{"id":15041,"date":"2016-08-18T01:44:45","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T06:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/mosesthe-exodus-and-a-family-feud\/"},"modified":"2016-08-18T01:44:45","modified_gmt":"2016-08-18T06:44:45","slug":"mosesthe-exodus-and-a-family-feud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/mosesthe-exodus-and-a-family-feud\/","title":{"rendered":"MOSES,\nTHE EXODUS AND A FAMILY FEUD"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'><b>Joseph LoMusioa <\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Fixing an Exodus Date is Very Important<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>An attempt to fix a date for the Exodus of the Hebrew slaves from the land of Egypt remains an intriguing quest for many scholars and students of the Bible. The endeavor is frustrated significantly in that neither an exact date1 {related to our own century) nor any Pharaoh\u2019s name is given in the scriptural text. From a Biblical perspective, Moses<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 81<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Sphinx &#8211; seven stories high and nearly a football field Thutmose IV cleared the sand around it in the 15th c. B.C. the large tablet &#8211; the Dream Stela &#8211; between its paws. This stella may give a clue as to who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus and why.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>maintains the position as the central character, however all would agree that the identity of one or two key Pharaohs could be essential in determining when the Exodus occurred.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Most scholars are in harmony that the Biblical narrative implies the last Pharaoh of the period of the oppression had a long reign. While the oppression of the Hebrews undoubtedly spanned the administrations of a number of rulers, the most oppressive period, leading up to the years just before the Exodus, was the result of a Pharaoh who ruled for many years.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>This can be deduced from the reference in Exodus 2:23, which reads:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 82<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>\u201cAnd it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they cried\u201d (NIV translates: \u201cDuring that long period&#8230;\u201d).<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The third chapter of Exodus then goes on to record God\u2019s calling of Moses to leave the land of Midian, return to Egypt, confront the new Pharaoh, and orchestrate the exodus from bondage.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The sense of the narrative seems clear in showing that the Pharaoh who died was, in fact, the one who can be identified as the \u201cPharaoh of the Oppression,\u201d and that his reign was for \u201cmany days\u201d (<i>yamim harabim<\/i>). Furthermore, it should be logical to expect that his suc-<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>SIDEBAR:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'><b>Merneptah and the Israelites<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>Bryant G. Wood<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>The Merneptah Stela records a campaign into Palestine by Pharaoh Merneptah in the 13th century, BC. On the stela he specifically mentions Gezer, which has a destruction layer dating to the time of Merneptah, as a city that was captured by him. More important, the stela has the only extra-biblical reference to Israel in the pre-Monarehic period.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>The Merneptah Stela is, after all, a religious hymn and must be recognized as such. Its only purpose was to aggrandize the victories of the pharoah. It matters little whether the Israelites were a settled or nomadic people at this time, or even if Merneptah actually carried out a campaign in Palestine. What is important is the <i>Egyptian Scribe\u2019s perception of Israel<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>We may first observe that by ca. 1210 BC Israel was a recognized entity, known by name to Egyptian authorities. Secondly, it can be concluded that the entity known as Israel was a major force in Palestine at this time (Albright <i>BASOR<\/i> 74:22; Stager <i>Eretz-Israel<\/i> 18:61). She is mentioned in preference to the Shasu, the 71p\/ru, or any other group that might have been present in the area. Merneptah would have gained little in prestige if he was portrayed as having subjugated an insignificant or unknown people.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>There are two groupings of names in Merneptah\u2019s inscription. The first is a group of four city-states: The Canaan (the Egyptian term for Gaza: Katzenstein <i>JAOS<\/i> 102:112), Ashkelon, Gezer and Yeno\u2019am. Just before and after the city-state names are the names of larger national entities. It is in this latter group that the name \u201cIsrael\u201d appears (Ahlstrom and Edelman JNES 44:59\u201361). Note the company that Israel is keeping: Tehenu, which is Libya; Hatti (the Hittites), eastern Asia Minor and Northern Syria; and Kharu, a general designation for Syria-Palestine. In other words, Israel is listed with the major nations of the eastern Mediterranean, in parallel with the Hittites] By ca. 1210 BC, then, Israel was a fledgling nation with a measure of international standing.