you send me?
For ever since I have returnedand spoken to Pharaoh, he has
(04:03):
only done more evil and youhaven't delivered your people at
all.
But the Lord responded to Mosesand said now you see what I
will do to Pharaoh, for with astrong hand, he will send them
out.
I am the Lord.
I have made myself known toAbraham Isaac and Jacob as El
Shaddai, but my name, yahweh, Idid not make known to them.
I established my covenant withthem that they will possess the
(04:26):
land of Canaan.
I have heard the groanings ofthe Israelites enslaved in Egypt
and I have remembered mycovenant with their ancestors.
Say therefore to the people ofIsrael I am Yahweh and I will
bring you out from Egypt.
I will deliver you from slavery.
I will redeem you with anoutstretched hand.
I will take you to be my peopleand I will be your God.
(04:47):
And you shall know that I amYahweh, your God, who has
brought you out from under theburdens in Egypt.
I will bring you into the landI promised to Abraham Isaac and
Jacob.
I will give it to you, for I amYahweh".
So Moses said to all the wordsto the people of Israel.
But the people did not listento Moses, for their burdens were
great and their spirits werebroken because of their slavery.
(05:10):
Then Yahweh said to Moses goback to Pharaoh and tell him to
let the people of Israel go.
But Moses said the people ofIsrael don't listen to me.
How will Pharaoh listen to me?
But Yahweh gave Moses and Aarona charge about the people of
Israel and Pharaoh, and that iswhere our story ends for today.
Yahweh working to get hispeople out of Egypt, but their
spirits are so broken because oftheir harsh labor that they
(05:32):
cannot see the hope that Yahwehis offering them.
With that, we'll see you nexttime.
We'll see you in the next video.
Subscribe to the ExtraordinaryYouTube channel.
Send us your comments.
If you grew up in church, youhave probably heard this story
many, many times.
It's basically part of theyearly VBS stories, but I think
(05:55):
there are a few things that areimportant for us to know that
will help shape the context ofthe story for us.
And first is location.
Our story takes place in Egypt,roughly around 1446 BC if you
take the early date, or 1275 BCif you take the late date.
Moses has been gone 40 years atthis point and the leadership
(06:15):
in Egypt has changed.
By how much depends on thetimeline.
So let's take the early datefirst.
When Moses flees, in roughly1486 BC, tupmus I is on the
throne.
This was Moses' adoptedgrandfather.
Remember, tupmus I's daughterwas Queen Hatshepsut, one of the
potential daughters of Pharaohwho could have found Moses in
(06:36):
the Nile.
Now let me tell you about QueenHetshepsut.
We said in the previous episodeshe was.
She likely found Moses in theNile around the age of six or
seven.
She then married herhalf-brother, tupmost II, when
she was 12.
This was to legitimize thesuccession of Tupmost II because
he was the male heir, but froma secondary wife, because
(06:57):
technically it should have beenHetshepsut who would have taken
over had she been male.
Nevertheless, she was madequeen, though, through her
marriage, and they had adaughter, neferuwe.
But they did not have any sons.
So Tupmost II died at a fairlyearly age in 1479 BC.
His son, tupmost III, becamethe legitimate heir as an infant
(07:17):
.
So Hetshepsut stepped up as theregent for Tupmost III until he
was of age.
But she was not satisfied withjust being his regent, so when
Tupmost III was of age she senthim out on military campaigns
and she ran Egypt from thethrone.
It wasn't until her death in1458 BC that Tupmost III fully
(07:38):
gained control of the throne,and it was only 12 years later
that Moses confronts Tupmost IIIasking to let the people of
Israel go to worship Yahweh.
We will talk a little bit moreabout Tupmost III in a little
bit, but for now let's go backto the late date and see who
would have been in charge in1275 BC.
This is the famous Ramses II.
(07:59):
But how he came to be Pharaohis an interesting story.
Let's go back to the beginningof Moses' life In this timeline.
The daughter of Pharaoh wasSiddharth Moon, remember.
She was the daughter wife ofKing Amenhotep III, but she did
not have any biological childrenbecause of this union.
