Lessons from the life of Moses
So I have been hanging out in Exodus lately reading about Moses and finding great encouragement in the Word. Moses was saved as an infant from death. He was raised by his mom to know he was an Israelite, although the Pharaoh of Egypt’s daughter raised him as her son, God intervened through the help of his sister Marion so his own mom could be his nursemaid. Exodus 2:10-11 says: 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. And So Moses knew he was an Israelite and was raised up in the King’s palace. Verse 11 says: And it came to pass in those days, 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. This was a time when the Hebrew people were enslaved by the Egyptians and Moses knew he was a Hebrew.
Moses then proceeds to sley an Egyptian who was harming one of his brethren. He attempted to free God’s people, but he went about it his own way and it didn’t work out, for when he found out that it was known that the King wanted to kill him for doing this, he fled to the backside of a mountain in Midian; but then God……
How about it? Have you ever had the heart to do something that you knew had to be God’s heart, and you stepped out and acted on what you felt was the right thing to do, but it didn’t work out for you. I know I have. But take heart, the story or should I say the Word that God has for us doesn’t end there. This was not a story but a real life situation.
In Exodus chapter 3 we find that Moses is now living in Midian and he is married to one of Jethro’s daughters, who was a priest, a holy man in Midian. Exodus 2:15-16 says: Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. 16) Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. In essence his daugthers were in the ministry of helps as they were helping to care for their father’s flocks: their father was the priest of Midian. Next we know that Moses was invited home, content to dwell there with them and ended up marrying one of Jethro’s daughters and was also in the ministry of helps as he was caring for the flock on the backside of the desert. (Exodus 3:1)
So here we find Moses, in the course of his daily work taking care of his father in laws sheep. Moses came to God’s Mountain, the Mount of Horeb. Exodus 3:2 says And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. So the angel of the LORD appeared in a flame of fire and the bush did not burn: why? because God is a God of the living and not the dead. Mark 12:24-27 tells us: And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25) For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. 26) And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27) He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.
So again, here was Moses, doing his regular daily job and along comes God. Lessons to learn here are as follows: God shows up in our lives. However, God has probably already shown up and we don’t realize it. Why? Let’s take a closer look to find out. Exodus 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. This verse reminds me of another verse we read a lot this time of the year found in Luke 2: 15 which says: And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shephereds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem , and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. IN both of these passages, the men involved TOOK ACTION! Moses turned aside! The Shephereds said: Let us now go and go they did. How often I wonder is God just waiting for us to “Turn aside!” How about it? Have you turned aside, given God your full undivided attention today? If Moses and the Shepherds wouldn’t have turned aside or gone, we would not have their living testimony that we have in the Word. God is a gentleman and He has given us a free will: a will to choose Him or not to choose Him. The choice is ours, but we must choose!
So Moses paid attention and “Turned Aside”. I would too if I saw a bush on fire that wasn’t burning. And when Moses turned aside, God called him. Ex 3:4 : And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. When Moses turned aside, God called him by name. God calls us too, when we take the time to turn aside and listen to Him and behold what He is doing.
Moses responded by telling God he was here and in essence available. Moses took the time to spend with God, even though he was still with the sheep, he took time. In our daily life we are to take time and spend it with God. God then lets Moses know that it is God who is now calling the shots, not Moses. God gave a command to Moses: remove your shoes and Moses was humbled before God as he was in the Presence of the Almighty. Exodus 3: 5 And He (God) said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. This was God speaking. This was God’s mountain. This was God’s demonstration to Moses of who He is and the thing that struck me reading this was that God didn’t say, come here boy and let me put my arm around you, because this is not the god that a lot of preacher’s preach about these days: the big guy upstairs, will love and forgive you know matter how you live or what you are doing, it’s ok. NO!!! THIS IS OUR GOD: THE ONE TRUE GOD. HOLY, ALMIGHTY, THE GREAT I AM. For when we are in His Presence, sin can not abide. He is Holy and sometimes I really believe we need to realize and get a living glimpse of who God really is in our spirits, and who we are, for in His Presence every knee will bow!
God also identified Himself in a relational way, by letting Moses know that He is the God of his ancestors. And then God let’s Moses knows His plan and the reason for this visit. Exodus 3:7-10 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 there sorrows; 8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of the 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 Jebusistes, 9) 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. 10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
God let Moses know that the plan that was on His heart was the same plan that Moses orignally had when he tried to help out his Israelite brother. Isn’t that something? Moses had a heart to do God’s will originally, to deliver God’s people, but he acted out of line with God’s will and caused sin by killing an Egyptian. You see God is a God that does things decent and in order and when Moses slew the Egyptian he was acting on his own will, his own authority and was not in God’s will, even though his intention was right to deliver, he was not lined up with the will of God. The point I am showing here is something that I have spent the last two years learning. Hear me clearly on this: You must be submitted to your Pastor who is a Bible teaching man of God! Now, where does this come from you may say? Let’s explore this further.