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>The major point to be made here is that the processes that took place in bringing Israel to nationhood must have transpired long before the time of Merneptah in order for her to have achieved this status by 1210 BC. Apart from the archaeological evidence, the <i>Merneptah Stela alone indicates that the destructions which occurred in Palestine around the time of Merneptah or later, have nothing to do with the initial appearance of the Israelites in Palestine<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>[From a paper given at the \u201cWho Was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?\u201d Symposium in Memphis, April 25, 1987.]<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>END SIDEBAR<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 83<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>cessor was Pharaoh of the Exodus.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Weakness of the Evidence for a Late Date<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Those who believe that the Exodus occurred early in the thirteenth century B.C. (the Late Date), especially those who believe Merneptah to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus, are quick to point out that the 67 year reign of Rameses II certainly qualifies him as being the Pharaoh of the oppression. This fact, coupled with their conclusion that Rameses is the pharaoh of Exodus chapter one, who ordered the building of the store-cities, Pithom and Raamses, already being in the land of Canaan by the fourth or fifth year of Merneptah\u2019s reign.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>If, on the other hand, Rameses II is the Pharaoh of the Exodus, it would be expected that his predecessor and father, Seti I, was the Pharaoh of the oppression. But Seti I reigned for only about a dozen years, and in no way qualifies for a long reign. Such is one of the \u201ccatch-22\u201d situations in which late date advocates find themselves.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>A further problem is to try to align the birth and life of Moses within the context of a late date scenario. The Bible mentions that Moses was forty years old when he fled to Midian (Acts 7:23\u201329), and that he was eighty upon his return to Egypt and participation in the exodus (Exodus 7:7; Acts 7:30).<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 84<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>According to the late date theory, Rameses II is the pharaoh of Exodus I: I I. Moses\u2019 birth, then, is recorded in Exodus 2:2, after an undetermined period of time has elapsed. The question naturally follows &#8211; how could Moses be born after Rameses II accession to the throne, and then eighty years later confront the same Rameses, whose reign spanned 67 years?<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>John Rea effectively points out that if the Exodus took place c. 1290 B.C. (during the reign of Rameses II), then Moses would have had to born in 1370 B.C. That, however, would place Moses\u2019 birth BACK into the Eighteenth Dynasty prior to Rameses II, who reigned during the Nineteenth Dynasty!2 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>It should be noted that this difficulty is NOT a problem within the context of an early date Exodus (mid-fifteenth century B.C.). In the framework of this view, the Exodus would have taken place inc. 1446 B.C., which then would locate Moses\u2019 birth at 1526 B.C. In that the Eighteenth Dynasty spanned the years from 1570 &#8211; 1315 B.C., both Moses\u2019 birth, as well as his participation in the Exodus, would be contained within the Dynasty.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>Accommodating Moses within the Nineteenth Dynasty, then, proves to be more than just an obstacle for late date theorists, it is more like a complete road block!<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>Further considerations prove<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>just as damaging to the late date theory. For instance, one must appreciate that the eighty years of Moses would exceed any pharaoh of the exodus generally accepted by the late date. As already demonstrated, ff Rameses II is the Pharaoh of the oppression, his reign lasted for 67 years {I 292\u20131225 according to Breasted,3 or 1304\u20131238 according to Wood4 ).<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>Research accomplished on Rameses\u2019 mummy revealed that he died at age ninety.5 This would mean that Rameses\u2019 accession took place in his twenty-third year. If Moses, as a baby, was found by Rameses\u2019 daughter, it is clear that she was at least old enough to walk with her friends and attendants, as well as make decisions (Exod. 2:5\u20139). The Pharaoh\u2019s edict against Hebrew babies would have been in force for some time, and so it is safe to assume that Moses\u2019 birth took place some time, say, within the first ten years of Rameses\u2019 reign.