So Akhenaten took over for hisfather, amenhotep III, as
(08:20):
Pharaoh.
When he died, akhenaten was thefather of King Tut, the boy
king, who suspiciously died.
And since there was nobiological children, I, the
nephew of Amenhotep III, tookover the crown.
But he also had no sons.
But he chose Hornhebb, thecommander of King Tut's army, to
be his successor.
But guess what?
(08:40):
He also didn't have sons.
So he chose Ramses I, who wasone of the most trusted advisors
and thus began the Ramsesdynasty.
Ramses I had a son, settie I,and his son, ramses II, is the
Pharaoh Moses confronted.
Now, it is interesting thatthese are the two pharaohs that
could have been the ones Mosesconfronted, because they were
(09:02):
both not people to mess with.
They were ruthless and built areputation throughout the known
world.
Tut, most of the third was awarrior as soon as he came of
age and then most of theexpansion campaigns out of Egypt
.
And Ramses II was no picniceither.
Also a warrior, but anunpredictable one.
His famous battle was in thebattle of Kadesh against the
(09:24):
Hittai empire.
He is said to have struck downthe entire army by himself in a
surprise attack.
Needless to say, these men werenot crossed without severe
punishment.
But if you're like me andyou're asking, did they know
Moses?
The answer is yes.
Well, maybe.
Tut, most of the third verylikely grew up with Moses in the
palace, especially if QueenHetshepsut was Moses's adopted
(09:48):
mom, though by the time Tut mostof the third was born, moses
would have been older andserving in the advisor role, but
they very well could have knowneach other.
They were half brothers throughthe adoption, whereas Ramses II
and Moses probably did not knoweach other at all by the time
Moses returned, so many Pharaohlineages had changed and it was
very it's very unlikely thatRamses would have known anything
(10:11):
about Moses or his time at thepalace.
He may have heard stories, butit's very unlikely that they
lived in the palace at the sametime.
The next thing I want to pointout is Moses's plea to Pharaoh.
Moses pleas with Pharaoh andsays please let them go and
worship the god of the Hebrews.
Least he be angry and sendplagues on us or kill us.
(10:31):
So why did Moses use thislanguage?
Remember, moses grew up in thepalace, acutely aware
proceedings of approaching andpleading with the king.
He knew what the Egyptians didabout gods and if you disobey it
will not go well for you.
Plagues, disease and death areoften chalked up to someone
angering the gods.
So Moses pleads with Pharaoh ina way that he would understand.
(10:55):
Yet Pharaoh refuses.
He says who is this Yahweh?
I don't know, yahweh.
Remember no one had heard thename of God except Moses.
The burning bush is the firsttime God shares his name with
humanity.
So of course Pharaoh doesn'tknow who he is, but he will.
It's also interesting aboutPharaoh's response to Moses.
(11:16):
Moses pleads with Pharaoh toallow the Israelites to go and
worship, but instead of lettingthem go, pharaoh takes away the
straw for making bricks.
But where did the straw comefrom?
Some scholars have suggestedthat Egypt, specifically around
the Nile, was very fertileground for farming, and when the
farmers would thresh the wheatstalks to get the grain, they
(11:37):
would leave the stalks thatwould be used for making bricks,
while others suggested thatthey use the reeds from the Nile
and cut them up and use that asstraw for bricks.
In either case, it isimperative that bricks have
straw in them.
Brick making is an ancientpractice and many remote
communities in the modern worldwill still use this practice to
(11:58):
make bricks.
For centuries, the ancientswould have made mud bricks, but
there were some difficultieswith this, the main one in Egypt
being that they would get theirmud from the Nile, and the Nile
water runoff was mostly sand,as you would expect in the
desert, unlike other parts ofthe world where the mud was
mostly clay, and unlike claythat sticks to itself easily,
(12:19):
sand does not hold together aswell.
We know this.
If we collect a bucket of sandand put water in it and make a
mixture, then we build somethingwith it and let it sit in the
hot sun.
As it begins to dry, it startsto crumble, but the ancients
discovered that by putting strawinto the mix the bricks would
hold together more easily.
