The Two Faces of God - Exodus
The book of Exodus is the story of the deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt. In Exodus, God plays a major role in the book. Prior to the book of Exodus, it is said that God is the creator of the universe. However, in the book of Exodus, God transitions from the role of creator to the destroyer. God shows his power by defeating the Pharaoh. As we know, Pharaoh is a physical embodiment of god in Egypt. He can command anything to anyone. Yahweh, on the other hand, does not have a face. Unlike Pharaoh, He cannot be seen or touched, but he is omnipresent. I think the reason why Yahweh wants to free the slaves in Egypt is because He wants to show that He has more power than anyone in the universe and no one is higher than He. As a result of His show of power, He expects people to trust, believe and have faith in him. “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the LORD your God…” (Exodus 6.7) In this passage, God commands people to know and accept that He is their God and he will look after everyone who believe and accept him as their God. The first demonstration of power from God occurs when He speaks to Moses in the burning bush. “There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of . . .
In order to establish Himself as the one supreme God, He continually embarrasses, belittles, and ultimately destroys Pharaoh through his actions. Also, God demands to be set apart from and held supreme over other gods. Moses then wonders what course of action should be taken should the Israelites refuse to believe in the message Moses is to proclaim. However, based on the Exodus, one is led to think otherwise of God. In essence, God’s motivations are complex. God in the Book of Exodus is the greatest destroyer of human life. He appears to be the greatest dictator in history, demanding complete obedience from his followers. He is jealous and he doesn’t want any one to believe in any other God besides him. God says, “By this you shall know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 7. This shows a cruel, heartless God that seems contradictory to the saving, caring God of the Israelites. Many people in this world believe that God is the ultimate epitome of love and patience, kindness and understanding. Sadly, despite the possible good intent of the Lord in freeing the Israelites, the Passover was one the most horrific events in the Bible. This God seems to personify a revengeful attitude toward Pharaoh rather than one seeking justice. In fact, most of the story of Exodus seems to be less focused on freeing the Israelites but in switching masters from Pharaoh to God.
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Acceptance Essays
