Moses

First and foremost, it is imperative that we go over a brief history of the Prophet Moses. Born a slave and raised by kings, he was chosen to lead. Millions admire his name. By faith Moses ' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were afraid of the king 's law. Revered as a prophet but even more importantly as a teacher and a lawgiver, Moses was the leader of the Israelite people 3,300 years ago during their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom as a nation in the land of Israel. For 40 years Moses led the people through the desert on their way to Israel and helped shape them into a nation that could live under the laws of God. Ancient Israel had a long oral tradition of laws and legends, and it is likely that some parts of the story of Moses were written long after his lifetime. Modern study recognizes that while the origin of the biblical story of Moses contains real history, there is disagreement as to the accuracy of every action and every word attributed to Moses by the biblical writers. Whether one views the Bible as the revealed word of God or as the writing of inspired people, the figure of Moses towers over the early history of the Jewish people. Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions admire Moses for his central role in communicating the Ten Commandments and the Torah directly from God to the Jewish people soon after their escape from Egypt. Accordingly, the Torah is also known as the Five Books of Moses. According to Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the Israelite people first came to Egypt in search of food during a famine that affected the entire ancient Near East. At first the Egyptians welcomed them, but after about 400 years the Israelites, or Hebrews, were perceived as a threat and were enslaved. In addition, the Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, commanded that all newborn male Israelites were to be killed. It was at this time that Moses was born. His older siblings, Aaron and Miriam, would join him later in his life to help lead the Israelite people. Moses was saved from death when his mother, Yocheved, floated him down the Nile River in a small basket, where he was discovered and saved by the daughter of Pharaoh. The name Moses is actually an Egyptian name. Little is known about the childhood of Moses. Following his adoption into the royal household the Bible next mentions him as an adult who killed an Egyptian taskmaster for abusing an Israelite slave. Forced to flee Egypt, Moses became a shepherd in the neighboring land of Midian, where he met and married his wife, Zippora. While tending his flock, as the Bible narrates, Moses had his first encounter with God, who would ultimately free the Israelite people from Egyptian slavery. At a bush that miraculously burned but was not burnt up, Moses heard God call him to go to Pharaoh and demand that the Israelite people be set free. At first reluctant and afraid, Moses was convinced by a series of divine signs and was reassured by the presence of his brother Aaron, who came to assist him. Moses ' first confrontation with Pharaoh was a failure. The Egyptians relied on slave labor for their massive building projects, and Pharaoh was reluctant to lose such a large number of workers. Angry with Moses, Pharaoh decreed that the Israelite slaves should work even harder. The consequent increasing oppression of the Israelites caused them to reject Moses as their deliverer. The Bible then tells of God 's visiting upon the Egyptians a series of divine punishments in the form of ten plagues. (Gunther ) The final plague took the life of Pharaoh 's own son. Pharaoh then relented and let the Israelites leave Egypt under the leadership of Moses. However, Pharaoh soon regretted his decision and set out in pursuit with his army to bring the Israelite slaves back to Egypt. At the Sea of Reeds, with the Egyptians closing in on them, the Israelites miraculously passed through the divided waters to freedom, while the Egyptians were drowned. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Moses and Miriam led the people in song and prayer, the words of which are preserved in the Bible in the Book of Exodus. As the Bible next describes, Moses then led the Israelites to Mount Sinai, where God gave them the Ten Commandments and other laws contained in the Torah. Through these laws, God is said to have established a covenant with the Israelite people. The Israelites pledged to follow God 's laws, and God promised to be their God forever. (Encyclopedia Britannica) These laws were intended to establish the moral principles by which the new Israelite nation would govern itself and through which it would manifest God 's hope for just and right relationships among people. When Moses first came down from Mount Sinai, he saw that many Israelites had made an image of a calf out of gold, which they were worshiping. In his anger, Moses smashed the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. God was prepared to abandon the people for the sin of idolatry, but Moses interceded on their behalf. (Gunther) Soon after, he went back up Mount Sinai and was given a second set of the Ten Commandments. Moses next prepared to lead the people from Mount Sinai to the promised land of Israel. However, the Israelite people, accustomed to slavery and uncertain of freedom, soon rebelled against God. They became convinced that they could not conquer the new land, and they constantly questioned Moses ' leadership and their own faith in God. As a consequence, the generation that left Egypt was not allowed to enter the promised land. (Rafkin) The Bible describes Moses himself as once losing patience with the people and seeming to doubt God: rather than speaking to a rock to get water as God commanded, Moses struck the rock with his staff. For this, Moses was also destined not to enter the new land. