Casting Out Demons

The LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his land" (Exodus 7:1-2)

Though seemingly similar in the context of their mission, subtle differences lie between that of the first and second passage. Within the text itself, the authors of the New Testament incorporated many of the theological ideals and traditions of the Old Testament working within these traditions to create new ones ideologies.

New Testament Notes

Teacher. The one who gives new generations the cultural heritage of a society the skills, knowledge, customs, and attitudes acquired over the years (Americana 344). The disciples of Jesus looked up to him as a teacher who showed the path in which they should take by distinguishing between what is right and what is wrong so that his people could understand what they must do. Though Jesus is the teacher of his followers he was teaching the word of his father the LORD so that all would know of his kingdom. Much like the Old Testament Jesus must repeatedly teach and show the power and strength of the LORD through his miracles. Comparable to the second passage in which Moses is given the powers that only God possess allows him to teach those who are not followers (Pharaoh and the Egyptians) of YHWH through plague and violence that he is the all powerful God.

Casting out demons. To get rid of or repudiate away demonic spirits Jesus and his disciples were given the power to cast demonic spirits out of those who were possessed (Blue Letter Bible). The relinquishing of demons in humans is uniquely found within the New Testament, comparable to the Old Testament where Yahweh would kill or plague those who sinned against him.

Following. Consistent to the imagery of Israel's freed slaves from the hand of Pharaoh, Jesus led the disciples and his flowers just as Moses did when taking them to the promise land. This is consistent to the second passage in which Moses is to become the leader of the Israelites. Jesus lashes out upon his disciples for trying to stop the man from doing to work of the LORD. "Do not stop him" (Mark 9:39).

Whoever is not against us is for us. Separating those who are followers of Christ and those who are enemies of the LORD Jesus draws a line in the sand proclaiming that you are either an enemy of the LORD or a follower. This strong language within the passage conveys a message of strict guidelines in which followers must adhere to, to be protected, which is found throughout the Old and New Testament. "Let my people go, so that they may worship me. For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, the hand of the LORD will strike with deadly pestilence your livestock in the field: the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing shall die of all that belongs to the Israelites'" (Exodus 9:1-4).

Reward. A reminder of the past covenants such as the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, those who follow in the steps of Jesus and do as he says will be rewarded. Though Jesus tells of the rewards in the heavens he also rewards his followers by feeding their empty stomachs and casting out demons from those who are possessed. The Gospel or "Good News" of Jesus is a message of the rewards that were to come after life on earth (Americana 99).

Old Testament Notes

I have made you like God. Directly relating to the powers that Jesus possesses in the first passage, Moses is given the capacity to perform amazing miracles that God only possesses.

Aaron and Jesus' disciples not only listen to the word of their teacher but act as prophets spreading the word to those who will listen.

Prophet. One who is a channel of divine revelation and messages (Americana 663). An acting prophet of Moses, Aaron proclaims the messages of the LORD to pharaoh warning him of his fate if he does not act quickly to release the Israelites.

You shall speak all that I command you. An order given to Moses, God commands him strongly that he shall only speak what God tells him to say. A major distinction between the first passage and the second of the words that are given to Moses. Moses is given these words by God himself contrary to the first passage where Jesus is practically born with the information and does not need a divine revelations by God to answer the questions of his people and non believers. "He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above" (John 3:2-3).

Comments

Largely influenced by the Old Testament, the authors of the New Testament related to the Old text to create a connection between both pieces of literature. Both Moses and Jesus walked in the place of God, to spread the word of YHWH and to show his strength among the people.

Proclaimed by his followers as a prophet of God, Jesus did not fulfill the messianic prophecies unlike that of the prophets before him. As with past prophets their goals had been laid out before them and they accomplished what they were chosen to do. "The cry of the Israelites has come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:9-10). Moses was chosen to lead YHWH's people out of Egypt and to their promise land unlike Jesus who did not complete any of the tasks he was created for. He was to build the third temple as stated in Ezekiel 37:26-26, Gather the Jews back to the land of Israel as stated in Isaiah 43:5-6, usher in a new era of world peace as stated in Isaiah 2:4, and spread universal knowledge of the God of Israel (Simmons). "And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one" (Zechariah 14:9). Though the authors of the New Testament kept many of the same traditions, they as well stepped away from the traditions of the Old Testament stripping away the restrictions stated in past texts.

Though these passages are connected through covenants, prophets, and divine law the writers of the New Testament kept within many of the strict traditional rules of the Hebrew text but as well stepped outside of those restraints to create their own biblical stories.

Bibliography
The new Oxford annotated Bible. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

"Teaching." Encyclopedia Americana. International Edition. 1829.

"Prophet." Encyclopedia Americana. International Edition. 1829.

"Gospel." Encyclopedia Americana. International Edition. 1829.

Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for apobolē (Strong's 580)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2009. 8 May 2009. < http:// www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?
strongs=G580 >

Simmons, Rabbi Shraga. "Why Jews Don't Believe in Jesus." Jewish World 7 March 2004 Web.10 May 2009. .