Moses – What does his name make you think of? Maybe movies such as, “The Ten Commandments” or “The Prince of Egypt” come to mind. Moses is definitely one of the most famous Biblical figures from the Old Testament. He grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, only to come back later and free God’s people. He penned the first five books of the Bible: Genesis through Deuteronomy. God chose him to give His Law and Commandments to the Israelites.
But let’s take a minute to consider: do we really know Moses according to the Bible? How does he fit into the bigger picture within God’s greater plan? And what do his life and actions have to do with us today?
Let’s take a closer look and answer these questions.
Why Did Israel Need a Savior in the First Place?
At the end of Genesis, Jacob’s sons and their families had settled in the land of Egypt because of a famine that was plaguing their homeland. Over the years, the Israelites grew in number. In fact, they grew so numerous that the Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, began to fear them. He enslaved the Israelites and ordered that all male, Hebrew babies be slain to try and limit their rapid growth.
The Israelites were suffering in a situation so horrible that all they could do was pray to God for help. They had been slaves for over 400 years at this point. While it seemed like all hope was lost, God listened to their cries for help and answered.
While the Egyptians were busy killing all the male Hebrew babies, one family from the Levite tribe hid their son away. They hid him in a basket made of reeds and sent him down the Nile River, not knowing the fate their son would meet.
If you were in that position as a parent, what would you have done? It’s a terrifying thought for sure, and it’s a difficult choice to make. Yet, these two parents tried to save their son hoping God would rescue him.
Then something quite unexpected happened. The Pharaoh’s daughter found the basket that had the baby boy while she was bathing in the Nile. She saw that he was one of the Hebrew males, but had pity on him. So, she adopted him as her son and named him, “Moses.” (Exodus 2:1-10)
Moses: The Man
Moses grew up in the Pharaoh’s household, presumably as a prince. He had wealth and power. He was an Israelite who was rescued from slavery. Was this by chance, or was it part of the greater plan and purpose that God had in mind for Moses?
Sometime later, when Moses was grown, he saw a Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave. If you saw something like that, what would be your reaction? Defend the Hebrew slave or keep quiet and continue to live your royal and comfortable life? Moses chose to defend his fellow Hebrew, and ended up killing the Egyptian.
Moses, fearing Pharaoh would find out and kill him, fled Egypt. He went to the land of Midian and stayed there for a time.
Moses: The Calling
While he was in Midian, God chose Moses to be His messenger.
“And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Exodus 3:9-12
God saw the Israelites’ pain and heard their cries. He knew that the time was right to fulfill His promise He made to Abraham ten generations before:
“Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.”
Genesis 15:13-14
Moses: The Life That Was Promised in Advance
God promised Abraham that he would have many descendants, but that they’d be taken captive (as slaves) in a foreign land. When the reality of those events happened, Abraham’s descendants were the Israelites and the foreign land that took them captive was Egypt.
Finally, after about 430 years, God made big moves to complete that promise. His people, the Israelites, had to come out of Egypt (with great wealth), and Egypt was judged.
God saw Moses, the one whose life had been spared from the river, who had murdered someone, and was now in hiding, and called him to go back to Egypt to do His work. Think of God using Moses like how a musician uses an instrument. Moses was the one who delivered God’s words to the people, he spoke on behalf of God. Like a lawyer speaking on behalf of his client. Moses had a huge responsibility. But God promised to be with him, and gave him the skills needed to do what God asked.
Moses: The Deliverer
How do you think Moses felt after God told him to go back to Egypt and bring out an entire nation? I know I would have been overwhelmed. Moses felt that way too, and pleaded with God to send someone else. But God chose Moses for this task and would not relent. He met all of Moses’s excuses with a solution (Exodus 4:10-17).
When Moses finally returned to Egypt, to Pharaoh’s courts with his brother, Aaron, to speak for him, he told the king to let the Israelites go free. But Pharaoh rejected them each time. And after each rejection, God sent plagues. I’m sure you’ve heard of the ten plagues of Egypt. It might seem cruel, but God had a purpose for sending the plagues.
For one thing, the plagues made it very clear to the Israelites that Egypt was not a place they would want to remain in. But the plagues were also judgment on the land of Egypt for taking God’s people captive and making them slaves. After that ended, God led the Israelites out through Moses, as He promised.
“The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.”
Exodus 12:40-41
Moses: The Leader of God’s Chosen People
Even if it takes generations, God always keeps His promises. After coming out of Egypt, God guided Moses to lead the Israelites to Mount Sinai. There, using Moses as the spokesperson, God made a covenant with the Israelites, His desire and will for His people.
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
Exodus 19:5-6
Through this covenant, and the Law that was given soon after, God wanted to train His chosen people to become a holy nation. Then, they could eventually teach others about God. There is always a greater purpose for what God is doing. While it might have seemed like he was playing favorites with the Israelites, he was ultimately trying to prepare them to make Him known throughout the whole world.
Where Moses Fits into the Bigger Picture
We can see that Moses was not just a man who wanted to help an oppressed people out of his good will. He wasn’t doing it to make a social statement or gain his own followers. He was someone who was faithful to God as a servant and testified on God’s behalf about things that would happen in the future (Hebrews 3:5).
Moses was also the first leader of the nation of Israel, and built the tabernacle, a holy place where God could be with His people, according to the design God showed him (Exodus 25:8-9). In Hebrews 8:5-6, we read that everything Moses did in the Old Testament was just foreshadowing events to come in the future.
They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”
Hebrews 8:5
A Foreshadowing of What was to Come
If you look closely at the ministry of Jesus, you’ll start to notice similarities with Moses’s story. Jesus was also sent to fulfill a promise made about him and to save God’s people. Jesus came to establish a new covenant to be kept with God’s people so that they could spread the gospel throughout the entire world and receive salvation.
God gave us a physical foreshadowing in history through the life of Moses to help us understand the life and work of Jesus on an even deeper level. We can use the example of the Israelites to teach us what to do and what not to do in our own lives of faith.
Moses: The Result and What We Should Do
Ultimately, the first generation and even Moses himself did not enter the promised land on account of disobedience and not fully believing in God’s words. When faced with impossible circumstances, the Israelites chose fear of men over faith in God’s promise. In doing so, they missed out on receiving God’s promised reward.
What does that mean for us? First, we need to know what God has promised us at this time as Christians. How can we keep the promise if we don’t know the content of it? And once we know it, we need to have faith and believe that God will keep that promise. And when He does, we need to believe.
God knows what He is doing, even when we can’t understand it right away. So let’s keep the life of Moses in mind. A man, chosen by God to do the impossible. A person whose life was used by God to fulfill a promise that only God could fulfill. We also need to be willing to be used, obedient to God’s call and command, and have faith in His promises.
Written by Kenny
Read More
What is the Covenant and Are You Keeping It?
Why Are the Pharisees the Bad Guys in the New Testament?
Why is God So Angry in the Bible?
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