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>For argument\u2019s sake, if Moses\u2019 birth took place in Rameses\u2019 tenth year, then Moses, at the time of the Exodus, would have exceeded Rameses\u2019 reign by some twenty-three years. Now the problem for the late date theorist is that not only has the Exodus (on the strength of Moses\u2019 age) exceeded the time of Rameses, but also that of his son Merneptah, who reigned<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 85<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>for only about a dozen years! This would mean that the Exodus took place during the reign of Siphthah, or Seti II, as even late date advocate Montet is forced to admit.6 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>The Case for an Early Date<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The foregoing discussion on the Pharaoh of the oppression casts tremendous obstacles in the path of identifying him as Rameses II. However, the early date scenario, that which places the Exodus in the middle of the fifteenth century B.C., and within the context of the Eighteenth Dynasty, provides a much better candidate in Thutmose III.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>That Thutmose III qualifies as a pharaoh having a long reign is seen in the fact that he reigned as a co-regent with Hatshepsut for some twenty-two years, and as sole ruler for some thirty-two years, for a total of fifty-four years.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Thotmose\u2019s reign spanned the years 1503 to 1449 B.C.7 He fits, then, not only the qualification of a long reign, but also the date of his death falls just before the early date of the Exodus in 1446 B.C. These items coincide with what might be expected as a result of Exodus 2:23 and 4:19.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Moreover, the birth of Moses would then be around 1526 B.C., still within the Eighteenth Dynasty and, in fact, during the reign of Thutmose I (1541-1516 B.C.). Thutmose I\u2019s daughter, Hatshep-sut, could then have been the one who fished Moses out of the Nile and raised him as her own son (Exod. 2:1-10). It is precisely at this point that a very interesting and intriguing discussion on the Thutmosid feud develops, which makes a contribution in deciding on a date for the Exodus.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Queen Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I and his great wife, Queen Ahmose (or Aahmes). Queen Ahmose gave Thutmose four children, of which two sons and one daughter died in their youth, leaving only one girl, Hatshepsut, as royal heiress to the throne. Another son, Thutmose II, was born to Thutmose by a \u201clesser\u201d wife, Mutnofret. In that males traditionally ruled, and to insure that Thutmose II would be supported by the people, a marriage was arranged between Hatshepsut and her half-brother Thutmose II.8 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Thutmose II also had a son (by a lesser wife} who is Thutmose III, and one is left to ponder that this son grows up in all the finery of Egyptian royalty alongside, of all people, his step-brother\/cousin Moses! The writer of the book of<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 86<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>Hebrews indicates that Moses (as might be expected as Queen Hatshepsut\u2019s adopted son) was an heir to the Egyptian throne (Heb. 11:24, 26). If this is indeed the case, imagine the interpersonal tensions and rivalry that would have existed between him and the other heir, Thutmose III!<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Thutmose II has an uneventful reign and dies, leaving an aggressive Hatshepsut to seize control of the throne. Hatshepsut has a distinguished reign, assuming the titles and dress of a male pharaoh. Even though Thutmose Ill was co-regent, there was no doubt as to who exerted the more influence. In<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>QUEEN HATSHEPSUT in the garb of a Pharaoh.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 87<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>effect the government was in the hands, not of the young king, but of his step-mother.9 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>When Hatshepsut dies, Thutmose III assumes sovereign control of the throne of Egypt. Some believe, in fact, that he was the cause of her death.10 It is clear that a period of hostility transpires against all who were associated with Hatshepsut. With a vengeance demonstrating his contempt for his step-mother\/aunt, Thutmose attempts to obliterate all record of her reign. Her statues were destroyed, her monuments defaced and her name erased from her cartouches and replaced with the names of Thutmose I or Thutmose II.