Interesting Facts

• Moses ascended Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord in the first year of the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt, in the third month, on the sixteenth day of the month.
• The Lord called to Moses on the seventh day out of the midst of a cloud on Mount Sinai, where the glory of the Lord appeared as a flaming fire.
• Moses remained on the mount for forty days and forty nights, during which time God taught him the earlier and later history of the law and the testimony.
• Moses was instructed by God to write down all the words spoken to him on Mount Sinai in a book, so that future generations would see that the Lord had not forsaken them despite their transgressions.
• Moses prayed to the Lord not to forsake His people and His inheritance, the Israelites, and not to deliver them into the hands of the Gentiles lest they rule over them and cause them to sin.

Genealogy

• The provided sources do not explicitly detail Moses’ ancestry, birth, marital connections, or offspring. The narrative commences with God speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai after the exodus from Egypt.

Historical Context

The narrative places Moses at a pivotal moment in the history of the children of Israel: their exodus from Egypt. This event marks their liberation from bondage and the beginning of their journey towards the promised land. The encounter on Mount Sinai occurs in the first year of this exodus. The primary context provided is the establishment of a covenant between God and the children of Israel, mediated by Moses. God promises to give Moses the two tablets of stone of the law and the commandment, which He has written, so that Moses may teach them to the people. The historical backdrop is one of recent deliverance from slavery and the nascent formation of a nation under divine guidance and law. The Lord anticipates the future transgressions of the Israelites, their turning to strange gods and Gentile practices, and the ensuing consequences of captivity and scattering among the Gentiles. Despite this foreknowledge, God also foretells a future repentance and gathering of the Israelites. This context of divine covenant, anticipated disobedience, and promised restoration frames Moses’ initial role as a recipient and transmitter of God’s law and promises.

Narrative

Moses’ personal story within these excerpts begins with a direct call from the Lord to ascend Mount Sinai. On the mount, he engages in a significant dialogue with God, receiving divine instruction and learning the history of the world and the stipulations of the covenant. Moses is portrayed as an intermediary between God and the people, tasked with receiving the law and teaching it. His character is marked by a deep concern for the well-being of the Israelites, evident in his prayer to God not to forsake them despite their future failings and the potential for Gentile oppression. This prayer reveals his compassion and his understanding of the challenges the Israelites will face. The Lord acknowledges Moses’ plea and reveals His plans for their future, including eventual restoration after periods of disobedience and scattering. Moses is further instructed to record these divine pronouncements, signifying his role as a scribe and historian of the covenantal relationship. The narrative emphasizes the weight of responsibility placed upon Moses to convey God’s law and promises to a people whose future is foreseen to be fraught with both transgression and eventual redemption. The initial encounter on Sinai establishes Moses as the central figure in receiving and transmitting the foundational laws and historical narrative that will shape the identity and destiny of Israel.