Now, Moses is my favorite bible character of all time. He's just an average dude, kind of pampered in Pharaoh's house. Then suddenly he finds out he's adopted (a whoa moment for anyone), plus a slave by birth. That's like going from being Prince Harry to the man who scrubs his toilets. He's my favorite for many reasons, but it really boils down to the fact that he inspires me. I think we forget sometimes that the people in the bible were in fact real people. He was just a scared murderer who led millions. NBD.In this movie, there is a scene that will stick with me forever. Every time it came on I remember this feeling hitting my gut, because, frankly, I hated it. It tore my heart apart even at my young age. It was gory, it was terrifying, but, most importantly, it was real. It really happened. (Exodus 32)
In this scene, Moses has been on Mt. Sinai getting the first set of ten commandments. Yes there were two sets. The Lord tells him to get his tushy down the mountain because the people be acting a fool. They're neked! Worshiping an idol! Dancing around like it's a Rihanna concert! So Moses, being the stand up leader that he is, begs God to have mercy on them. Even though they are probably causing Moses sleepless nights, maybe some gray hair, he still prays that God will show mercy to his people. But nay nay, God has had enough. Moses descends the mountain, and sees what they have done, and being led by his own brother Aaron, of all things.
Moses shatters the ten commandments, and boldly asks "Who is on the Lord's side? Come stand with me". Guess what? Not everybody did.
These are the people who saw the Red Sea part when Moses put his staff in the water. These are the people that walked through on dry ground following in his footsteps! These are the people that once praised Yahweh for delivering them out of Egypt. These are the people who had fresh manna from heaven, every morning! But that didn't stop them from rejecting Moses' offer.
That was the moment in the movie where my heart sank. Division. A line drawn.
Exodus 32:27 - Moses told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.”
Heavy stuff.
Movies were a family affair in our household. I remember looking at my brothers who were probably taking up too much room on the couch, and as much as I wanted to trip them or smack them sometimes, I never wanted to kill them. They were MY idiot brothers. But that didn't matter in that scene. Right then and there; 3,000 people were killed. Killed by people who were family, friends, and neighbors.
The cinematographer slowly zoomed in on Moses' face (well, Ben Kingsley's face), as he watched the horror unfold before his eyes. These were the exact people he had just plead with God to save, the very same people he led out of Egypt. Maybe they were the type of people who opposed him on every decision he made, maybe they were the type of people who doubted if he really heard from Yahweh, maybe they thought he was a horrible leader.
Regardless, they were people.
People Moses loved. People he prayed for. People he led.
Now if any of you have watched a movie with my parents you would know this would be the point in the movie where my mom would like out a weepy shaky sob, and my dad may start speaking in tongues. Yep, movie night at the Froese residence was very entertaining! But even in my childish state, I would be crying too. It hurt to see hurt. It pained me to see pain.
I know we don't live in a Moses type of world anymore; no one is gonna be killed for making the wrong choice. But I pray I never find myself on the wrong side of a life altering decision. Even Aaron, the brother who led the people in such a horrific decision, stands with Moses. It's never too late to make the right choice.
"Who is on the Lord's side? Come stand with me."
