Moses Position Paper: A Faithful Mediator and Leader for the Hebrew People

Trang Le
Religion 110 section - Dr. Richard Bowman
March 8th, 2019
Moses Position Paper
(Moses)
In the Old Testament, “Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom
the Lord knew face to face.” (Deuteronomy 34:10). Moses as the mediator, a faithful follower of
Lord was called to lead the people of Israel out of the slavery in Egypt, guide them on the long
trip through the desert, and bring them to the borders of Promised Land. For forty years
wandering in the desert, Moses proves his qualification to retain as the leader of Israelites
because of his utter faith in God, his responsibility to their wrong actions as a representative of
people, and his completeness to establish a flourishing community with responsiveness to God
and accountability to other people.
First of all, Moses should not be recalled because of his deep trust in God empowering
him to stay faithful with the superior being even in the face of opposition. This occurred when
Aron and Miriam spoke enviously against Moses because he married the Cushite woman. They
were seeking for the equity since Moses was the only one that God spoke face to face. Facing
opposition, Moses humbly left his defense in the hand of God. He trusted in God to protect him
from detractors without seeking to rebut their criticism of his leadership. Hearing resistance of
Aron and Miriam to Moses, God declares that “Hear my words: When there are prophets among
you, I the LORD make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams. Not so with
my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face- clearly, not
in riddles; and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against
my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8). This emphasizes the trait of Moses as the faithful
recipient which identifies him from other people and explain for being chosen by God. Due to
his complete faith in God, Moses could be “entrusted” with “all God’s house.” As a leader, he
was able to restrain himself from responding to insult and opposition. He understood that people
could seek for their equity, refuse to comprehend his work and even try to gain power for
themselves. Instead of being a power hunger and seeking glory, he trusted in God and raised his
problems in the hand of God. Furthermore, throughout the story of the wilderness wandering,
people continually murmured and complained about their starvation, Moses answered Israelites:
“‘he has heard your complaining against the LORD. For what are we, that you complain against
us?’ And Moses said, ‘When the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of
bread in the morning, because the LORD has heard the complaining that you utter against him—
what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the LORD.’” (Exodus 16:7-8). This
demonstrates his recognition that God was the leader not him. Thus, he did not take
responsibility and solve for his followers’ hardship otherwise calling to the Lord to instruct and
support. Bringing troubles to God and waiting for His guidance, Moses affirms his faith in the
glory of God.
Secondly, Moses took responsibility and persuaded God for people’s wrongdoing against
God’s covenant. Regardless of issues at hand, Moses as a representative intercedes for his people
even create arguments with God or raise his prayers to crave forgiveness from God. In the story
of the rebellion of Korah, as God intended to consume congregation because of their
disobedience, Moses says that “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one person sin
and you become angry with the whole congregation?” (Numbers 16:22). This expresses that
Moses implements his role to understand people, represent their situation, and protect them from

the destruction and anger of God. He stands on their side to explain that the congregation only
follow the call and initiation of an individual without being aware of the sin. Presenting their
situation to God, Moses inquires forgiveness for their voluntary and involuntary transgressions.
This also demonstrates the true compassion he gives to the people as their servant leader.
Moreover, after God has issued the law to worship for only one God who brought Israelites out
of slavery in Egypt and shall not bow down other gods beside Him, people turned to apostasy
with God's law as creating a golden calf to idolize. Since the burning wrath of God wanting to
consume this people due to their stiffneckedness, Moses argues that “O Lord, why does your
wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power
and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought
them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn
from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to
them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have
promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” (Exodus 32: 11-13).
This demonstrates Moses intercession to convince Got not to punish the people and forgive their
foolishness and errant behavior. He reminded God of His promise with Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel to deliver this people in order to prevent annihilation. Later in the story, Moses once again
argues and intercedes with God: “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for
themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of
the book that you have written.” (Exodus 32: 31-32). This shows that he even agrees to accept
and prepares to suffer the consequences for their wrongdoings to redeem their actions. Through
Moses’ offer blotting himself out of God’s book to make atonement for his people, he determines
his deep concern for his people so that he deserves his position as a good representative and a
leader. In his discussion of three arguments of Moses to God, Wildavsky notes that “As leader of
Israelites, Moses’ task is to convince God to accept human nature.” (p. 115). This shows
Wildavsky claims that Moses understands as human people will err even, he stated that he took
God’s side among this people in order to convince God within their situation. Carrying both roles
as a leader of the Israelites and as the prophet God, Moses becomes a mediator in this two-sided
conflict. Instead of agreeing with God to punish these people, he convinced God with the point
that they are prone to err because of their ordinary humans. As ordinary humans, they are easy to
make mistakes so that punishment resolves nothing since the error will continually happen to
humans who keep on challenging their own belief.
Lastly, Moses leads the people to establish a community that flourishes well with
responsiveness to God and responsibility to other people in the divine blessings promised by God
the Lord. Moses binds himself with his people to unite them with their God. By forming the
unity of God with Israelites, his people obtain the free, full and grateful life within the protection
and divine blessing of God. In the story of the golden calf, as Moses gave Israelites another
opportunity to return to God side and penance for idolizing the golden calf, Moses says: “Thus
says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth
from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your
neighbor.’ ‘Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, each one at the
cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day.’” (Exodus 32:
27, 29). This show that Moses is separating people from siding with God and siding against God
to create a chance for his people to reconnect with their God and avoid the penalty of death.
Moses made Israel into an idol-destroying people through that seeks forgiveness of God, isolates