Now I think there is a fairargument for why the Israelites
(12:42):
were upset when Pharaoh toldthem they had to find their own
straw.
Because it's possible that theIsraelites did not have access
to farmers, to the leftoverstocks from the weeds, since
slaves and farmers did notinteract.
Or it is equally as possible.
They were upset because theyhad to go to the reeds of the
Nile with the wildlife-infestedwaters to cut down the reeds to
(13:05):
use for the straw.
I'm thinking about how much timeit would have taken to go and
find straw to make bricks, inaddition to just making them,
emphasizes the cruelty ofPharaoh's claim that the people
were idle and therefore theyneeded more work.
The next thing I want to pointout is the idiom you have made a
stink in the sight of Pharaoh.
This one is a little moreobvious than other idioms from
(13:28):
this time.
It's pretty clear that Jewishforemen had favor with Pharaoh
in his court, and now they havelost that favor because they
pushed back on the straw andbricks quota.
But it's a little deeper thanthat.
To say stink in the sight ofwas to put a target on their
backs.
These Jewish foremen werechosen to be in charge of the
Israelites, but because of Mosesand Aaron, the foremen were
(13:51):
being accused of disloyalty tothe throne.
And when the Pharaoh, who wasruthless, wouldn't think twice
about killing them, even theperception of treason wasn't
easily a death sentence.
Now I'd want to take a minuteand talk about Yahweh
remembering his covenant.
I love this because it remindsus that Yahweh has not forgotten
.
He tells Moses, who feelscompletely defeated after his
(14:14):
meeting with Pharaoh and afterthe foremen come back, accusing
him of giving them a deathsentence.
But God comes to him and says Iam the God of Abraham, isaac
and Jacob.
I have heard the groans of mypeople and I remember the
covenant I made with Abraham Tobring them into the land I told
him his descendants wouldpossess, and I love that.
God tells Moses that he stillremembered the covenant, even
(14:35):
though Moses felt completelydefeated.
God was about to do somethingawesome.
Moses just had to hold on forjust a little bit longer.
The last thing I want to pointout is the point of the entire
Moses story Redemption.
If you have taken ZanderRichter's Bible study Epic of
Eden, you know that redemptionwas a secular term that humanity
(14:56):
used to describe theirexperience with God the Hebrew
word ga'el, which literallymeans to redeem.
This word has three maincomponents to it.
To redeem something or someone,you must put your own resources
on the line, your own life onthe line, and stake your claim
on that person or thing.
And next week we will seeYahweh display all three of
(15:17):
these before Pharaoh.
So how does this point toYahweh?
Each time we get together, wewill talk about how this story
points to Yahweh.
In today's story we will seeGod setting up the deliverance.
And when the people's spirit isso broken they have lost all
hope, god tells them again whathe will do.
He will pull them out of Egyptwith a mighty right hand and he
(15:39):
will fulfill the covenant hemade with their forefathers,
abraham, isaac and Jacob.
And God does the same with us.
Even we who are broken into amillion pieces, he still comes
in and gives us hope.
He pieces us back together.
It may not be all at once, buthe will fulfill His promises as
we end our time together.
(15:59):
I want to read the scripturefrom which our story comes from
today, in Exodus 5 and 6.
I hope that as we read thispassage and reflect on all that
we have learned, that the storywould be illuminated for you.
Let's read Afterward Moses andAaron went and said to Pharaoh
Thus says the Lord, the God ofIsrael, let my people go, that
they may hold a feast for me inthe wilderness.
(16:21):
But Pharaoh said who is the Lordthat I should obey his voice
and let Israel go?
I do not know the Lord and,moreover, I will not let Israel
go.
Then they said the God of theHebrews has met with us.
Please let us go three daysjourney into the wilderness that
we may sacrifice to the Lord,our God.
At least he fall upon us withpestilence and the sword.
(16:42):
But the king of Egypt said tothem, moses and Aaron, why do
you take the people away fromtheir work?
Get back to your burdens.
