The first episode of the religious docu-drama Testament: The Story of Moses is the story about the religious journey of Moses. The way he acted as a shield for the Hebrews against the atrocities of the Egyptians has been brought out in the mini-series. First, he had taken the path of violence, and then he had chosen a path shown to him by God to free his people from hundreds of years of slavery. Will Moses revert to God’s command? Will he go back to save his own people? Why was he chosen as the messenger? Let’s find out the answers!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Moses Become A Fugitive?
The Israelites, Abraham’s descendants, settled in Egypt for 400 years, enduring the pain inflicted upon them by the Egyptians. The male Hebrew babies were drowned in the Nile so that no one could grow up to rebel against the Pharaoh. However, Moses didn’t have to face the same fate as the other male babies, as he was lucky to be adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter. As Moses grew up, he didn’t like the Egyptians spitting on the Hebrews. When one day, he saw an Egyptian soldier mercilessly beating up a Hebrew, he got angry and killed the soldier. After murdering the man, he fled Egypt to escape the punishment of the Pharaoh.
How Did Moses Survive In The Desert?
After days of traveling the perilous path in the desert, he reached a group of nomadic women who gave him water. He met Zipporah and the other daughter of Jethro, who brought him to their father. Jethro was impressed by Moses and wanted to offer him a job as a shepherd at his settlement. During his time at the settlement, he grew closer to Zipporah and led a happy life, starting a family in Midian. He also had two sons, and he named them Gershom and Eliezer. During his time at the settlement, he would often see a light on the mountains and hear a voice asking him to show the Hebrews the path.
Why Was Moses’ Uncle Seeking Him?
A few years later, when Moses’ grandfather died, his uncle Ramesses became the new Pharaoh. The new Pharaoh was powerful and brutal, and he had been seeking his nephew before he could wage a war against him and claim to be the Pharaoh.
How Did God Reach Out To Moses?
When Moses saw a fire in the mountain, he asked Zipporah about it, and she said that nobody lived there. Meanwhile, Moses had constantly been getting dreams where someone urged him to show people the path to redemption. Moses thought of the times when, in the past, he did not feel included as a royal blood, and all the other kids made fun of him for being different from them. He was different indeed, as he was born to redeem his people (the Hebrews) from their pain.
However, after a few years, Moses repented murdering the Egyptian soldier and felt the need to do something to get rid of his sins. He acted erratic, frustrating his wife, and when she asked him about it, he revealed his real identity to her. He said that he was a prince and that he had hidden his real identity because the desert people didn’t like the Egyptians. He further said that he had committed a murder and wanted to repent for it.
Moses was not a flawless man, yet God decided to accept him the way he was and reach out to him to help his people. Moses climbed up the mysterious Mount Sinai and saw a fire there. Upon reaching the top of the mountain, Moses fainted, and when he again came back to his senses, a voice told him to take off his shoes and obey him. The voice said that he wanted to make Moses the messenger for his own people, asking him to return to Egypt and free the Hebrews from the clutches of the Pharaoh.
How Did Aaron Help Moses?
Upon getting the command from God, Moses started moving through the desert, along with his wife and children. God had told him that upon reaching Goshen, he would meet his brother, Aaron. Just as the voice had told him, Moses came across Aaron (his own biological brother), who told him the story of his birth. He said that when Moses was born, the room was full of light. His mother decided to protect him at any cost, and when the soldiers came, his mother hid him in one of the openings in the wall, along with Aaron. Later, Moses’ mother put the baby in a basket and send him away through the Nile River. He reached Goshen, the outskirts of Pi-Ramesses, and saw the suffering of the famine-stricken people who were sent out of Canaan. Later, when Aaron took him to Miriam, she took him to the other people, and Aaron spoke on his behalf, saying that God had spoken to his brother and that he would free them all from their sufferings. Later, an old lady, Sera Bat Asher, declared that Moses was indeed the chosen prophet of the Lord.
How Did Miriam Ensure Her Brother’s Safety As A Baby?
When Moses was just a baby and was put in a basket in the Nile, Miriam ensured that the basket was safe and followed it. When she saw the princess collecting it, she informed the midwife, who had delivered Moses. That midwife went to the princess to tell her about the whereabouts of the baby’s mother, and then the princess approached Moses’ mother, who let her nurse him for the first 1-2 years.
What Will Happen Next?
The second episode of Testament: The Story of Moses, is likely to bring out the events where Moses reaches out to his foster mother (the princess) to seek her help on his journey. It is expected that the princess will help him and let him free his own people of their agony. The journey of Moses to alleviate the people’s sufferings will be brought out in the next episode of the mini-series.
