Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Challenges of Moses
Moses had to overcome his fears. He was afraid the Israelites would not believe that God sent him. Therefore, he asked God to tell him His name. And God said, tell them my name is the “I AM.”
Moses was afraid he would not be able to speak well. God helped him by allowing Aaron to be his prophet, and to speak for him to the Israelite elders and the Pharaoh, and to use signs and wonders to confirm that God has sent him.
Moses had to overcome his disobedience. God helped him by sending Zipporrah to circumcise his child.
Moses was prepared for service. But if you think about it, Moses had been prepared from birth, and all his life. He was supposed to be killed as a baby, but was spared. He was cast into the waters, but saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. His sister, who saw everything, went to Pharaoh’s daughter and found a nursing mother for Moses – and it was Moses’ mother! Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace and educated. He spoke Egyptian and Hebrew. Moses killed an Egyptian taskmaster but escaped to the desert. Moses was humbled to the position of a shepherd in the desert, but given a godly wife and father-in-law. Moses saw a burning bush on the mountain of God, and the fire did not consume the bush. And we will see later that Moses will deliver his people, Israel, from the Egyptians. Moses will lead them in the desert for 40 years, but because of his anger he will be punished and not be allowed to go into the Promised Land. Moses will write the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, which is also called the Pentateuch. He will give the Israelites the Law, and the moral aspects of the Law apply to all of us today. They are God’s high and holy standards, and do not change. Moses, as a prophet, said that God would send someone like him, Someone who had seen God face-to-face, Deuteronomy 18:15-18, and this Someone is no less than Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus quoted Moses’ writings when tempted by the devil in Matthew 4, and Moses appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration, Matthew 17.
We need to appreciate Moses and all God has done through him.
Moses was afraid he would not be able to speak well. God helped him by allowing Aaron to be his prophet, and to speak for him to the Israelite elders and the Pharaoh, and to use signs and wonders to confirm that God has sent him.
Moses had to overcome his disobedience. God helped him by sending Zipporrah to circumcise his child.
Moses was prepared for service. But if you think about it, Moses had been prepared from birth, and all his life. He was supposed to be killed as a baby, but was spared. He was cast into the waters, but saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. His sister, who saw everything, went to Pharaoh’s daughter and found a nursing mother for Moses – and it was Moses’ mother! Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace and educated. He spoke Egyptian and Hebrew. Moses killed an Egyptian taskmaster but escaped to the desert. Moses was humbled to the position of a shepherd in the desert, but given a godly wife and father-in-law. Moses saw a burning bush on the mountain of God, and the fire did not consume the bush. And we will see later that Moses will deliver his people, Israel, from the Egyptians. Moses will lead them in the desert for 40 years, but because of his anger he will be punished and not be allowed to go into the Promised Land. Moses will write the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, which is also called the Pentateuch. He will give the Israelites the Law, and the moral aspects of the Law apply to all of us today. They are God’s high and holy standards, and do not change. Moses, as a prophet, said that God would send someone like him, Someone who had seen God face-to-face, Deuteronomy 18:15-18, and this Someone is no less than Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus quoted Moses’ writings when tempted by the devil in Matthew 4, and Moses appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration, Matthew 17.
We need to appreciate Moses and all God has done through him.
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