An important person in the Christian Old Testament books is Moses. A prophet from God, on Earth he fulfilled a special mission to unite the Israeli people and free them from slavery. Let's delve into the holy books to restore the facts of his life.
Birth
The Holy Prophet Moses was born in Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II. At that time, this country was very densely populated by Jews. Pharaoh, in order to avoid attacks from foreigners living in the country on the natives, gave a stern order to his soldiers - to kill all the boys born to the Israelites. Therefore, the birth of Moses brought much suffering to his parents. His mother hid him for three months from the Egyptian soldiers, but the risk of exposure was too great to leave the child forever. The woman decided to take a desperate step. She made a small basket of reeds, put the baby in it and placed it on the water, between tall plants, in the hope of God's mercy. At this time, the daughter of the pharaoh was walking near the river, who, noticing the crying child, took pity on him and took him to the palace. The prophet received the name "Moses" precisely from the princess who saved him, because in the translationfrom Hebrew it means "saved from the water." In the palace, the saint received an excellent education and became a priest.
Formation
By virtue of his profession, Moses the prophet was sent to inspect the slave labor that was carried out by the Jews under the strict supervision of the Egyptians. He saw all the cruelty and inhumanity of the overseers towards the slaves. Having witnessed how one of them severely beat a Jewish worker, Moses attacked the offender and killed him. He had to hide from the pharaoh. To do this, Moses the prophet fled to the Sinai Peninsula, where he was under the patronage of the priest Jethro. In the valley, he went through many trials in order to atone for his sin, and also wrote the famous Book of Beginnings.
Rebellion
In the valley near Jethro Moses received a sign from God. He saw a bush that burned, but did not burn. Wanting to marvel at this miracle, he approached the mysterious place and heard the voice of God, which commanded him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt and bring them to the promised land. After this event, the prophet Moses went to his homeland to talk with the pharaoh. Of course, the lord of Egypt did not even want to hear about releasing all Jewish slaves to freedom. Then Moses prophesied that if Pharaoh did not let the Jews go, then terrible trials would fall upon the state and its people, and the first would be the death of each firstborn on the day of Easter. The master stood his ground. But when the terrible prophecy of Moses came true, his opinion changed. All Jews were released. Their long journey to Israel began.
Return
For forty years the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness with Moses. Here, people faced severe trials. Many events have happened over the years: the "manna from heaven", and a wonderful spring, and the prophet's reprisals against apostates, and the receipt of the ten commandments. After many years of wandering, the Jewish people reached their goal and ended up in the promised land. Moses himself died before reaching Israel, at the age of 120.
Memory
The Orthodox Church honors the memory of the saint on September 17 of each year. The icon of the prophet Moses is found in almost every church, and it can also be purchased at church shops in order to facilitate prayers and petitions to the great saint.