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The young pharaoh\u2019s wrath is also directed at the queen\u2019s followers. Systematically they are eliminated. The sarcophagus of Hatshepsut\u2019s closest political ally, Senmut, was found smashed to over a thousand fragments, and his mummy removed (and still undiscovered). Habusoneh, the politician-priest who supported the queen also had his named erased from all tomb walls and statues. The same fate met Senmut\u2019s brother Senmen. These all having to enter the underworld defaced and defrauded nameless souls!11 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The point in all this is that it should be logical that Moses, related as he was to Hatshepsut, would also have felt the vengeance of the new Pharaoh. It is the belief of some that Moses\u2019 departure into Midian, coupled with his killing of an Egyptian (Exod. 2:11\u201315), coincides with this political upheaval brought about by the death of his step-mother, Hatshepsut. No wonder Pharaoh sought his life (Exod. 2:15), and that it was not until the death of Thutmose that God gave Moses the \u201call-clear\u201d to return to Egypt (Exod. 4:19). On this possibility, Davis observes: <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>If the early date of the exodus is indeed the correct one, Thutmose III would be the likely candidate for the \u201cPharaoh of the oppression.\u201d The Pharaoh of the oppression was on the throne at the time of Moses\u2019 flight from Egypt and died approximately 30 or 40 years later, thus permitting Moses to return. It may well have been that the vengeance sought upon Moses was not only due to Moses\u2019 murder of an Egyptian official but if&#8230;(he) was associated with Hat-shepsut he, like all other individuals, would have suffered the reprisals of Thutmose III for his twenty-one year humiliation.12 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>It is significant, at this point, to note that when Moses does arrive back in Egypt, who does he confront as the new Pharaoh but Thutmose\u2019s son Amenhotep II. While they may not have known each other personally, the fact remains that Moses was the new pharaoh\u2019s step-uncle!<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The interpersonal tensions created by such a forced relationship are clearly seen in the sequences of their stormy confrontations (Exod. 5\u201310). To make matters even more humiliating for the young pharaoh, Moses still maintained a degree of stature in Egypt (to be sure, a fact only possible due to his association with the beloved Hatshepsut). Note that Exodus 11:3 records, \u201cMoreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of pharaoh\u2019s servants, and in the sight of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Now the above observations should demonstrate how accurately the early life of Moses, along<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 88<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>with the political intrigue surrounding his adoption by Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, correlates with the Thutmosid feuding in the Eighteenth Dynasty. That this same correlation cannot be realized in the Nineteenth Dynasty must also be admitted, as well as the problems of placing Moses\u2019 birth and life within that dynasty as explained earlier.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>In summary, the relationship between Moses and the Thutmosid line with all its potential for political intrigue and family in-fighting is illustrated in the diagram on the next page.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Amenhotep II: Pharaoh of the Exodus<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The discussion to this point has dealt exclusively with Moses and the Pharaoh of the oppression. In identifying him however, the identity of the Pharaoh of the Exodus would not seem to be too much of a problem.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Late date advocates somehow desire to make Rameses II both the Pharaoh of the oppression and the Exodus. As has been demonstrated, this simply is not possible. He cannot be both, and in fact, he is neither.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Thutmose Ill, on the other hand, is the more probable candidate to be the Pharaoh of the oppression. If he is, then his son and successor, Amenhotep II is easily identified as the Pharaoh of the Exodus.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The reign of Amenhotep II coincides perfectly with an early date scenario; the exodus taking place in c. 1446 B.C., or not too long after his accession. He ascended the throne at about the age of eighteen, and would seem to have<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 89<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Diagram shows the relationship of Moses to various members of the pharonic house and the relationship of the pharaohs to each other.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 90<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>been carefully trained by his famous father. He prided himself on being an accomplished sportsman and warrior. Gardiner records the following discovery depicting these exploits:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>A great stele unearthed near the great Sphinx gives an exaggeratedly laudatory account of his accomplishments. His muscular strength was extraordinary: we are told he could shoot at a metal target of one palm\u2019s thickness and pierce it in such a way that his arrow would stick out on the other side&#8230; When he was eighteen years of age he was already an expert in all the art of Mont, the god of war&#8230; So admirable a horseman was he that his father Thutmosis entrusted him with the freest steeds of his stable, and these he trained so skillfully that they could cover long distances without sweating.13 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>This prideful attitude is also seen in his diplomatic dealings. Another inscription found at Semna reveals his contempt for foreign enemies. He declares the northerners to be a useless lot, and also warns his viceroy in Nubia to watch closely the inhabitants there, along with their magicians. Of his character, depicted by this inscription, Gardiner comments, \u201cA typically Egyptian combination of naivete and boastfulness!