Let My People Go! Moses, David & Solomon

Persecution of the Children of Israel & Escape with Moses In Bondage in Egypt: male children killed… Parting of the Red Sea Sustained with manna and quail; Moses strikes a rock and 12 springs appear.

Childhood & The Burning Bush Basket in the river… “Worship only Me” Hiding the Day of Judgment, so that every soul can be recompensed Miraculous staff

Confronting Pharaoh “Who is your Lord, Moses?” Pharaoh believes that Moses has come to usurp his throne, “to do away with [his] time honored ways (tariqatikum al- muthla)” and summons his sorcerers Sorcerers convert and refuse to heed Pharaoh’s threats over their newfound faith in the God of Moses and Aaron

The Ten Commandments Moses on Sinai for 40 nights… where he receives “al-furqan” Golden Calf:… but “We blotted out this your sin, so that you might be grateful.” (2:52) Some demand to see God “face to face”… big mistake. “And you turned away after that… for among you those who profaned the Sabbath, whereupon We said ‘Be apes, despicable!’” (2:65)apes There is more than one way to sacrifice a cow!

Promise and Condemnation Entering the Promised Land: “enter this land and eat of its food as you may desire abundantly, but enter the gate humbly and say ‘Remove Thou from us the burden of our sin,’ whereupon We shall forgive you your sins and shall amply reward the doers of good.” (2:58)… but “the wrongdoers replaced what was said with what was not”, and they were punished with affliction.”

Promise and Condemnation The Israelites are not content with manna and quail, they demand that God provide them with the fruit of the earth… Moses rebukes them, and God says: “And so ignominy and humiliation overshadowed them, and they earned the burden of God’s condemnation: all this because they persisted in denying the truth of God’s messages and in slaying the prophets against all right: all this because they rebelled and persisted in transgressing the bounds of what is right.” (2:61) But then … “no fear need they have and neither shall they grieve!” (2:62)

Moses as Alter Ego He errs: loses control and kills a man He feels insufficient (asks for his brother’s help) He is unsure (when the sorcerers cast their staffs) Aaron cannot stand up to his people or balance solidarity with right worship He had difficulty seeing God’s justice (Moses and the Sage) He is not heeded… over and over!

David and Solomon No story with Saul David and Bathsheeba? Solomon: –And the Queen of Sheba –And the ants