The Relevance of Bible Stories

[cacian]

I often wonder about the relevance of the Bible stories in everyday life.
After all if anyone is going to read them then it has somehow got to make sense in terms of the reader's reality and life that surrounds him/her.
In other words what is the meaning behind each story and how does it make sense in terms of everyday life.

One story I am not clear on is the story of Moses during the Pharoahs.
The fact he was supposidely abondonned by his mother because boys were not a welcome addition because girls were more important??
Also the idea that Moses was found on the Nile by a pharoah then got adopted and made to look like one of the Paharoahs sons until he discovered he was actually a jew.

The question is here what it the significance of this twist?

Thank you for reading and I look forward to your posts!!:smile5:

[BienvenuJDC]

The birth of the baby boys was a threat due to the fact that a large population of males meant the possibility of an insurgence of an army.

Exodus 1:8-10, "8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.'"

However, for the Pharaoh's daughter to keep just ONE baby boy wasn't a threat (or so they thought).

[Charles Darnay]

^what he said.

Touching on your more general question: the stories in the Bible have the same relevancy today as ancient myths from any place/religion. They are twofold: demonstrate how certain things came to be, and set up a system of values for the people. The story of Moses demonstrates how 1. The Israelites left Egypt and started off to the land that was promised to them, and 2. what happens to tyrannical rulers who enslave a people.

And then of course there is the relevance of the Bible as an historical document. Let's see if we can avoid a religious debate here, but it is difficult to make the claim that everything in the Bible is fabricated. Reasons for why things happen may differ, but to an extent things that are in the Bible in all likelihood happened. I am basing this off of various artifacts found in the Levant that support what is written in the Bible. And of course what about the flood in Genesis? This story appears in three different ancient texts from three different cultures. Some say this is because a storyteller traveled up and down the coast spreading the story - but perhaps there was a large (not universal but large) flood that happened around a certain time that had a large impact on any culture relying on the land (all of them.) So while a distorted window, the Bible is one of several windows into history.

[cacian]

The birth of the baby boys was a threat due to the fact that a large population of males meant the possibility of an insurgence of an army.

Exodus 1:8-10, "8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; 10 come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.'"

However, for the Pharaoh's daughter to keep just ONE baby boy wasn't a threat (or so they thought).

It seems rathe far fetched for
a) to discover a baby in a basket by the Nile
b) to get away with adopting a baby found around the area where the children of israel were living.
The Pharoahs were genetically tied between them because of their position of power.
By procreating in their same blood meant they kept their power solidified
This story does not fit in. Allowing a total stranger to be adopted and then treated like one of them does not make any sense.
Hence me having doubts over its legitimacy as a story.

[Charles Darnay]

It seems rathe far fetched for
a) to discover a baby in a basket by the Nile
b) to get away with adopting a baby found around the area where the children of israel were living.
The Pharoahs were genetically tied between them because of their position of power.
By procreating in their same blood meant they kept their power solidified
This story does not fit in. Allowing a total stranger to be adopted and then treated like one of them does not make any sense.
Hence me having doubts over its legitimacy as a story.

Pharaoh's daughter knew full well that Moses was a Hebrew, but out of compassion she adopted him as her son. There is no real indication that he was recognized by Pharaoh himself. Moses was never really one of them, just spared death.

[BienvenuJDC]

As far as significance of this man's life, Moses is considered to be a foreshadowing of the coming Christ.

* His narrow escape from infanticide by an evil king
* He was sent by God as a Deliverer
* He was rejected by his own people
* He worked miracles
* He performed as a Prophet, a Priest, and a King

Moses was not the only type to Jesus Christ, but he was one of the most well known.

Acts 7:37, "“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel,[j] ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’ (Deut 18:15)"

[Ozy]

Moses did what he did in the Old Testament so that Jesus could do what he had to do in the New Testament, if that makes any sense. For instance, Moses received the 10 commandments on Mt Sinai. Jesus also went up to Sinai with James, Peter, and John, and this is where the transfiguration took place. When the transfiguration took place, Jesus was said to be seen with the prophet Elijah and Moses. The transfiguration is a major event in the gospels, proving Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.

[cafolini]

Every single bit of ancient history was legendary. Civilization was built by drumming legends into the people's ears until they took them as possible, or even actual events.

[BienvenuJDC]

Every single bit of ancient history was legendary. Civilization was built by drumming legends into the people's ears until they took them as possible, or even actual events.

Every bit of ancient history? That's a rather bold (and untrue) statement.