God’s Word is the same from Old Testament to New Testament: God changes not. The new testament is just that; it is a new and better covenant; a new and better way. Hebrews 13:8 tells us: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (I just love how the Bible all works together!) Anyways, God is a God that does things decent and in order: 1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order. Ephesians 5:23-24 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body. 24) Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing, and again in Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a livng sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. So from this we see that JESUS is the head of the church and as the church things are to be done decent and in order. Now the church is not a building but it is the people that love God, so even though Moses was on the backside of the desert, he was the church!
So we see Moses, after he had fled from Egypt, he came to this well and met these sisters and he helped them water their flocks and did good by them. When they got home and told their dad, the priest, the holy man of God, he told his daughters to go and get Moses and bring him home to dine with them. Now as it came to pass, he ended up giving one of his daughters to Moses in marriage. Now think about it. I am sure the topic came up of , “So what brings you out here?” Oh, I killed and man and ran away! Now remember, Jethro was a priest, but he also knew right and wrong. So I imagine that Moses confessed to him what he had done and why he had done it, and Jethro being a priest must have observed Moses’ character and attitutde of heart to entrust one of his own daugthers to him in marriage. So Moses, in essence, submitted himself to his pastor!
Now, getting back to our story: God had a message for Moses. God had a plan and God wanted Moses to be a part of His plan. What was His plan? Exodus 3:8 says; 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. So this is GOOD NEWS! Reread the first eight words of that verse: And I am come down to deliver them…This is good news!! They were in slavery and they were being broken down more and more every day. This reminds me as well of what the angels told the shepherds in Luke 2:11, 14 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 14) Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
So God brought good news as He ALWAYS DOES! God has come to deliver us and to bring us to a good land. Why is this good news? Because the people of God were in slavery. Exodus 1:14 tells us And they (the Egyptians) made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. The word rigour here means to break apart with cruelty; to fracture. How about it? Does it ever feel to you like life is breaking you down, breaking you into pieces. Quarantaine, Covid 19, unemployement, scandals, etc, etc. Nothing much has changed, has it? BUT GOD. GOD HEARS OUR HEART CRIES! Exodus 3:9 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. Not only does God hear our cries, but God SEES what really goes on. (see Genesis 21:17) God knows our sufferings and He wants us to see the needs of the people around us. He wanted Moses to see this as well: Exodus 3:9-10 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. 10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
This is still God’s heart today. O, Christian, do we really see the needs of the suffering around us. Do we see and feel the heart of God towards our fellow men? Isaiah 42: 22-23 But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses; they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. 23) Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come??
Do we see? Do we hear? Do we acknowledge those around us that don’t know the Lord or do we write them off as sinners? Do we see the needs of the hurting: both inside and outside of the body of Christ? Stop for a moment and Listen to God’s heart on this. Stop and look and see. Ask God to show you someone who is hurting that you can help. Hear what God is saying to you. Maybe you are the one hurting. Do you know that God sees you? Do you know that God hears you? Do you know that God has good news and wants to deliver you and bring you into a good land. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. God brings hope, healing and restoration to you. Will you receive it?
God calls Moses to come: Exodus 3:10 Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. This time is different for Moses. Moses may have wanted to free God’s people before, but before he was acting on his own initiative. This time GOD is calling Moses. God wants Moses to work with Him to accomplish His plan.
Luke 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? So Moses submitted to Jethro, he had been faithful with Jethro’s flocks and now God is calling and sending Moses to care for his flock, for God’s chosen people. This is SO VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TODAY!!! CHURCH HEAR THIS: SUBMIT to your pastor if he is a true pastor, a man of God who feeds his people the uncompromised Word of God. Today especially in these last days, you will not survive unless you have a true shepherd watching over you souls. Remember, Christ is the head of the church and He does things decent and in order, and he is the one who places the pastor over us. (see Ephesians 4;8-15)
Now as Moses takes heed to what God is saying, he begins to question his abilities. He may have been thinking, but God, I have already been there, done that and got the t-shirt that says leave town and it just didn’t work! But God knew that and God gave Moses reassurance: Ex 3: 12 And He said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou has brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. “CERTAINLY i WILL BE WITH THEE!” God gave him a sign of assurance that when he was finished with this assignment, that he and God would meet together again on this same mountain. So as Moses hears Gods Word, he starts to meditate on God’s Word and Moses begins to visualize this plan; and as he thinks it out he has a question. This time Moses does the right thing and asks God about his question: Who will I tell them sent me. Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM;: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. God gives Moses HIS NAME to use; Again, Moses is now moving in God’s authority and not his own. The next verse God reminded Moses to remind them that He is the God of their fathers.
