Bible Character Studies: Moses

What do we know of Moses?

-His parents were Amram and Jochebed. She was Amram’s aunt. Exodus 6:20

-They were both from the tribe of Levi. Exodus 2:1

-Moses was three years younger than Aaron. Ex. 7:7

-They also had an older sister, Miriam. We don’t know exactly how much older Miriam was than her brothers, but she was old enough to be sent to keep an eye on baby Moses on his trip down the Nile and to suggest a nurse-maid for him. Exodus 2:4, 7

-He was born during a time of difficulty for the children of Israel in Egypt; social engineering and genocide. Exodus 1:8-22

-Pharaoh had given orders, first for the midwives to kill the male Hebrew children. When they refused to follow the wicked order, he gave orders for every son who is born to the Hebrews to be thrown into the river, but every daughter could survive. Exodus 1: 15-22

-His parents recognized something special about Moses, so when he was born they hid him for three months. Exodus 2:2, Acts 7:20

-When she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, waterproofed it, placed him in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. Exodus 2:3

-Pharaoh’s daughter ‘just happened’ to come down to bathe at the river at that time, and saw the ark among the reeds. She heard the baby crying, and had compassion on him. She recognized he was a Hebrew child, probably because he was circumcised. His sister pops up and offers to get one of the Hebrew women to come and nurse him for her. She agrees, and fetches Jochebed, who not only gets to have her son back for a few years until he is weaned, but she is paid for the privilege. What kindness from God! Exodus 2:5-9

-Pharaoh’s daughter raises him as her own son, and names him Moses, which means Drawn Out, because she drew him out of the weeds. Exodus 2:10, Acts 7:20

“But when he was set out, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.” Acts 7:22

-He seems to have known he was a Hebrew. When he was grown, he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, “one of his brethren”, and after looking both ways, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. The next day he tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews. They didn’t appreciate his interference, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” They asked if he would kill them as he’d killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh heard of it and sought to kill Moses. He fled to the land of Midian, where he married Zipporah, one of seven daughters of Jethro, (Reuel) priest of Midian . Ex. 2:11-22, Ex. 3:1, Acts 7:23-29

-He spent forty years in Egypt, forty years in Midian, and forty years in the wilderness, dying at the age of 120. Acts 7:23,30, Ex. 7:7,Deut. 34:5-7

-He may have first thought he had been spared and then placed in his place of authority in order to help out “his brethren”, but they didn’t see it that way, and it seems God wanted to humble him and teach him to lead sheep before he could lead people.  ^“For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand.” Acts 7:25, Ex. 2:16,17

-When Moses flees to Midian he happens to come to the well of the priest of Midian (Reuel/Jethro). He becomes a deliverer to the daughters of Reuel, saving them from shepherds who tormented and hindered them from their task. Moses “stood up and helped them and watered their flock.” Ex. 2:17 He was their deliverer. The fact that their father was surprised to see them return “so soon today” shows they were regularly harassed by the shepherds. They explained an “Egyptian” deliverer had saved them from the shepherds. Reuel can’t believe they hadn’t brought him home. Moses comes to dwell with them, marry one of his daughters, Zipporah, and has two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. Ex. 2:21,22, 4:20, 18:4.

-He had a special relationship with God and was privileged to speak to the LORD face to face. “So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend…” Ex. 33:11“But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” Deut. 34:10-12

-When God commissioned him to go before Pharaoh, he protested eight times! Imagine the nerve of talking back to God. It was more than humility, he was disobedient and defiant. Moses’ protests included,

1. Who am I?  Ex. 3:11

2. The elders won’t believe me because I don’t even know your name. Ex. 3:13

3. Pharaoh won’t believe me or listen to my voice. Ex. 4:1

4. I’m not eloquent and I have a speech impediment. Ex. 4:10

5. Send someone else! Ex. 4:13

6. Pharaoh has made things worse and You haven’t delivered Your people at all!               Ex. 5:22,23

7. The children of Israel haven’t listened to me. Ex. 6:12

8. Why should Pharaoh listen to me?  Ex. 6:30.

-He seems to have had a speech impediment and/or was not eloquent. Exodus 4:10 But the LORD reminded him that He was sovereign over both abilities and disabilities.  “So the Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?’” Exodus 4:11 When he still protested, God appointed his brother Aaron as his spokesman.