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Near the end of his life, Moses taught the laws of the Torah to the new generation that had grown up in the desert. He then transferred leadership to Joshua. The Torah ends with Moses ' final blessing to the people, after which he ascended Mount Nebo, which is identified with Mount Pisgah, on the eastern edge of the Jordan River. Moses died there, able to see, but not to enter, The Promised Land. Moses was true to himself and his beliefs, even though his path was uncertain and painful. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Now that we have a fairly good understanding of Moses, the man, the prophet, the messenger, let’s address the hypothetical scenario upon which this essay is based. Quite simply, If Moses had not ever been born — assuming—and this is a HUGE, grossly overreaching assumption—first of all that God would not have simply replaced whoever the future Moses was to be with a man of his EXACT likeness — then the history of this earth as we know it would have been forever changed in such drastic and shocking ways that the world today as we know it would simply not exist, nor would the future world to which we ALL go AFTER the present one be the same as it would be if Moses did come, which he did. So for the strict purpose of this essay, it is to be assumed from here forth that God would not have easily and simply come up with a human replacement for Moses (which is the only logical outcome that could have ever happened in the history of the universe — which includes the known, unknown, and unknowable universe). Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike all throughout the world revere Moses as a holy prophet, or messenger, if you will, sent by God to the world to deliver the message of the Ten Commandments, the Mosaic Law, and the Torah. Modern day Jews still observe aspects of the Mosaic Law, varying widely according to the numerous sects of Judaism that exist today. No matter the denomination or sect of Judaism, one thing they all have in common is their extreme reverence for this great leader, prophet, and messenger. Basically, to the Jew, Moses is the closest thing they have to a messiah. Muslims see Moses as the great prophet who handed down the law of the Ten Commandments. In their view, Moses is second only to their prophet Muhammed. Essentially, they believe that if it was not for Moses coming to this world to hand down the scriptures and law, then their prophet Muhammed would have had no “material” to work with over 2,000 years later in order to write his “Holy Quran” in 666AD. Thus without Moses, there is no Muhammed, and without Muhammed, there is no Quran. Without their holy book, their future would be doomed, both in this world and the next. Finally we come to the Christians, who we will hereafter encompass by saying that most of the Western Hemisphere (even if not actual believers in the entire Bible, as it were), still are part of a society which was built upon the principles of Judeo-Christianity, and shall be thusly referred to as “Christians” or “Christian nations.” Christians believe in the Old Testament just as the Jews do, IN ADDITION to the New Testament, of course. This fact alone implies the following sequence of events (or non-events had Moses not come to earth as he did): with no Moses, there would be no Ten Commandments or Mosaic Law by which to live our lives, according to works, deeds, values, and even intangibles such as moral aptitude, ethics, world views, etc. The ten commandments provide a guideline for all to live by, not just specific adherents to said religion, but ALL the world and its present moral standards which are still clearly observable today in absolutely every culture, society, religion, and ethnic group that exists today and/or has always existed. Moreover, the justice system as we see today would be completely different. If I were to guess, I would say the entire world, not just the western hemisphere, would be in a state of utter anarchy and chaos; with nihilism, humanism, atheism, and moral relativism running rampant; crimes going unpunished (for there would be no firm definition of crime OR punishment), people running around losing their minds without a clue as to the meaning of life or how to conduct themselves in a civil, orderly, moral manner in order to survive, sustain existence, and thrive in the world today. In conclusion, If the prophet Moses was never sent to this earth by God, the history of the world would have forever changed in such dramatic (read: negative) and confounding ways that the present world as we observe it today would quite possibly be nonexistent. In addition, the future world (also known as “heaven,” “afterlife,” or what have you) to which we all go after the present one would most certainly not be the same world that we would have the chance to go to, if Moses DID come, which he of course, did. In essence, if God (hypothetically speaking, again) would not have created a “replacement Moses,” so to speak, then the entire history of the universe — which includes the known, unknown, and unknowable aspects of the universe— would have been terribly, drastically, and unalterably changed forever.

Bibliography
Gunther, Steven. “Moses: the Great Prophet.” Religions of the World. 7th ed. 1996. pp 125-134. Enslow Publishers. Print.

Rafkin, Jonathan. The Message of Moses. pp 48-59. 2002. Penguin Publishing Group. Print
Schmect, Albert. “Biography of Moses.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1987. pp 387-489. Red Rooster Publishing Group. Print.

Zondervan. “Genesis; Exodus, Leviticus.” The Holy Bible. 1994. Zondervan Publishing House. Print.

Bibliography: Gunther, Steven. “Moses: the Great Prophet.” Religions of the World. 7th ed. 1996. pp 125-134. Enslow Publishers. Print. Rafkin, Jonathan. The Message of Moses. pp 48-59. 2002. Penguin Publishing Group. Print Schmect, Albert. “Biography of Moses.” The Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. 1987. pp 387-489. Red Rooster Publishing Group. Print. Zondervan. “Genesis; Exodus, Leviticus.” The Holy Bible. 1994. Zondervan Publishing House. Print.