I think it's from the Midrasch.
Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God parted the Red Sea and let them pass through. Then while Pharoah's army was still in there, God allowed the water to close up and drown all the Egyptians.
One angel in heave who was watching this, went to God and said, "Father! Shall we sing and dance and celebrate?"
The story goes that God turned His head to the angel and there were huge tears rolling down God's face.
God asked the angel, "My children lay dead at the bottom of the Red Sea, and you want to sing and dance?"
2007-07-20 06:20:52 · 14 answers · asked by Acorn 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Sorry... that's supposed to be "One angel in heaven", not "heave."
2007-07-20 06:24:57 · update #1
I think it makes a good point about God loving all his children. even those who are doing wrong at the time. Just because he saved the people who were doing his will, the egyptians were still his children.
2007-07-20 06:26:07 · answer #1 · answered by Melissa H 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It irritates me. The character of God portrayed in this story is one of a very contradictory, hypocritical character.
He's all powerful. One group of his children is chasing his favorite group of children with murderous intent. He could have put up his pillars of flame and kept the two apart. Instead he parted the sea for the first group and then drowned the second group. When he was drowning them instead of doing any of the multitude of non-lethal methods did he stop to think that he was killing his kids? It seems not. It's only when an angel wants to celebrate that he sheds a tear and seeks sympathy because he's just killed his children.
I'd have asked, as an angel, why he didn't restrain rather than kill them if he was so concerned about the death of his children. Of course he might have zapped me for it, in the story he's clearly unstable.
2007-07-20 13:31:59 · answer #2 · answered by thatguyjoe 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
YES! The bible contains a lot of cruel and strange things. Why did god send a plague on all the Egyptians, when Pharaoh was the cause of the problems.not the average Egyptian working man. he just lived under an absolute monarchy, and did what he was told.
I take it the question was about the cruelty of god, in the OT.
2007-07-20 13:26:26 · answer #3 · answered by robert2020 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is fascinating. I don't think it could come from "the" Midrash, though, since as far as I know, Midrash is the interpretative technique used in Rabbinical Judaism to understand religious texts. This may be an oral tradition passed down from Moses. I don't know. Jews, if I don't know what I'm talking about, let me know.
2007-07-20 13:35:06 · answer #4 · answered by delsydebothom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God didn't create us just to be mean and destroy us. He created us to love us and for us to love Him. We instead, destroyed ourselves by putting the creation before the Creator. He extends mercy to all but will only strive with man for so long. There will come a time that God will allow you to harden your heart against Him and finally He will answer your prayers to flee from you and He will leave you to your own destruction.
2007-07-20 13:32:26 · answer #5 · answered by Gir 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Makes you wonder what tears were shed when he sent the rains and only Noah and one pair of every animal survived doesn't it?
2007-07-20 13:26:27 · answer #6 · answered by Agony Aunt 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No I have not heard that part of the story. Do you have a source for that. Email me with it if you wish.
-B
2007-07-20 13:25:51 · answer #7 · answered by The Brian 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Utter nonsense.
According to this story, god is certifiably insane.
Of course, it's just a story, mythology, fairy-tale. But reality? Nope.
2007-07-20 13:27:28 · answer #8 · answered by Yoda Green 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
This story is about the love God has for His creation, which He demonstrates constantly. It's a lovely story.
2007-07-20 13:28:21 · answer #9 · answered by cmw 6 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Seems logical to me.
2007-07-20 13:27:23 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