HUM 1180: Reflection on Exodus: Judaism and its Depiction in Film

This essay provides a reflection on the movie 'Exodus: Gods and Kings,' focusing on its depiction of Judaism and its core tenets. It discusses Moses' journey, his encounters with God, and the ten plagues that afflicted Egypt. The essay argues that the movie accurately portrays Judaism by showing Moses' struggles and his unwavering faith in God's will. It also highlights the importance of human deeds and adherence to a strict belief system in Judaism. The author believes the film successfully illustrates that faith in God can help individuals overcome obstacles and achieve the impossible, as demonstrated by Moses' triumph over the Pharaoh and the liberation of the Israelites. The essay concludes that the movie effectively conveys the power of divine will and the consequences of unjust actions.

Running head: REFLECTION ON EXODUS
Reflection on Exodus
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1REFLECTION ON EXODUS
Exodus: Gods and Kings is the name of the 2014 epic biblical film that talks about the
exodus of Hebrews from Egypt under the able leadership of Moses. Ramses, the new pharaoh
was instrumental in exiling Moses from Egypt. Moses after many years was injured in that of a
rockslide when he encounters the vision of a boy that was manifestation of God of Abraham. At
the time of his recovery, Moses reveals the past to Zipporah and brings out what he wants Moses
to do. The manifestation of God appears to Moses and he tells him about the ten plagues that
would afflict Egypt. Hebrews follows the path of Moses through desert towards the Red Sea.
They made their way through the dangerous mountain pass but they arrived at edge of sea to
their utter dismay. Red sea reverts to the normal state and it drowned a large number of
Egyptians. Moses in the end leads Hebrews back into Midian so that he can unite with his family
(Levy, Schneider & Propp, 2015). This essay throws light on the core tenets pertaining to
Judaism and the way the movie portrayed the ancient religion. The reflection essay also talks
about the fact that the decree of God is the supreme order that can help in the survival of the
human race.
According to the principal tenets of Judaism, the God is unique and it lays stress on the
aspect of the human deeds. The religion believes in the fact that an individual should adhere to a
strict belief system that can help him in attaining his goal in life. The faith in the religion causes
the individuals to honour the God though an individual goes through constant struggle in the
event of obeying the instructions of God (McGeough, 2016). In my opinion, the movie has
accurately depicted the religion because the movie depicts Moses going through severe ordeals
before he is finally able to fulfill his vision that God had for him in life. Moses was raised in
splendor of Egyptian court as he was adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter. He was well aware of
his Hebraic roots and he had a deep compassion for the confined kinsmen. He was extremely

2REFLECTION ON EXODUS
angry in the event of witnessing Egyptian master beating the Hebrew slave and he killed
Egyptian. He had to flee into the desert of the Midian where he became shepherd for the Juthro. I
think that he had to leave the comfort of his palace and endure the struggles that helped him in
understanding his mission in life. I feel that he had to make the decision of leaving his family so
that he could serve the decree of God.
Moses faces Ramses and asks him to release the Hebrews from the state of the servitude.
Ramses do not listen to his words as he feels that it would not be economically possible. Ramses
orders the death of Moses and this made Moses undergo sufferings that made him move towards
his destined role in life. He was able to understand the deeper meaning of life as he had to endure
struggles that helped him in understanding the true meaning of God and the divine existence. I
feel that the struggles in his life hardened him that helped him in delivering the Hebrews from
the cruel hands of the Egyptians (Hendel, 2015). In the end, Moses survives that helps him in
rejoining Hebrews. Moses takes the Hebrews back to the Midian and it helps him in reuniting
with his family. In my view, the movie has portrayed the religion Judaism in the correct light as
it has shown the character of Moses enduring hardships that helped him in serving the true cause
of God (Walsh, 2018). He was able to beat the powerful army of Ramses as he had firm belief in
the order of God. I feel that he never gave up in his struggle and he carried out the plan of God
that provided him with immense amount of mental strength and the energy.
In my view, the movie has successfully illustrated the fact that the will of God is the most
important thing that ensures the success or the failure of a person. I am of the opinion that God
wanted Moses to succeed that helped him in overcoming all the barriers in his life. It helped him
in overpowering the power of Pharaoh that helped him in saving the Israelites (Durham, 2018).
It shows that an individual having faith in God can attain the impossible and the support of God

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emboldens an individual in life. The constant struggle that Moses had to go through in life
helped him in moving towards the destined goal of life that had been set by the God. The movie
shows that the wrong actions of the individuals do not go unnoticed by God and it would
ultimately be punished Ramses used to badly treated the Israelites and kept them as slaves that
spurned the anger of God. God could not tolerate the action of Ramses and he wanted to punish
him with the help of Moses (Maeir, 2015). The movie shows the fact that the daring courage of
a person can help him in taking on an entire empire. It helps him in emerging as the defiant
leader who fights against the powerful Pharaoh of Egypt called Ramses (Collins, 2016).
Judaism has a belief system that is strict that can help an individual in reaching his goal
in life. The faith that an individual has in the power of God helps him in rising over the barriers
of life. The constant struggles that Moses had to endure in life helped him in evolving as a noble
individual who submitted to the will of God. Moses was able to defeat the Pharaoh in the end
that helped him in saving the Israelites. He went back to Midian so that he could be with his
family. The movie has been able to show the fact that the desire of God determines the course of
life of a person.

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References
Collins, M. A. (2016). Depicting the Divine: The Ambiguity of Exodus 3 in Exodus: Gods and
Kings. Bloomsbury T&T Clark.
Durham, J. I. (2018). Exodus (Vol. 3). Zondervan.
Hendel, R. (2015). The Exodus as Cultural Memory: Egyptian Bondage and the Song of the Sea.
In Israel's Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective (pp. 65-77). Springer, Cham.
Levy, T. E., Schneider, T., & Propp, W. H. (Eds.). (2015). Israel's exodus in transdisciplinary
perspective: text, archaeology, culture, and geoscience. Springer.
Maeir, A. M. (2015). Exodus as a Mnemo-Narrative: An Archaeological Perspective. In Israel's
Exodus in Transdisciplinary Perspective (pp. 409-418). Springer, Cham.
McGeough, K. M. (2016). The roles of violence in recent Biblical cinema: The Passion, Noah,
and Exodus: Gods and Kings.
Walsh, R. (2018). “What Child Is This?”: Reflections on the Child Deity and Generic Lineage of
Exodus: Gods and Kings. T&T Clark Companion to the Bible and Film, 311.