Looking At Moses  

As we read the Scriptures regarding the life experiences of Moses, we see the providential plan and care of God over his life.  It is a beautiful accounting of how God Himself can bring a person from point a to point z in a most beautiful and beneficial way for all.  The years that God waited on Moses to get ready to do what He had destined him to do, show us the patient love of God and how He believes in us.

Herein, I shall not only give direct quotes regarding events with Moses, but paraphrase for the sake of not being too wordy.  Nonetheless, I encourage you to read the texts regarding the life and ministry of this man.  From Exodus through Deuteronomy, you will learn much about the life, ministry and Divine experiences and intervention of Moses and God to the people.  You will also see how disrespectful and unthankful the people he led were to him in various ways, accusing him, and complaining against him.  It was during such a time as this he lost his temper with them, and instead of speaking to the rock for water to come out as God told him to, he hit it twice. This act caused God to keep Moses from going himself into the promised land.  Now, onto just some of high points of his life in this message.

Exodus 2: 1 ~ 10
And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
And his sister (Miriam) stood afar off, to witness what would be done to him.  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.  Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?  And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son.  And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

At this time, King Pharaoh of Egypt had ordered all boy babies to be killed because he was threatened by the fact that the Hebrew wives who were in hard bondage to his evil taskmasters were having more and healthier babies than the Egyptian women were.  His fear was that the Israelites would be greater and mightier in number.  See Exodus 1. This was his plan and purpose.  God had His own plan for the life of Moses.

Throughout the Bible, we see that each time before a deliverer of the people came forth, the devil tried to stop them by wiping them out.  Such was the case of Joseph in the Old Testament.  Such was the case in the reign of King Herod in the New Testament, who was threatened and fearful when he heard there was a king to be born above all kings. Himself being lifted up in pride, wanted to be the greatest.  It didn't occur to him that this king the people referred to, would  be Divine.  So he ordered that all boy babies 2 years of age and under, be killed.  Great agony gripped the heart of many mothers.  This was his plan and purpose.  God had His own plan for the life of Jesus.  An Angel appeared to Joseph in a dream warning him of it and told him to take Mary out of town, thus sparing Jesus our Saviour, Deliverer of all people.

What this reveals to us is that when God has a plan for a person's life, He watches over it and them in order to assure that it comes into fruition.
What this also tells us is that when we embrace the very will of God Himself for our living, He unfolds His plan, looking after the circumstances to bring it into fruition. We are changed.  He is Lord.  And we are blessed to be His and joyfully following Him.


In Exo. 2 you will see that when Moses was grown, witnessing an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, he killed and hid him.  At this time, Moses did not know someone witnessed it.  Nor did he know that he indeed was a Hebrew. After all, he was raised in the finest of furnishings, nurtured up in the ways of Egypt from a baby, and received the best education.  What he was not yet aware of was that this was his Divine Destiny showing up in the circumstance.  And destiny had it that he was found out, hated for it, along with the King himself giving the order to kill him.

Rejection.  Wow!  Everything and everyone in his household changed toward him.  All those years, everything was peaches and cream. Then in one clean sweep he no longer possessed a position of leadership in Egypt.  His prestige was gone. Kaput! Disgrace, uncertainties and danger replaced them.  Moses fled from Egypt and went into the land of Midian.  There he was sitting on a well when women came to fill their pots.  While drawing water, shepherds drove them away but Moses helped them and watered their flock.  One of them became his wife, after their father sent for him when they returned home relating what had happened.

He was tending the flocks of Jethro, his father-in-law, when he had a Visitation from The Lord.  An Angel appeared to him in the midst of the Burning Bush, God speaking to him revealed to him his purpose on earth, i.e.:

Exodus 3: 7 ~ 12
And The Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I AM come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send you unto Pharaoh, that you mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token (sign) unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Even yet, Moses did not know his own heritage and kin.  You see, God is in no hurry.  He has His plans.  He shows that to us. Then, there is a time to be prepared for that 'call of God' upon us. There is forging He needs to do; shaping and fashioning us to make us 'mete (ready, trustworthy, and fit) for The Master's use'. Then, is the time to come forth and just do it. Who God calls He also equips for service and strengthens to 'the call'.

