Moses vs. Abraham
A close examination of the Bible reveals that Moses' accomplishments are much more grandiose/ambitious than those of Abraham. By contrast, one could dispute this claim with the notion that Moses and Abraham have the same basic mission from God, and the same basic relationship with God: they are both chosen by God to lead the Israelites. In spite of this, do the challenges that Abraham face compare, in rigor, to those that Moses must overcome? Throughout the book of Exodus, Moses is faced with a number of challenging responsibilities. The first request that God presents him with involves persuading the authoritative Pharoah to release the Israelites. Moses' natural response to the Lord is a question that any sane man would undoubtedly ponder: "Who am I that I should go to Pharoah, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11). Although God reassures Moses that he will provide him with the evidence necessary to make the people to believe, the role that Moses must assume requires a great deal of self-determination and boldness. Not only must Moses keep his faith in God at all times, but it is his responsibility to preserve the hopes of the Israelites, especially at a time when "...they would not listen to Moses, becau
In other words, Abraham's sole responsibility is the maintenance his own relationship with God while Moses bears the responsibility of an entire nations' relationship with God. These commonalities between the two men establish many similarities in their relationship with God. Consequently God grants him two sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Abraham's relationship with God is comparable to that of Moses and he is set out to accomplish the same mission. " However, Moses is responsible for carrying out this promise by ultimately bringing the people out of servitude in order to "serve" G-d and be an exemplary people for the other nations of the world. Moses intercedes with God for Israelites when they disobey God. It is clear that Abraham and Moses both have faith in God and Abraham's relationship with God is of equal importance as that of Moses. Furthermore, the two characters are similar in the complete obedience to God. Abraham has established the covenant between God and his chosen people; Moses, though, seems to bear a more challenging responsibility in his leading of the people from Egypt. He trusts God's motives, although it further complicates his duty, and submits to His orders. Not only does Moses himself have to submit to God and remain optimistic of the words of the Lord at all times, but he also has the duty to enforce this same determination on the Israelites. " (Genesis 12:4), so too, "So Moses took his wife and his sons, put them on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt" (Exodus 4:20). Furthermore, God's plan to convince Pharoah of his divine supremacy is not as trouble-free and straightforward as it could be for Moses.
Common topics in this essay:
Abraham Moses,
Egypt Exodus,
Moses Moses,
Moses Abraham,
Calf Moses,
God's Abraham,
Abraham God,
Sinai Israelites,
Promised Land,
Isaac Moses,
relationship god,
faith god,
abraham moses,
covenant abraham,
god moses,
god lead,
god abraham,
promised land,
god abraham moses,
israelites promised,
egypt exodus,
chosen god lead,
pharoah's heart plague,
god lead israelites,
israelites promised land,
|