Now,
today I will began a study into the man of God called by the name of Moses and
the events surrounding his life before, during and after the giving of the Old
Covenant by God.
I wanted to do this because first of all, I was asked. And next, I thought it
would be good to speak to you on the Old Covenant and the man Moses. Moses was
a type of the Man, Christ Jesus whom God the Father in heaven used to make the
New Covenant with His new nation of people, the spiritual Israel (Deut.
18:15-19; 1 Corinthians 10:1-10; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18; Hebrews 3; John 1:17).
The Old
Covenant was a covenant with a physical nation of people whom God chose as His
own. Yet, not all in the first covenant had His Spirit. This Old Covenant was
a shadow of the second or New Covenant made with us in this Church era. A time
prophesied throughout the Scripture that God would choose another nation for
Himself (Romans 15:4); however, at this time He would pour out His
Spirit on all within that nation making it a spiritual nation, a royal
priesthood. [I want you to remember this phrase "royal priesthood"
while listening to the events around the Old Covenant]. This phrase will be key
when we began to speak on "tithes and offerings" under the New
Covenant, and how we have many "gospel peddlers" in mainstream
Christianity and other groups seeking to gain a profit from God’s word. Under
the Old Covenant, it had its own priesthood of Levites, this was the only tribe
chose for the priesthood. Unlike under the New Covenant, where all those called
by God for His new nation of people are members of the priesthood and "a
royal priesthood" at that (1 Peter 2:9-10; Joel 2:28-29; Acts
2:16-18,32-33; Acts 10:44-46).
Let me
first list some interesting things the Holy Spirit says about Moses, which testifies to
his character, and also help us to understand why Moses did certain things
while fulfilling his calling from God; and should serve as an example to all
who seek to lead God's people. [I say "those who want and seek to
lead" because there are many who claim God appointed them to lead;
yet, the fruits they bear say otherwise].
Birth of
Moses:
There are
a few things I wish to point out here before moving on to more details of
Moses’ character.
First, in Exodus 2:3 we learn that Moses mother hid him for three months
before putting him in the river. "…When she saw that he was a
beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3But when she could no longer hide
him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch,
put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank." But,
notice what happens next which shows us that God was with Moses from the moment
he was conceived to birth until death. In Exodus 2:4, it’s said Moses’
sister followed the "ark of bulrushes" in river with
Moses. Now, it just so happens that Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing at this same
time, and she finds the child Moses. And she knew Moses was "…one of
the Hebrews' children" (Ex. 2:6). Think about and ponder
this question, why did Pharaoh’s daughter want to keep Moses? Again I say, God
insured Moses was raised by his mother and father because in verse 7 his
sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for
you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you (Ex. 2:7)?"
Lastly, this
is the part of the story I like most, its where God not only gave Moses back to
his mother to nurse; but He moves Pharaoh’s daughter to pay Moses’ mother to
nurse him. Read it for yourselves: "Pharaoh's daughter said to her,
"Go." So the maiden went and called the child's mother. 9Then
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for
me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and
nursed him. 10And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter,
and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I
drew him out of the water" (Exodus 2:8-10). Now, that’s
what I call a good deal, not only did Moses’ mother get her son back for being
faithful; but she gets paid to care for her own son (Acts 7:20 and Hebrews
11:23).
Moses
takes matters into his own hands, trying to fulfill his calling by the methods
of men, taking of arms and fighting:
Moses
flees for his life to Midian, God directs him to Jethro called the priest of
Midian who teaches Moses about the things of God for forty (40) years:
Moving to
Moses calling by God, after 40 years God appears to Moses to command him to go
back to free His people from the hands of their oppressors the Egyptians, and
the cruelty they suffered:
Yet,
Moses gave God Excuses at first:
Exodus
3:1-9…
Moses and
the Burning Bush…The
calling of Moses from the land of Midian.
From the
above passages
we see that Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian trained Moses in
the wisdom of God (Exodus 2:1). Remember the "mountain of
God" was in the land of the Midianites (more on this later).
First
excuse
by Moses to God in verse 11, as to why he should not be chosen to deliver the
Hebrews.
We must ask this question in understanding, why Moses was a little reluctant to
go back to Egypt even after forty years? Because this will be answered by God
after Moses decides to go back to Egypt. Remember Moses had fled to Midian
after killing an Egyptian, while trying to rescue his fellow Hebrew brother.
When he first tried this was his thanks from his Hebrew brothers, Acts
7:23-30… "23 "Now when he was forty years old,
it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24 And
seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed,
and struck down the Egyptian. 25 For he supposed that his brethren would have
understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not
understand. 26 And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were
fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, "Men, you are brethren; why
do you wrong one another?' 27 But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him
away, saying, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to
kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' 29 Then, at this saying, Moses fled
and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons. 30 "And
when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of
fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai" [also called
Horeb, the mountain of God].
