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[Note: <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Manuscripts<\/strong> page.]<\/span><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n If one is somehow yet unconvinced of the greatness of Moses, perhaps the following three incidents will give him pause:<\/span><\/p>\n We should not wonder, then, that even confirmed ignoramuses in all things Biblical are quite likely to know the name of Moses and perhaps a fact or two about his life. He is just that much of a historical giant, not only in Biblical history, but also in all <\/strong>history.<\/span><\/p>\n The book of Deuteronomy tells us that Moses lived one hundred twenty years (34:7), and we know that the last forty of those years were spent in the wilderness wanderings (29:5, et al.). We also know from Moses\u2019 pen that he was eighty years old when he and Aaron returned from Midian to challenge Pharaoh (Exo. 7:7). We are indebted to Stephen, the New Testament evangelist, for more complete information. He delivered a homiletical masterpiece with powerful oratory before the corrupt Sanhedrin (Acts 7:2\u201360), consisting of a sweeping summary of Jewish history from Abraham through Solomon. Without Stephen\u2019s sermon (in which he literally preached himself to death) we would have no way of knowing how to divide those first eighty years. He gave us the following outline of the one hundred twenty years of Moses\u2019 life:<\/span><\/p>\n We will first notice a brief biography of Moses, followed by a study of some of the characteristics of his greatness.<\/span><\/p>\n The Biography of Moses<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n His Birth, Families, and Name <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Moses was born in a sorrowful circumstance and time for Hebrew families: \u201cAnd the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor\u201d (Exo. 1:13, cf. 14).1<\/sup>Pharaoh so feared<\/span><\/p>\n the potential of the burgeoning Hebrew populace, should it turn on him, that he decided he must reduce the risk. He first decreed that the midwives murder every baby boy they delivered (v. 16). When the midwives foiled this plan, he ordered that the Hebrew baby boys were at birth to be cast into the Nile.2<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Into this grievous political, moral, and social maelstrom Moses was born of Amram and Jochabed (Exo. 6:20), both Levites (2:1). Moses was the youngest of the daughter and two sons born to this union. Miriam, Moses\u2019 sister, was the firstborn, and we infer that she was at least twelve years Moses\u2019 senior (cf. 2:4\u20138). Aaron, Moses\u2019 brother, was three years his senior (7:7), thus a mere toddler at the time of Moses\u2019 birth.<\/span><\/p>\n There was something \u201cspecial\u201d about baby Moses; he was a \u201cgoodly child\u201d (2:2; Heb. 11:23) and \u201cexceeding fair\u201d (Acts 7:20). \u201cBy faith\u201d his parents hid him for three months, disobeying the immoral edict (Heb. 11:23; cf. Acts 5:29). Each day brought them nearer a dreaded decision. If Moses were discovered, he would certainly be seized and slain. M.G. Kyle appropriately observed concerning this poignant circumstance:<\/span><\/p>\n The time soon came when it was impossible longer to hide the child…. The mother resolved upon a plan which was at once a pathetic imitation of obedience to the commandment of the king, an adroit appeal to womanly sympathy, and, if it succeeded, a subtle scheme to bring the cruelty of the king home to his own attention.3<\/sup><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n With broken heart Jochabed placed her infant son in a box and left it on the river for an uncertain fate. She waited anxiously for some word from young Miriam who was keeping an eye on the little boat with its living cargo. That the Egyptian princess discovered the tiny boat and its passenger and decided to spare and adopt him seems an unmistakable demonstration of the providence of Jehovah. The name Moses <\/em>came from the fact that he was drawn from the water (Exo. 2:10).4<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Moses would have two mothers. His adoptive mother had no reason to suspect that Miriam was his sister or that she would fetch his actual mother as nurse. Pharaoh\u2019s cruel edict likely left many Hebrew mothers with ample supplies of nursing milk. The princess secured the services of Jochabed to take the child and nurse it, with the promise of payment for her services; so Moses was returned to Jochabed\u2019s empty arms. Thus Moses would have two families\u2014one Hebrew and one Egyptian.<\/span><\/p>\n In one moment, the dagger that had pierced a mother\u2019s heart was now removed and the deep wound healed. She truly had a \u201cwin-win\u201d situation: Her beloved son was assured of life, she would be able to nurse him, and she would be paid to do so. Surely, this circumstance was also providential as God thus began working out His plans to deliver His people from Egypt.5<\/sup> It is both ironic and interesting that God used the unwitting daughter of Pharaoh to begin executing these freedom plans.