Ten Commandments

1. What is the meaning of Exodus? Both literal and spiritual.

- Spiritually it pertains to the Israelites' departure from Egypt under Moses'
guidance. And when you search for the definition of Exodus is defined as “a mass
departure of people, especially emigrants.”. In Greek, Latin, and English version
it literally means “a going out”.

2. Describe the encounter between Moses and God. State the excuses of Moses not to take
up Yahweh’s commands.
- When Moses was eighty years old, God spoke to him personally through a
flaming bush on Mt. Sinai. He had been a shepherd for forty years and had been
living a tranquil and serene life when God summoned him. While watching, I
noticed that Moses was completely hesitant to accomplish what God asked of
him. He appears to have developed an inferiority complex because of his previous
failures. He tried to avoid God's call by providing five justifications to God. First,
he stated that he was a NOBODY and that he was completely inadequate to
perform what God was asking him to do. The second excuse was that he didn't
know who gave him the power to be Israel's deliverer; in response to Moses’
concern, God revealed Himself. His third reason is that he is concerned that none
of Israel's leaders will believe that God has sent him. Moses' fourth reason was
that he was not an excellent speaker and had speaking difficulties. Moses' final
argument was that he was unsuited for the work and that He should appoint
someone more suited to perform it.

3. Compare and contrast the culture and gods of the Egyptians with that of Israelites’ and
desert people’s.
- One of the most prominent God in Egyptian culture is the sun god, Ra; He was
also taught to Moses when he was young. They also used stars to predict what
may change in time. While the God of the Israelites is Yahweh, comes from the
Hebrew word for “I am.” When God met Moses at the burning bush

4. Explain what it takes to follow or not to follow God’s command.

- First you need to understand and know why we should listen to God’s command.
It is evident that fulfilling God's commandments reflects our love for Jesus and
gratitude for the sacrifice He made for us on the cross; not only Jesus made
sacrifices but also Moses even though he refused at first to help God, he
eventually courage up and help the Israelites. God only commands us to follow
the Ten Commandments and it does not limit anything nor does it take a lot of
effort to do.
5. Why did Pharaoh free Israel after the 10th plague?
- The 10th plague was so terrible that it was certain to persuade Pharaoh to let his
slaves go. That night, God dispatched the angel of death to slay the Egyptians'
firstborn sons. God instructed Moses to command the Israelite families to
slaughter a lamb and spread the blood on the doors of their homes. The angel
would then know to 'pass over' the Israelites' homes. This resulted to the death of
the first-born son of the Pharaoh, whom I unfortunately did not quite catch the
name all I remember was seti or zedi(?).

6. Describe the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, from slavery to freedom.
- After being led by Moses out of the dreadful conditions of the Pharaoh, the
Israelites ventured on an 11-day journey to the Promised Land. They encountered
a lot of difficulties such as crossing the Red Sea and the time in the desert.
During their journey, the Israelites received a covenant, or agreement, with God.
God promised to guide the Israelites safely back to Canaan.

7. What are the complaints of the Israelites and the response of Moses and Yahweh?
- They complained a lot about not having enough water to drink. They were
focused with the 'good' they had in Egypt. God answered by ordering Moses to
strike the rock in Horeb, and when Moses reached to the rock he struck it with the
staff, immediately the rock broke open and fresh water flowed out from it.

8. Who are the two sons of Moses, his wife, and father-in-law?
- Moses and his wife, Zipporah had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. Together with
them is Moses’ father-in-law or Zipporah’s father, Jethro.

9. How many Israelites had marched out of Egypt and how many years they had spent in
Egypt and why they marched through the desert instead of the main road?
- I think they mentioned about 600,000 Israelite men. the Israelites resided in
Egypt for 430 years. God knew that the Pharaoh would chase after the Israelites –
they would have been surrounded if they would have taken the direct route. Also
by taking the longer route God could challenge ones faith and devotion to Him.

10. What kind of animal is to be sacrificed for the Passover and how to prepare it and who
can only eat it?
- A lamb without blemish nor spot, would be sacrificed. And according to John
6:54 – As to the eating the flesh of the sacrificial lamb, the divine word was, ‘No
uncircumcised person shall eat thereof,’ signifying that the blessings of the
gospel are reserved for those who come into the fold of Israel, who join the
Church, who carry their part of the burden in bearing off the kingdom; signifying
also that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood, as he said, shall have eternal
life and he will raise them up at the last day.
11. How did God guide Israel on their journey through the desert, during the night and the
day?
- During the Exodus from Egypt, the pillars are claimed to have led the Israelites
through the desert. During the day, the pillar of cloud guided the Israelites, while
at night, the pillar of fire illuminated their path.

12. Your own comments and opinions about the movie.

- Us humans are sinners, we complain, we are greedy, we lie, yet the Lord still
forgives us; He loves us too much to leave us on our own and would go to
extreme sacrifices just for us; we do not deserve this treatment, yet the Lord
continues to bless and flourish us. The least we could do is follow His
commandment that can help on only ourselves spiritually but also others; to be
more united and forgiving. Understanding and being open to His intention can
greatly help us, we should always remember that the Lord knows what is best for
us so doubting Him isn’t the best idea, just like how God chose the longer path to
the promised paradise for the safety of the Israelites. We should also accept and
not doubt the opportunities or order given to us like how Moses did at first; it is
an honor to be trusted with big responsibility like that because it signify how God
trust you to be able to handle it. And lastly every hardship in our life will always
pay off in the end just keep believing.

Ellaine Basquez
BSN-1