Second
excuse
by Moses to God in verse 13, Moses said they would want to know God’s
name before believing him. Moses asked this question by saying the "Israelites"
will want to know God’s name, after he tell them that God sent him. Again,
Moses was remembering how forty years earlier these Hebrews did not believe him
neither did they want him as their leader. As it is said in Exodus 2:13-14, "…
when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he
said to the one who did the wrong, "Why are you striking your
companion?" 14 Then he said, "Who made you a prince and a
judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So
Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!"
God tells
Moses His name is "I am", and tell the children of
Israel that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, His name to be remembered
forever. Also, please note here that God tells Moses that Pharaoh, the king of
Egypt will not let them go until He strikes the Egyptians with His wonders. For
this is what God raised Pharaoh up for, as it is written: "the
Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘Even for this same purpose I have raised you up,
that I might show My power in you, and that My name might be declared in all
the earth’". ( Romans 9:17 and Exodus 9:12-16).
Third
excuse
of Moses to God in verse 1, here Moses plainly state why he gave the excuse,
which Moses had form in a question; yet, this excuse shows his true intent in
asking God’s name.
Moses was
sure the children of Israel would not believe that God had sent him because of
the first event, which he took matters in his own hands trying to bring about
God’s deliverance of the children of Israel by the hand of men. But God wanted
the world to know without any doubt that He was the one who brought the
children of Israel out of Egypt. Also, please note here that the color of Moses
is revealed in verse 6, God tells Moses to put his hand in his cloak,
and Moses hand turned "like snow". And when God
instructed Moses to put his hand back into his cloak it turned to the color of
the rest of his flesh, which was not white but black "like the rest
of his flesh".
Exodus
4:10-12…
Fourth
excuse
of Moses to God in verse 10, Moses complained that he had "never"
been able to speak well with an "eloquent" mouth or tongue.
But God
answers Moses excuse with "I will help you speak and will teach you
what to say". God will answer this excuse in the end with
appointing Aaron, Moses’ brother as his spokesman in see verses 14-16
below.
Fifth
excuse
of Moses to God in Exodus 4:13-17 below, this time Moses asks God to send
someone else in his place. [Remember the story of Jonah, how he tried to run
away from God’s calling?] Below is the more comparable and related story of
Esther, when she hesitated to plead for the Jews to her husband, the king. In
Esther 4:10-12, Esther sent word to her uncle saying the king would kill her
if she entered the inner court without being called by him. Then her uncle
Mordecai responded to her fear in verses 13 and 14, which applies to us
today and Moses then:
Esther
4:10-14…
10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for
Mordecai: 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's
provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king,
who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one
to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself
have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days." 12 So they
told Mordecai Esther's words. " 13 And Mordecai told them to
answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the
king's palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain
completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews
from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows
whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Therefore,
if the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob calls you then you must answer,
remembering that God may have place you in this position for "such
time as this". Fearing no man but God, for man can only kill the
flesh, but God can kill both body and spirit (Matthew 10:28).
Now,
Moses in
Exodus 4:13 below pleads to God to send "someone else
to do" what God was asking him to do. Notice, here God’s "anger
burned against Moses" (verse 14); but we see God already knew
Moses would make this excuse because He had already called Aaron to speak for
Moses, as his spokesman as God says in verses 14-16.
Exodus
4:13-17…
"13 But Moses said,
"O Lord, please send someone else to do it." 14 Then the
LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother,
Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet
you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. 15 You shall speak
to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach
you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will
be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But
take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with
it.""
Finally,
Moses decides to do what God called him to do. But notice what God tells Moses
in Exodus 4:21-22, first He tells Moses, speaking of Pharaoh He says, "I
will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go" (verse
21); and again God says to Moses to tell Pharaoh, "…I told you,
"Let my son go"… But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your
firstborn son." I mention this because later Moses seems to
forget this when he complained to God in Exodus 5:22-23 below.
But
before we move on, I must also mention here another important point about
Moses,
and this conversation with God. Earlier I pointed out that Moses began giving
God excuses not to go back to Egypt because of his fear of Pharaoh (see above
note under Exodus 3:10-12 and Acts 7:23-30). Now, notice here in Exodus
4:19 below where God says to Moses after he had given God five excuses to
not go to the Hebrews, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted
to kill you are dead." This tells us about Moses true state of
mind when he was giving God these excuses, he was afraid for his life. And see
that God already knew this also; that is why God said this to Moses after he
decided to go which showed that Moses faith in God prevailed over his fear of
death. This is the kind of faith we as Christians must develop in our walk with
Christ Jesus.
Therefore, I
exhort you to fear God and keep His commandments, which will make you wise. God
tells Moses in the beginning that Pharaoh will not let His people go until He
kills all the firstborn in Egypt (verse 23). But you we see as the story
progress that Moses seems to forget this revelation by God. So, continue the
rest of the studies on Moses the Man. And may God continue to bless you with
understanding and wisdom in His word. Amen. Praise God.
In Christ
love,
Ron Davis,
minister of Christ