And Pharaoh said Behold, thepeople of the land are now many
and you make them rest fromtheir burdens.
That same day, pharaoh commandedthe taskmasters of the people
and their foremen you shall nolonger get the people's straw to
(17:02):
make bricks, as in the past.
Let them.
Go and gather straw forthemselves, but the number of
bricks that they made in thepast shall impose on them.
You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle.
Therefore they cry Let us goand offer sacrifice to our God.
Let heavier work be laid on themen.
That they may labor at it andpay no regard to the lying words
(17:25):
.
So the taskmasters and theforemen of the people went out
and said to the people Thus saysPharaoh, I will not give you
straw.
Go and get your own strawyourselves, wherever you can
find it, but your work will notbe reduced in the least.
So the people were scatteredthroughout all the land of Egypt
to gather stubble for straw.
The taskmasters were urgent,saying Complete your work, your
(17:48):
daily task, each day, as whenthere was straw.
And the foremen of the peoplewhom Pharaoh's taskmasters had
set over them were beaten andwere asked why have you not done
all your tasks in making brickstoday, yesterday or in the past
?
Then the foremen of the peopleof Israel came and cried to
Pharaoh why do you treat yourservants like this?
No straw is given to yourservants.
(18:08):
Yet they say to us Make bricks.
And behold, your servants arebeaten, but the fault is on your
own people.
But he said you are idle.
You are idle.
That is why you say Let us goand sacrifice to the Lord.
Go now and work.
No straw will be given to you,but you must still deliver the
same number of bricks.
The foremen of the people ofIsrael saw that they were in
(18:29):
trouble when they said you shallby no means reduce the number
of bricks in your daily taskeach day.
They then met with Moses andAaron who were waiting for them,
and they came out from Pharaohand they said to him the Lord,
look on you and judge, becauseyou have made a stink in the
sight of Pharaoh and hisservants and have put a sword in
their hand to kill us.
(18:50):
Then Moses turned to the Lordand said oh Lord, why have you
done this evil to these people?
Why did you ever send me?
For since I came to Pharaoh tospeak your name, he has done
evil to the people and you havenot delivered your people at all
.
But the Lord said to Moses Nowyou will see what I will do to
Pharaoh, for with a strong handhe will send them out and with a
(19:11):
strong hand he will drive themout of his land.
God spoke to Moses and said tohim I am the Lord.
I appeared to Abraham, to Isaacand to Jacob as God Almighty,
but my name the Lord.
I did not make myself known tothem.
I also established my covenantwith them I will give them the
land of Canaan, the land inwhich they live as sojourners.
Moreover, I have heard thegroaning of the people of Israel
(19:34):
, whom the Egyptians hold asslaves, and I have remembered my
covenant.
Say therefore to the people ofIsrael I am the Lord and I will
bring you out from under theburdens of the Egyptians.
I will deliver you from slaveryto them.
I will redeem you with anoutstretched arm and with great
acts of judgment.
I will take you to be my peopleand I will be your God.
(19:54):
You shall know that I am theLord, your God, who has brought
you out from under the burdensof Egypt.
I will bring you into the landthat I swore to give to Abraham,
to Isaac and to Jacob.
I will give it to you for apossession.
I am the Lord.
Moses spoke thus to the peopleof Israel, but they did not
listen to Moses because of theirbroken spirit and harsh slavery
(20:15):
.
So the Lord said to Moses Go in, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt to
let the people of Israel gofrom his land.
But Moses said to the LordBehold, the people of Israel
have not listened to me, for Iam of uncircumcised lips, but
the Lord spoke to Moses andAaron and gave them a charge
about the people of Israel andabout Pharaoh, king of Egypt to
bring the people of Israel outof the land of Egypt.
(20:41):
Thank you for listening totoday's episode of our ancient
future story.
I hope that you really enjoyedit.
This episode was written by me.
Vic Harmon Music is embarkingon an adventure by Evan McDonald
.
Please support the show bysubscribing and rating us, and
if you want to know more or growdeeper, check out our website
at our ancientfuturestorycom.
(21:02):
See you next time.
Bye.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com