Moses in Egypt
Moses was the youngest child of Amram and Jochebed, from the tribe of Levi (Ex. 6:16-20). Their other children were Miriam and Aaron, with Miriam being the oldest. The life of Moses naturally falls into three periods that are forty years each (Acts 7:23, 30, 36). Born around 1571 B.C, just at the time when the Pharoah of Egypt had resolved on the destruction of every newly born male child among the Israelites. Because of this, Moses was put in an “ark of bulrushes” by his mother and hidden within the reeds of a river for safe keeping. (Ex. 2:3) While he was hidden in the reeds he was found and adopted by the Pharaoh’s daughter, who gave to him the title, “drawn out” (of the water). As the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he was educated in all the splendor of the Egyptian court, trained in all the skill of Egyptian life and civilization, initiated in the secret wisdom of the priesthood, and placed in a prominent position close to Pharaoh himself.
Moses in Midian
When Moses was forty years old, he killed an Egyptian taskmaster who was mistreating a Hebrew. (Ex. 2:12) In order to escape Pharaoh’s punishment for this crime, he fled to Midian, where he spent the next forty years tending to the flocks of the Midianite priest, Jethro. While he was there he married Jethro’s daughter Zipporah. (Ex. 2:21). The Egyptian court, with its associations, had afforded Moses a rich field for practical observation, but the rugged’ life he now lived as a shepherd had its own advantages. At the age of eighty, Moses received the divine commission to deliver his people from their bondage at the burning bush. After the ten plagues in Egypt (Ex. 7-12) and the splitting of the Red Sea (Ex 14) Moses continued to lead Israel to the Promised Land.
Moses in the Wilderness
The Trip to Mt. Sinai
After the defeat of Pharoah’s army, Moses and the Israelites sing praise to God for their victory over their oppressors. (Ex 15:1-21) From the Red Sea, they traveled into the Wilderness of Shur where they struggled to find water. Eventually, they reached Marah where they discovered water, but the water there was not safe to drink. Instructed by God, Moses took a tree and threw it into the waters which, when the tree entered it were miraculously made safe to drink. (Ex 15:22-26) From there they traveled to Elim where they found 12 springs of water and seventy palm trees. Pleased with the resources available there they chose to set up camp. (Ex 15:27)
Two months and fifteen days after they exited Egypt, they left Elim and journeyed into the Wilderness of Sin. Not soon after the Israelites began to complain to Moses that they were hungry. In response God allowed Mana and Quail to fall from heaven to feed them (Ex 16:2-5)
After leaving the Wilderness of Sin the Israelites set up camp at Rephidim, where once again they found themselves complaining due to lack of water. In response, God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff so that water could flow from the rock. Moses obeyed what was instructed and the Israelites drank water from the rock. (Ex. 17:3-7) Shortly after the Amalekites began to fight with the Israelites as they Camped at Rephidim. In response, Moses told Joshua to pick people from the camp to fight against the Amalekites. Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of a hill and Moses held up his hands during the battle. As long as Moses held up his hand God gave Israel the victory. When Moses became too tired to hold his hands Aaron and Hur held up his hands for him. This continued until sunset at which point Joshua’s men overcame the Amalekites and Israel was given the victory (Ex. 17:8-16)
After the war with the Amalekites, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, returned to him with Moses’ wife and children. Moses and his father-in-law catch up and Moses tells Jethro all that God has done for him and his people. Jethro and Moses both praise God for all the great things God has done and Jethro declares that he now realizes that Yahweh is the one true God. (Ex. 18:1-12) The next day, Jethro notices that Moses is being overloaded with the responsibility of the people and recommends that Moses delegates some of his lesser responsibilities to others so that he could focus on matters with more significant importance. After the new system was set up Jethro returned to his homeland of Midian. Then, three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.
Encamped at Mt. Sinai
[Coming soon]
Events at Kadesh Barnea
[Coming soon]
The Death of Moses
When the Israelites finally approached the land of Canaan, ready to enter into their national life, Moses was forbidden by God to accompany them since he had struck the rock at Meribah instead of speaking to it as God commanded him. Instead, he was led up to the top of Mount Nebo. From the top of Pisgah’s peak, the Lord showed Moses the Promised Land. With his eye in full health and still being full of strength, he died in the land of Moab around 1406 B. C. at the age of 120 years old.
Moses the Author of Scripture
The Scriptures recognizes Moses as one who had a special relationship with God Deut. 34:7, 10 says “there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” His authorship of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy is attested by every possible mark of an internal and of an external evidence. Repeatedly, in these books, Moses is directed to write in a book — or, more properly, in the Book (Ex. 17:14; 34:27), and he is represented as writing, in Ex. 24:4-7; 34:28. These passages refer to the wars, the ten commandments, the treatment of the Canaanites, and the various festivals. In Num. 33:2, it is said he “wrote their goings out according to their jour neys by the commandment of the Lord;” that is, apparently, a kind of “Daily Journal.” Deuteronomy is, if possible, even more clear on the point, in such passages as Deut 31 :9, 22, 24, enjoining, “the book — the song — the law,” to be read and rehearsed and preserved. Accordingly, the book of Joshua makes express mention of “the book of the law of Moses,” in Joshua 1:7, 8; 8:32, 34; 23:3, 6, 16; 24:26, and the succeeding books of Scripture support the same view. The ten tribes who revolted after the death of Solomon held firm to the Pentateuch, which they certainly would not have done had it been composed after that event. The book which Hilkiah found in the Temple was probably the book of Leviticus— a book so strictly appropriate for the priests alone, that it is not wonderful it was left very much in their hands— the threatenings of which, in chapter 26, are so well fitted to have stirred the heart of the pious King Josiah. It is generally acknowledged that Moses was the author of the 90th psalm, and other psalms have been questionably been ascribed to him. As a historian, an orator, a leader, a statesman, a legislator, a patriot, and a man, Moses stands supreme. But no mere human genius could have made him the originator of good law the great teacher of monotheism and sound morality unless he had also been a prophet of the Most High who supernaturally guided and aided him in his work.