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Moses
The Life of Moses is easily divided into three periods of forty years. Although the length of time in each of the three time periods is equal, it is clear that the first two periods were leading to the third and most important period. Moses was a Levite."These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram. And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister."(Num 26:58-59)
Now it came to pass that many years had gone by since Joseph had been a friend to Pharaoh, and the Jew had fallen into bondage to the Egyptian. The new Pharaoh, "made their lives bitter with hard bondage" (Ex 1:14) Not only that, but the numbers of Jews had increased so greatly that Pharaoh felt threatened. Pharaoh ordered the murder of all the newborn baby boys. As a result, the mother of Moses "hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes... and she laid it in" the river.(Ex 2:2- 3) "And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him."(Ex 2:4) Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to the river and when she saw the ark in the river "she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child" (Ex 2:5-6)
And so it is that the boy Moses grew to manhood in an Egyptian household, yet he was nursed by his own mother (Ex 2:8). Therefore Moses stood with a foot in each world. He was, "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians"(Acts 7:22) but when it came to pass that,"when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren."(Ex 2:11) Moses,"slew the Egyptian"(Ex 2:12). As a result Moses felt it necessary to flee "from the face of Pharaoh". Thus ending the first forty years of Moses life.
The next Forty years of Moses life were to be spent in the backside of the desert. Moses would marry Zipporah the daughter Jethro. She bore him a son, Gershom. Within a few short verses it seems that forty years have flown by and Moses will begin his final forty years.
One day while tending the flocks, Moses saw the burning bush. The bush, "burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed."(Ex 3:2) "God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses."(Ex 3:4) "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob... I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry... for I know their sorrows."(Ex 3:7)
God gives Moses his marching orders, despite Moses protest. Miracles are wrought by the hand of Moses by the power of a God. Moses repeatedly says to Pharaoh, "let my people go." Pharaoh's heart was "hardened" until the vindication of God was complete. "This proving of Yahweh was so conducted that the gods of Egypt were shown to be of no avail against Him, but that He is God of all the earth, and until the faith of the people of Israel was confirmed." (*ISBE)
A series of ten plagues followed. Each one worse than the last, and each a direct confrontation and defeat of the Egyptian gods. (1. Water Turned to Blood, 2. The Plague of Frogs, 3. The Plague of Lice, 4. The Plague of Flies, 5. The Plague of Murrain, 6. The Plague of Boils, 7. The Plague of Hail, 8. The Plague of Locusts, 9. The Plague of Darkness, 10. Death of the Firstborn)
The culmination of the plagues came on the institution of the Passover. A lamb was chosen and on the appointed night it was killed and "roasted with fire" with their shoes on their feet (Ex 12:11). "They ate in safety and in hope, because the blood of the lamb was on the door. That night the firstborn of Egypt were slain." (*ISBE)
The next day laiden with Egyptian treasures 'borrowed', the Jews began their journey of 40 years, a journey only Joshua and Caleb would survive. Led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night the Jews travel to what appears to be an impasse. Blocked in by the sea and mountains their situation looks hopeless. By God's divine planning and intervention the sea is parted and the Jews pass through on dry ground. When the Egyptians follow after their chariots break apart. They become trapped when God sends the sea in upon them so that,"there remained not so much as one of them." (Ex14:28)
Forty years in the desert, a golden calf, the ten commandments, and manna provided every day, yet for disbelief and disobedience everyone that escaped Egypt will die except Joshua and Caleb the two faithful spies who brought the good report. The other ten spies brought a bad report, and so the people became a desert tribe. Their children would see the Promised Land, but they would not. Moses, too, would not enter into the promised land. He would see it from a mountaintop before he died, but he wouldn't enter into its rest.
Moses is perhaps the greatest Patriarch. As the author of the Torah he is the formative signature of scripture. As the delivered of the Jews, he is paramount. As lawgiver, he stands alone. Moses knew God as intimately as any human had since Adam. Let the doubters mock, yet Moses has high honors in heaven, and has this writer's high respect as well.
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