MOSES WAS AND STILL IS INNOCENT OF THE MURDER CHARGE

Written by Shomron

Everyone recalls the story of the murdered Egyptian where Moses was implicated. This story from the book of Exodus has been miss-interpreted for many years. Millions around the world have wrongly misunderstood the true interpretation of this story. Further insights from the book of Exodus and Numbers have inclined me to believe that Moses was innocent of the charge of murder.

Our Creator only had one statement to say concerning Moses that connected with the murder of the Egyptian. In Exodus, chapter four, verse nineteen, “the Lord said to Moses in Midian, ‘Go back to Egypt, for all the men who sought to kill you are dead’. This statement says nothing about Moses being a murderer. It only speaks of men that would kill him if they found him. I wonder what that total was? Was there no man that remembered the murder when Moses returned to the tribes of Israel? Did not Aaron his brother and his family know about the murder? Would not the Egyptians investigate Aaron’s house looking for Moses informing the family? Did Pharaoh’s daughter not know this thing? Was she even alive when Moses returned? Did not the other tribes of Israel hear of this incidence from the Egyptians in their search for Moses? And if they did know, did they forget over time about the murder or simple just not say a word. Never the less, the above verse is all that is said concerning the incident after Moses fled for his life.

No charges of claiming Moses as a murderer were ever brought forth or even mentioned by the Creator. The creator did bring a charge of murder in the case of Cain when he killed his brother. Cain’s statement was, “ Since you have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your Presence and become a restless wanderer on earth…” Cain was to keep away from the Creator’s presence and would never be able to approach him again. For Cain was not clean, he had blood on his hands. But in Moses case, Moses was in the presence of the Creator after the murder many times. Was this because Moses had no blood on his hands? Our Creator knew the truth to the murder.

“What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” Did not the Egyptian’s blood cry out also? Was he not also a man, a creation? Just because the Egyptian was not Hebrew does not make killing him right. In Numbers, chapter 35, verse 20-21, ‘But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die; he that smite him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer:’ In these verses it speaks of killing any person, not just of the tribes of Israel, Numbers 35:15.

It further states in Numbers 35:30, that in the case of a murderer that there must be more than one witness to the murder. In the death of the Egyptian there were but 2 persons that knew the true killer’s identity and one was the not about to volunteer evidence against himself.

How did Moses feel about the instructions that the Creator commanded? Exodus 20:13 says, ‘you shall not murder.’ And also in 21:12, ‘He who fatally strikes a man shall be put to death. If he did not do it by design, but it came about by an act of G-d, I will assign you a place to which to flee’. Was the murder of the Egyptian by design? It says, if I am correct, to strike a man intentionally. This was done in the Egyptians case. The blow was intended for the Egyptian because it states ‘he looked this way and that way’. In verse 14, ‘when a man schemes against another and kills him treacherously, you shall take him from my very altar to be put to death.’ So how did Moses feel, guilty of committing a sin? No, I believe he did not! Moses did not kill the Egyptian but only witnessed the horrible taking of a life.

It says in Exodus 2:11, ‘sometime after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their toil.’ First of all, Moses could not have been too old. Second, his Hebrew mother raised him. For it says in verse 10 that ‘when the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter”. Which is why later on Moses knew whom Aaron his brother was. This would also mean that Moses knew he was a Hebrew from the beginning. Moses must have just become of age to the point where he could go out on his on.

The Story of the murder should be told like this. ‘Sometime after that, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his kinsfolk and witnessed their toil. And this is what he seen. He (Moses) saw (this is what Moses witnessed, this is the toil) an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. He (the Hebrew being beaten) turned this way and that and seeing no one about (because he did not see Moses), he struck down the Egyptian and hid him (the Egyptian) in the sand. When he (then the story goes back to Moses or he could have been the Egyptian) went out the next day. So he (Moses) said to the offender the man that did the wrong, the murder), why do you strike that man? He (the Hebrew that killed the Egyptian) retorted (in self defense), Who made you chief and ruler over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? (The Hebrew was passing his crime to Moses, which was wrong. This was a testimonial of a false witness. Moses was shocked.) Moses was frightened, and thought, ‘then the matter is known!’ When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh.

Now from these verses comes a conversation of two men. ‘And he said to him that did the wrong, wherefore smitest thou fellow?’ This was the voice of Moses concerning the murder. And the return statement that came from the man that did the great wrong, the murderer, ‘ who made thee a prince and judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killest the Egyptian?’ Remember Moses was at his home and this was the second day. Because of this fact that he had not been out that he felt that this murderer told the people that he was the killer. Or the man may have said it loud enough that other people may have heard his statement. The real killer may not even had known that Moses was watching at the time until Moses asked him why he killed the Egyptian. The killer must have feared for his life knowing what he had done and falsely accused Moses as the murderer to save his own life. Moses feared for his life because of the false statement and had no choice but to flee for his life or die.

Now because this statement happened on the second day, Moses could have told his family. This could be the reason that Aaron his brother never spoke of Moses as a murderer. It could be that Moses’ family knew that Moses was not the murderer. Personally I would think that Moses would have spoken to someone close to him about what he had seen.

The fact that Moses was not the killer and was falsely accused must have been unbearable for him knowing that he did not do the crime accused him. It must have been very humbling. If Moses wrote these lines in the book of Exodus as some claimed, why did he not claim that he killed the Egyptian? Would he have admitted to the murderous crime if he had done it? Would he have tried to hide the fact from his family and the creator? Not possible! Even Aaron his brother would have known of the murder. The creator would have defiantly known the truth as to who took the life from the Egyptian. Moses never would have been able to even approach the Creator at any time in his life because he would have been unclean.

Joseph even knew of sin, so why would not Moses, Genesis 39:9, ‘how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against G-d?’ The Creators rules are well known by the destructions that took place even in the book of Genesis. Remember the story of the Flood and even Sodom and neighboring cities. Even the Creator adhered to the rules. Exodus, 23:7, ‘Keep thee far from a false matter, and the innocent and the righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.’ Leviticus 24:17, ‘And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.’ Verse 22, ‘Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the L-rd your G-d.’

Let us also recall that the Creator chose men for duties because of their righteousness. What kind of an example would be set if men that broke the instructions of the creator were picked as leaders and Prophets. Men that broke the instructions were cursed. Moses was blessed. Men that were adherent to the instructions were given very important positions. Moses defiantly was chosen for a very important task. Was Abraham picked from all the men of the earth for no reason? It states in Genesis that Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and he walked with the Creator. Joshua was chosen to lead after Moses’ death. Even Aaron, Moses brother was chosen as High Priest. Phinehas the son of Aaron the High Priest was chosen a high position because of the occurrence that took place in Numbers chapter 25. Our Creator chose all these men because of their righteousness.

Sometimes, we are informed as to what to believe without investigating the facts ourselves. Sometimes we do not comprehend what we have read. It is very important to understand what we read. Television sometimes gives us wrong impressions. The movie of the Ten Commandment gives us this same story of the murder of the Egyptian but it is incorrect. Sorry Charlton Heston, your writers were incorrect. Moses did not kill the Egyptian!