Recently, my family sat down to watch Exodus Gods and Kings. Now, I know I’m a bit behind the curve on this one. There are, I’m sure, several good articles on the horror of Hollywood once again twisting up the Bible and “getting it wrong.” This article is NOT about the many things that were wrong about the movie. Instead, I want to discuss what was GREAT about this movie!
#1 – My daughter opened her Bible.
I was super proud of my daughter. We’ve all read the history of Moses in the book of Exodus; but, sometimes a detail would crop up, and we’d ponder amongst ourselves: Is that what really happened? My daughter put a stop to all the speculation when she said, “Let me get my Bible and we’ll look.” You better believe we paused the movie right then and let her look up the detail we wanted to know about.
What I continued to ruminate on is the fact that we as Christians are often ready to pounce on anything wrong in a Hollywood movie because they are notorious for “getting it wrong.” On the other hand, there are many materials with which we come in contact that we don’t even question; yet, they are just as able to get something wrong. I want to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). I feel that sometimes we rely too heavily on curriculum to teach classes instead of reading directly from the Bible. I feel that sometimes we rely too heavily on the preacher to tell us what the Bible means instead of reasoning for ourselves from his arguments to be sure his position lines up with the Scriptures. Can you imagine listening to Paul preach a sermon and then delving into the Bible to make sure that he preached the truth? But it’s PAUL! Yet, we see in Acts 17:11 that this is exactly what the Bereans are commended for—testing the spirit from Paul and his companion, Silas.
#2 – The movie focused on the humanity of Moses.
The purpose of the book of Exodus in the Bible is very different from the purpose of Hollywood’s Exodus. Be aware, for sure, of the fact that the details are right in some places, close in others, and downright wrong in others (like having Moses’s visions be a possible result of multiple head injuries…drove me nuts!). Still, what I took away from the film enriched my understanding of Exodus on the side of humanity and what Moses went through. For this reason, I allowed myself to enjoy the movie and encourage others to do the same. Things that are brought out in the movie which I didn’t think much of before:
- The heartache Moses had for the Egyptian people. I knew from the Bible, but it didn’t seem very significant, that Moses grew up in the palace. He likely knew Pharaoh intimately. In other circumstances, the boy who died may have been as a cherished family member to him. During the plagues, I am usually so focused on the amazing power of God (which is a good meditation as well!), that I don’t think about how Moses may have been heartbroken during the whole affair. He may even have questioned the righteousness of God for inflicting these plagues on so many people. (No, that’s not in the Bible; but, what can we take from it?) When we choose to follow God, sometimes there are people around us who do not understand. People who refuse to follow God. People who we may even have tried to convict. People who died in sin. A family member who you know wasn’t baptized and so you can pray only for God’s mercy and leave it in the hands of the Omnipotent & the Just.
- The fear Moses experienced. Okay, I hope no one thinks I’m criticizing the Bible here because I’m not. If anything I’m criticizing how little we ponder on the nuances available to which the movie happened to open my eyes. In the Bible, it is so quick from one line to the next, one moment to the next. Moses is afraid; then, he does the right thing. Moses messes up; then, he presses forward and is an awesome leader again. We can very easily (I certainly have) get the impression that temptation to do wrong is always a brief, easily overcome feeling. What I appreciated about the movie is the tension from the sections between the lines (if you follow my metaphor, here). Becoming a Moses, or a David, or a Daniel isn’t easy, and we shouldn’t get the idea that it is! It’s hard. It’s stressful. We may not overcome the first time we try something. A story in my life – I worried. I overcame my anxiety. Never mind that it took several years in between those two sentences. This is exactly what was brought out to me in the movie—a reminder to read between the lines.
Could these things be pondered on without seeing the movie? Absolutely! That’s the main reason I wrote this article, anyway. If you don’t wish to watch a movie that definitely “got it wrong;” then, I would still encourage you to re-read the account of Moses and ponder those moments between the sentences (the importance of reading between the lines is true of much of the Bible—try on the sentence in Matt. 19: “Jesus was beaten;” then, read historical accounts of what all is entailed in a Roman beating—whoa!). The humanity of Moses brought me comfort. I hope it does the same for you.
Tricia Reno