Loyalty to God

This is an important theme throughout the Hebrew Bible, especially as far as Israel is concerned. It is questioned just how much of the patriarchal faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been maintained during the 400 years the Israelites were in Egypt, especially through the difficult slave years. What is evident here is Moses' loyalty to his own people and God's own people. Moses would be aware of the consequences of siding with the Israelites against the Egyptians and he is willing to pay the price of losing his privileged status as an Egyptian prince in order to take a stand on behalf of his people. However, he does not publicise this but hopes it can remain a secret. He is forced to escape when his life is threatened by the Pharaoh.

Taking a Stand for Right and getting it Wrong

Religion embraces the need to stand up for right and goodness when it is being threatened. It is also about choosing right behaviour and avoiding wrong behaviour. This narrative presents a typically human scenario where Moses, in highlighting an evil, overreacts and ends up committing manslaughter while trying to pursue goodness. It typifies the mix of good and bad in people. There is a paradox in Moses' behaviour, both in the killing and now in the fear following the courage.

It is interesting to note how murderers find themselves caught up in God's big plans for Israel. Here is Moses, the killer; later King David murders for love. They symbolise the powerful mixture that goes into the human make up and the love of a God which copes with that terrible behaviour and can still make use of flawed personalities.

Running Away through Fear

Moses' courage seems to evaporate when he realises that, although he hid the body and hoped no one had seen his terrible act, in fact his secret is out and the Pharaoh is determined to get him killed. He runs away into the desert to get to safety. Other biblical characters find themselves running away to escape the consequences of their actions e.g. Jacob and Elijah, or to escape God e.g. Jonah. On all these occasions God catches up with them, makes use of the moment and they find themselves taken back into the situation they had been avoiding. The Hebrew Bible emphasizes that you cannot hide from God.

The Human Spirit

The battle between good and evil which is the essence of religion is played out in a rich variety of characters, not least in Moses. It highlights the human condition where good intentions and actions are tainted with the inclination to evil. It is this human state with which religion seeks to deal and from which God delivers.