The Free Thinkers guide to the Bible

Part 2 #1 - The Burning Bush

Revealing the veiled battle for authority

Welcome back to the Free Thinkers guide to the bible. I created this series so that ‘anyone’ can explore and understand the bible. You don’t need to be a biblical scholar; all you need is a desire to see what is written. I will present to you several biblical examples and demonstrate the process of sifting the accounts to reveal the hidden. This process is very similar to archeology, where the layers are excavated and analyzed. Just not the dirty part, though you will be digging up some dirt along the way.

Warning:

The series unfolds like a story in a book. Please study the content in the order it is presented in order to have the best experience.

When reading the bible or listening to a Priest, Rabbi or Pastor, have you heard or read contradictions, peculiarities or repetitions that caused your subconscious mind to pause and attempt to reconcile them? Like myself, You may have told yourself “I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for this”, or “I will look into that later”… more than likely you never got around to it, or decided like the majority of people, that you would trust those with more experience than yourself.

If you are tired of relying on religious authorities to answer the difficult questions with unsatisfying responses that raise more questions than they answer. If you truly seek answers; continue reading the presentations in this series and I will show you how to easily explore the Bible and answer the hard questions yourself.

In the second part of the series we explore unusual and complex passages that portray Moses and Aaron in diminished or elevated situations. We submit to you that many of these contrasts were deliberately placed in strategic areas to influence the reader.

Before beginning please read Exodus chapter 4

Look for peculiarities and irregularities in the account(s).

The Burning Bush “A” priestly account

Exodus 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD (יהוה), O my Lord (אדני - Master), I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto him, who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD (יהוה)? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13 And he said, O my Lord (אדני - Master), send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

14 And the anger of the LORD (יהוה) was kindled against Moses, and he said, is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15 and thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. 16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God (אלהים) (Elohim). 17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

In the passages above, Moses states that he can’t speak well and denies that the Creator can help/cause him to speak properly to the people of Israel. The Creator is angered and it is revealed that (coincidentally), Moses’ brother is already coming to meet him and that he will become the spokesman of the Creator to the people instead of Moses. Please keep this information in mind as we will expand on this later in the series.

Moses is diminished, Aaron is elevated

Moses Returns to Egypt

Exodus 4:18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God (אלהים) (Elohim) in his hand. 21 And the LORD (יהוה) said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD (יהוה), Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD (יהוה) met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26 So he let him go: then she said, a bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

This strange insertion regarding the circumcision of Zipporah/Moses’ son comes immediately after the command to speak to Pharaoh regarding the firstborn. This unusual addition appears to affirm circumcision and also seems to cast Moses' Midianite wife in a negative light. Please keep this information in mind as we will expand on this later in the series.

Moses' Midianite wife Zipporah is diminished

27 And the LORD (יהוה) said to Aaron; Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God (אלהים) (Elohim), and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD (יהוה) who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

According to the earlier verses of this chapter Aaron was already “on the way” to meet Moses. But in these verses we read that the Creator is now telling Aaron to meet him. The story is then transported directly to the mountain of God where Moses and Aaron meet and Moses tells Aaron what he needs to say and do before the people of Israel.

29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD (יהוה) had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

Aaron officially becomes the Creators spokesman in these verses and speaks and he performs the signs before the people of Israel instead of Moses.

Aaron is elevated

Ponder this information… We will build upon it in the next four studies of the second series.

Please continue the study in Part 2 #2 - The Golden/Molten Calf