The Ten Commandments (1956) is one of my favorite movies. I’ve both praised and poked a little fun at it over the years in my reviews. It’s an exceptional film, no matter what. I know this because (nearly 70 years after its debut) it continues to pleasantly surprise me in wonderful ways. I would like to share a small but brilliant detail in this movie that makes so much sense based on something I recently learned about Moses.

Emotional Scene

Do you remember the scene where Moses is brought before Seti in chains? I sure hope so because it’s one of the film’s biggest emotional gut punches. Seti has been the closest thing to a father that Moses has ever known. He loved Moses. And Moses now has to defy him and all but demand that Seti judge his own son worthy of death.

When the moment comes to pronounce judgement, Seti falters and can’t speak the words. But he does the next best thing. First, he gives the kingdom (and the hand of the woman Moses loves) to Moses’ greatest rival, Ramses. Then he makes a terrible decree that the name of Moses be stricken from every book, tablet, pylon, obelisk, monument, and every other official record kept by the Egyptians.

Two Lessons from This

I didn’t fully understand this moment as a kid. It seemed like overkill for Seti to try to erase Moses from all of Egypt. As an adult, I now realize that there are two fascinating lessons from this moment.

First, when Seti says, “Let the name of Moses be unheard and unspoken, erased from the memory of men for all time,” he’s saying that he himself wishes to forget Moses because of the grief and pain he’s now experiencing at losing him. It’s an incredibly personal statement disguised as an official proclamation. And he breaks his own law on his deathbed when he speaks the name of Moses as his final word before dying.

Second, it demonstrates the puny power of man compared to the mighty power of God. Pharoah was seen as basically a god, and Egypt’s military and industrial strength was unchallenged at this time in the ancient world. Its monuments still stand today as a testament to its former greatness while most other ancient civilizations have been completely erased. When Pharoah decreed something, it was written and done according to his will, as though God himself had proclaimed it to be so.

But this scene demonstrates the folly of this belief in Pharoah (or any other mortal man) as anything approaching the majesty of the God of Israel. Pharoah’s words are dripping with irony because they are true and false at the same time. There is no mention of Moses in ancient Egyptian writings or monuments. I hadn’t realized that until recently.

If we went purely off the historical evidence, we would have to conclude that he never existed. However, Moses went on to become one of the most-celebrated prophets of all time. Through him, God established His law to the Hebrews, known as the Law of Moses, ensuring that his name would be spoken of forever.

Moses wrote the first five books of the Holy Bible, which is the most-published book of all time. He is revered as a prophet by every Abrahamic religion, while the Egyptian Pharoah is barely spoken of beyond academic circles or Biblical stories ironically written by Moses himself.

So Let It Be Written

Only a prophet can make such a far-reaching proclamation into the future that actually comes true. Because it is backed up by the authority of God, not of man. We later see Seti’s son Ramses attempt to wax prophetic when he is angry at Moses. Like father like son, he fails in the attempt, and Moses points it out in dramatic fashion.

The biggest lesson I learned from this part of The Ten Commandments is that we mortals (even kings and presidents) can make decrees and try to impose our will on the world. But only the words spoken by the Almighty and His prophets carry any weight, when all is said and done. It can seem like evil is winning in the short term, such as when Moses is taken away in chains. But that is only because we can’t see as far into the horizon as God does.

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail – always. Moses is spoken of today, even more than in Pharoah’s time. I love that The Ten Commandments managed to highlight that fact so clearly, and it took me many decades to catch up to its cleverness. No matter what we might try to do to fight against God, it will come to naught just as much as the most powerful leader in the world trying to crush a seemingly powerless son of Hebrew slaves.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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