\u201d14 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>How well this prideful nature fits the Biblical account of the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Exod. 5:2, 7:14; 8:15: 9:35: note especially 10:3), as well as his contempt for foreigners (Exod. 5:6\u201314; 5:17\u201318; 5:21; and 10:28).<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>It is a salient point, furthermore, to notice that there is evidence of a general rebellion following the death of the powerful Thutmose III. This rebellion was something Amenhotep II had to face consistently in the early years of his reign. Budge commented that the new pharaoh \u201cfound himself plunged in wars with the tributary peoples, who on the death of Thothmes III, declared themselves free.\u201d15 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>This observation is noteworthy when understood in the context that this widespread sense of rebellion and quest for freedom would also have been shared by the enslaved Hebrews. In fact, the Biblical narrative states that the death of the pharaoh of the oppression accentuated their longing for freedom; \u201cAnd it came to pass in the course of those many days, that the king of Egypt died (Thutmose III), and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage and they crled&#8230;\u201d(Exod. 2:23). In this conjunction, note further, \u201cAnd afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh (Amenhotep II), thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go&#8230;\u201d (Exod. 5:1).<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>While Amenhotep II fancied himself as a military genius, much like his father, the records show that his military exploits all took place early in his reign, with a curious absence during the later part of his reign. There is good reason to believe that something happened within the first half-dozen years of his administration that severely hampered his career as a conqueror. Archer offers the following observation:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>Amenhotep II, who doubtless hoped to equal his father\u2019s military prowess, seems to have suffered some serious reverse in his military resources, for he was unable to carry out any invasions or extensive military operations after his fifth year (1445 B.C.) until the modest campaign of his ninth year (according to Memphis stela, at least &#8211; the chronology of this reign is a bit confused). This relative feeble-<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 91<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>ness of his war effort (by comparison with that of his father} would well accord with a catastrophic loss of the flower of his chariotry in the waters of the Red Sea during their vain pursuit of the fleeing Israelites.16 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>This possibility, also advanced by Aling, would certainly explain the lessening of Amenhotep\u2019s ability to wage successful warfare. From an historical vantage point it would again give credence to the view that Amenhotep II was indeed the Pharaoh of the Exodus, and the hapless target of the awesome display of God\u2019s power in the miracle at the Red Sea (Exod. 14:19\u201331).17 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Heir Apparent Mysteriously Dies: Thutmose IV Ascends Throne<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Another observation is that the \u201cDream\u201d stele of Thutmose IV correlates well with Amenhotep II as the Pharaoh of the Exodus. The tenth and final plague to come upon Egypt was the death of all the firstborn in the land (Exod. 11:1\u20136). The records show that Amenhotep\u2019s son Thutmose IV dld succeed him, but that Thutmose was not the Pharaoh\u2019s oldest son!<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>This is verified, many believe, by the Dream stele which Thutmose IV erected, in which he refers to his eventual and surprising ascension to the throne. Unger comments:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>If Amenhotep II was the reigning Pharaoh of the Exodus, his eldest son was slain in the tenth plague. It is plain from the monuments that Thutmose IV (1425-1412 B.C.), who excavated the sphinx, was not the eldest son of Amenhotep II. The so-called \u201cDream Inscription of Thutmose IV\u201d recorded on an immense slab of red granite near the sphinx at Gizeh states that while yet a youth the future Pharaoh had fallen asleep under the famous monument and dreamed. In his dream the sphinx appeared to him, startling him with a prophecy that one day he would become king of Egypt and bidding him clear the sand away from her feet in token of gratitude.