So here we now see that so far, Moses submitted himself to his pastor. He carried out his daily duties for his pastor and while doing that God showed up because he was now in line with God’s will. Moses turned aside and paid attention and looked at what God was doing. When God saw this, God then spoke to Moses. God revealed his plan to Moses. God called Moses by name and God called Moses to go. God told Moses what to tell the people and God answered his question for him. God then gave Moses His name and again, Moses was now going to move under God’s name and God’s authority and not his own to make God’s plan happen. God gave him reassurance also that He would be with Moses. So far, this is looking like a lot better plan than the one that Moses had started out with back in Egypt when he was acting on his own commission. It always works better when you are in line with God’s plan and you follow God’s Word. Isaiah 54:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Now the instructions that God gave Moses were pretty simple. They were:
- Go
- Gather
- Say
Let’s look at this now. Exodus 3:16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
So Moses was to go, gather and say what God told him to say. Good news to these people as it is still good news today! God sees your hardships. He wants to deliver you from your captivity: the things that have taken hold on our lives and that we just can’t seem to let go or be free of; God sees, and He wants to deliver you!
On top of this in Exodus 3:18 God tells Moses the people of Israel will listen to him. and that Moses and the elders will go to the king of Egypt and tell him to let us go and worship our God 3 days journey away. God encourages Moses as God lets Moses knows what will happen when Moses does what God is telling him to do. God also tells him that the King of Egypt won’t allow them to go and worship. This is great, because when Moses gets to the king and tells him and the king says No!, instead of this rejection of God’s Word breaking Moses spirit, it actually builds more confidence in Moses, allowing him to become bolder as he sees that the Word of the Lord is coming to pass, just like he was told it would. In verse 20 God also tells Moses that He would do wonders and smite the Egyptians and then finally the king will let God’s people go. God laid it all out for Moses, and God’s Word does not return voice.
Not only would they go, but this is wonderful when you see the heart for God’s people through God’s own words to Moses. Exodus 3:21-22 says And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: 22) But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.
Isn’t it marvelous how all through the scriptures we see God’s heart as a Father tender toward His people. He is not some God with a baseball bat ready to knock your head off when you have blown it. Now the enemy will make us think that, won’t he? But God’s desire always is, and always has been to bless his people; see the following: Deuteronomy 28:1-2 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth; 2) and all these blessings shall overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD the God, and continue to read verses 3 through 13;
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto they fathers, as it is this day.
Proverbs 8:31 Rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and my delights were with the sons of men.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Now one point I want to note here is God’s heart toward Moses. Now remember, Moses killed a man! He was an actual murder. Where can you find that God even mentions this to Moses? Not here in this portion of scripture nor anywhere that I have found. If they did discuss it, it was kept between them, but I believe, and this is just my opinion that when Moses came into Jethro’s house and he and Jethro sat down alone and had a nice long man to priest talk, that Moses repented, and asked God to forgive him. Now this is just my opinion here and you can choose to disagree with me if you wish, but I believe this because when we repent, God forgives us of our sins and He is faithful and just to cleanse us from our sins. 1 John 1:9
But you know the devil. He was probably shouting in Moses’ ear, so you think you can go back there?!! REAlly?!! Remember the mess you made of things before? I sure do! And the King of Egypt, he wants to kill you . Remember? I just know the devil was working overtime here to thwart God’s plan. Now this is not said anywhere and again this is my opinion, but look at how gracious God is. God never mentions to Moses anywhere here, at all!, that he was a murderer. God instead called Moses and choose to use him for His purposes. God waited for Moses to come in line with His order, His plan and His time, and then when He had Moses’ attention, only then did He speak to Moses and show him His plan.
Moses then takes chapter four to give all the reasons to God of why he was not qualified, without actually mentioning to God that he was a murderer and the King of Egypt wanted him dead. But God patiently dealt with Moses and made it clear that Moses was God’s choice for the hour and that he was to do what God wanted him to do. So before Moses left, he stayed in order: He went back to his pastor Jethro and asked for leave and Jethro granted it to him to go in peace and the final blessing was after Moses took these steps of faith in preparing to leave, God blessed Moses with the knowledge that all the men in Egypt that wanted Moses dead are now dead themselves. Moses was free to go in faith and not fear.
Thank you Father for the lessons from Your Word. May all those like myself that may have stepped out in faith believing they were doing your work, like Moses did, but were not in order with your perfect will gain encouragement and insight from this teaching and lessons in Your Word. Thank you Father for my Pastor and thank you Holy Spirit for getting our attention so we can begin to hear the next plan of Your will for us to do as we work WITH you and not For You! Amen and Amen! To God be the glory!
faith speaks 