Like a secondary helping of mom's beef stew, theses tidbits will be biblical, hearty and spiritually nourishing but not overly time-consuming and will probably not come as long main course. As such I will be calling this ongoing series Biblical Helpings. Obviously anything from the Bible is helpful. It just seemed to make sense to call the series what I did. On to the first helping...
In modern
stories people destined for greatness rarely start off privileged. They are
dropped off at the doorstep of an orphanage or abandoned in the rain. This
literary vehicle goes back to ancient stories, where writers use the abandoned
child theme to identify a character that rises from obscurity to privileged
hero status. It’s found in the biblical account of Moses’ birth. But is that
really the story of Moses? I suggest it isn't quite that simple.
Moses stands
out against the stories of the ancient cultures because he isn’t promoted like
their chosen figures, but saved and demoted to poverty so that he can lead
others to salvation. He is the new archetype of the chosen hero, the Christian
hero, one who is promoted only for the benefit of others. He is a type of
Christ. Over and against the stories of worldly kingdoms, Moses’ story
articulates God’s remarkable work for His kingdom through Moses by taking him
on a roller coaster first from poverty, then to Pharaoh's court, then back to
poverty then to spiritual richness and relationship with God. Wle see the same
in Jesus' humble origins, rise to ministry, death in crucifixion and then
Resurrection to glory.
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