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>It is clear from this ancient record that Thutmose IV was not Amenho-tep\u2019s eldest son, since his hopes of succession to the throne were apparently remote as the law of primogeniture was in force in Egypt at this time.18 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>It would seem obvious that Thutmose\u2019s ascension to the throne would not have been so remote as to amaze him at its possibility by the promise of the sphinx, if he was Amenhotep\u2019s firstborn and, therefore, rightfully next in line. Remarks Hayes, \u201cThis fanciful tale&#8230;suggests that Thutmose IV was not his father\u2019s heir apparent, but had obtained the throne through an unforseen turn of fate, such as the premature death of an older brother.\u201d19 To this Rawlinson agrees, as he notes:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>It would seem that Thothmes was not the eldest son, or expectant heir of his predecessor, since he ascribes his ascension to the special favor of Harmachis, and relates how that deity appeared to him as he slept, and raised his thoughts to the hope o f sovereignty.20 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Late Date Inadequacies Reviewed<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>In conclusion, the late date view cannot easily explain the difficulties resulting from placing Moses\u2019 birth and life within the framework of its scenario. It cannot provide the intriguing political atmosphere created by Moses being raised in Pharaoh\u2019s home, as does the early view with its association in the Eighteenth Dynasty. It must reject Scripture, manipulate chronology,<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=right style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:right; line-height:normal'><i>BSP<\/i> 2:3 (Summer 1989) p. 92<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;line-height:normal'>suggest archaeological conclusions questionable in light of historical fact, and deny the interpersonal relationships created and unique to only one Dynasty out of thirty!<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Archer is certainly accurate when he concludes:<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;line-height:normal'>In short, the Late Date Theory, which implies an outright rejection of the Biblical chronology as fallacious in at least three passages, labors under such a complex of difficulties and improbabilities as to be incapable of logical defense.21 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:center; line-height:normal'><b>Conclusion: The Evidence and Circumstances Support an Early Date<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Amenhotep II more than adequately fulfills the requirements needed to be the Pharaoh of the Exodus. His reign coincides with the early date theory. He demonstrates the pride and arrogance evidenced by the pharaoh in the Biblical account. Widespread rebellion, in which the enslaved Hebrews could have been caught up, was part of his early reign. He evidently suffered some sort of debilitating setback which severely weakened his war machine for a number of years, and could be explained by the devastating loss of his chariots at the Red Sea. Finally, his successor, Thutmose IV, while a son, was not his firstborn, that son having been slain at the time of the tenth plague and passover.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>It is the conclusion set forth here, then, that the Exodus of the Hebrew slaves took place some time in the middle of the fifteenth century, approximately 1446 B.C. The Exodus was accomplished during the reign of Amenhotep II, who was the successor to the great Thutmose III, the Pharaoh of the oppression. Subsequently, the conquest of Palestine, as led by Joshua, took place some forty years later, at the end of the fifteenth century and beginning of the fourteenth.22 <\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>Furthermore, it is the conviction offered here that the early date view is supported by the weight of archaeological evidence when processed through the grid of historical fact. It must be maintained that the whole area of palestinian archaeology relative to the Exodus and especially the conquest should be reviewed and processed with these historical considerations as guidelines.<\/p>\n<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-indent:18.0pt;line-height: normal'>The events of Scripture and the Biblical account of the Exodus are in concert far more efficiently with Egyptian history when the Exodus is understood as occurring in the fifteenth century B.C. It is, therefore, this Early Date view which remains the most faithful and consistent with the Biblical text in its record of chronology and history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joseph LoMusioa Fixing an Exodus Date is Very Important An attempt to fix a date for the Exodus of the Hebrew slaves from the land of Egypt remains an intriguing quest for many scholars and students of the Bible. The endeavor is frustrated significantly in that neither an exact date1 {related to our own century) &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/mosesthe-exodus-and-a-family-feud\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;MOSES,<br \/>\nTHE EXODUS AND A FAMILY FEUD&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15041\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}