A process was started with Moses, preparing his heart when he jumped to the defense of one being abused and suffering.  Now, 'the call' direct from God to Moses, while he was doing a seemingly mundane daily task, tending to a flock. Much like it was with King David when he was in the fields tending to smelly sheep and writing Psalms of praise and prayers to God throughout the nights.  God Himself promoted David straight from the fields to reign as King of Israel.  Anyone that is a hard worker and isn't of a spirit of something being beneath them to do by way of daily tasks, God can trust.  Each of these men took care of the needs of herds of animals.  Each then, could be trusted to lead and bring deliverance to God's chosen people. God looks on the heart.

Forty years of age he left Egypt; forty more years in the wilderness working for Jethro, was Moses. God sent him back to Egypt, telling him those who sought his life were now dead. (Exodus 5) He had one message to Pharaoh. Over and over again he went before him with this one message. It was 'Let My people go!'  All those years, God's chosen people were held in bondage under hard taskmasters in Egypt, praying for God to send them a deliverer.
Moses came on the scene, quite changed from the man who had left there many years before.  Purposed totally to deliver God's people, his own people, out of bondage.  Each time he went before Pharaoh with the plea and a warning.  Each time Pharaoh refused and another plague came upon the Egyptians from The Lord. Plagues God sent to cause misery so Pharaoh would submit his will and control over God's chosen people.

It was God who told Moses what to say and even told him that Pharaoh wouldn't do according to what he spoke to him, ahead of time. He passed this test of faithfulness too.  He trusted The Lord to do what He said without wavering.  Obedience. Repeatedly and suddenly, everyone saw Divine intervention in another plague. One would think, such Awesome events would put the Fear of God in a people, causing them to repent. That didn't happen.

It wasn't until the last plague, when the death Angel went through Egypt slaying the firstborn of each household and flock, from King Pharaoh's palace on down, that wills broke and Pharaoh ordered Moses to get out of town and to take all the Hebrews with him. (Exodus 12) The Lord has a way of changing a person's 'want to'.
Note: God has always provided for His own. The household of each Israelite that placed blood on the lintel of their houses, as commanded, had God's protection on them and all in their house.
(A type and shadow of believers and unbelievers in Christ)
Those that are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ who have received Him as their Saviour, apart from those who do not believe or receive Him, in our day.  God said, 'When I see the Blood, I will pass over (Passover Feast of the Jewish people) you.'

It was only the first few times going to Pharaoh, that Moses felt insecure about speaking eloquently.  Thus, his brother Aaron spoke what God had told Moses. Once Moses got over his self-consciousness and insecurity, he spoke boldly in fear of God what God had said to him for Pharaoh.  And although mocked, criticized and threatened, he wavered not in his diligence in 'the call'.  He walked in faith. Not fear of anyone but God.

The beautiful painting above, depicts Moses holding up his arms at the Red Sea. The water stood up as a wall on each side, and the Israelites passed across the Sea floor on dry ground.
When Pharaoh realized what he'd done and he and his armies pursued after the Israelites in the Sea, God Almighty brought the Sea walls down drowning them all.  His people were safe. Their enemies were destroyed by God. This, is The God we serve today.  He said, 'I change not.'  (Exodus 14: 22, 23)


Touching only upon some of the events of the life and ministry of Moses, it is expedient for us to see that for one fraction of disobedience, (Numbers 20 see) God did not allow Moses to go into the promised land flowing with milk and honey. 'Unto whom much is given, is much required.'  Moses went on after the Red Sea to lead God's chosen people through the wilderness, received The 10 Commandments, and had many Divine and Awesome interventions from God.  Those who complained were left behind dead.

Joshua was the one 'chosen by God' to take the place of Moses, in leading the Israelites into God's promises.
Although Moses was left behind, it was God Himself that buried Moses.
(see Deuteronomy 34)
What a way to go!  In the end, Moses fulfilled his destiny God had trusted him with, and that, with much adversity, suffering, complaint from the people he led, and hardship!

Summarizing, we read of so many ordinary people with great faith in God in the Bible.  He has always had those who He could depend upon.  He still does.  We cannot read such things without seeing the message of how very REAL GOD is!  Eternal God!
How real is God....to you?

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