<\/span><\/p>\n At the age of forty years (as discussed below), Moses fled Egypt for his life and sojourned the next forty years in Midian. Soon after fleeing he came upon a well where he assisted some girls with watering their father\u2019s sheep. This chivalrous act led to his meeting Reuel, \u201cthe priest of Midian,\u201d the father of the girls he had helped (2:16\u201320). In his gratitude, Reuel (called \u201cJethro\u201d in 3:1, et al.) gave Moses a place to live, a daughter (Zipporah) in marriage, and a job tending his flock (2:21\u201322; 3:1). Two sons were born to him and Zipporah (2:22; 4:20; 18:3; Acts 7:29). We know little more about Moses\u2019 family.<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 Training and Abilities <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Moses was not a thorough autobiographer of his early years. He covers the span of his first forty years in only five verses (2:11\u201315), most of it in part of only one verse: \u201cAnd it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up…\u201d (v. 11a). We could wish for more, but God\u2019s motive in revealing His will has never been the mere satisfaction of human curiosity.<\/span><\/p>\n We do not know Moses\u2019 age when Jochabed delivered him to the princess. The record simply states: \u201cAnd the child grew, and she [Jochabed] brought him unto Pharaoh\u2019s daughter, and he became her son…\u201d (v. 10a). Some have inferred that Jochabed gave Moses to his adoptive mother at the Hebrew weaning age of three.6<\/sup> However, this inference (as we shall later see) may not take all relevant matters into account.<\/span><\/p>\n The Bible is silent on Moses\u2019 childhood, adolescent, and teenage years. Those years are covered with a simple summary: \u201cAnd it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up…\u201d (2:11). The Hebrews letter uses the same age description concerning Moses: \u201cBy faith Moses, when he was grown up…\u201d (11:24). When he was grown up <\/em>apparently coincides with Stephen\u2019s description, But when he was well-nigh forty years old<\/em>… (Acts 7:23a). The KJV has here, \u201cAnd when he was full forty years old,\u201d which is apparently the better reading.7<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n We know no more details on the first period of Moses\u2019 life except Stephen\u2019s sweeping summary statement: \u201cAnd Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works\u201d (Acts 7:22). As an adopted prince, Moses enjoyed all of the princely privileges of the most powerful, wealthy, and advanced nation on earth. Rawlinson says that education included \u201corthography, grammar, history, theology, medicine, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and engineering.\u201d8<\/sup> He, whose law should have slain Moses aborning, instead, in God\u2019s providence, helps prepare him to emancipate the Hebrew slaves.<\/span><\/p>\n Stephen specifies that Moses \u201cwas mighty in his words and works.\u201d As part of Pharaoh\u2019s court, his privileges and opportunities were many. Even if he lacked eloquence and was \u201cslow of speech\u201d (Exo. 4:10), the words Pharaoh\u2019s grandson surely carried great authority. When Moses spoke, people listened. Likely, he was given certain responsibilities of state that carried with them commensurate authority.<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 Consciousness of Who He Was <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Although outwardly an Egyptian, Moses knew that he was a Hebrew. We earlier noted the speculation that Jochabed relinquished Moses to his adoptive mother at the age of three. Even if this inference is correct, there is no reason to suppose that Jochabed never saw Moses afterward. She may have been allowed \u201cvisitation\u201d privileges (either in her home or in Moses\u2019 new home). It is possible that Jochabed was retained as a nursemaid in the palace for this toddler (either on a \u201clive-in\u201d or a \u201ccommuter\u201d basis). Certainly, by some means (most likely through his Hebrew mother) Moses knew and valued his ethnic origin<\/strong>. It is unlikely that her influence over him only for his first three years is sufficient to explain his strong ethnic identity and loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 Pivotal Decision <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When Moses was forty \u201cit came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel\u201d (v. 23b). He \u201cwent out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens\u201d (Exo. 2:11). By visit<\/em>, Stephen meant more than a mere social call. This decision and visit seem to coincide with the time when Moses \u201cBy faith…refused to be called the son of Pharaoh\u2019s daughter,\u201d and chose to share the ill treatment of God\u2019s (and his) people (Heb. 11:24\u201325). He not only knew who he was\u2014he determined to identify himself completely with his kindred, despised though they were.<\/span><\/p>\n Jochabed must have instilled Moses with a deep faith in God as well as a consciousness of his true identity. It took great faith for Moses to turn his back on all of the advantages and pleasures of court that were his. However, he knew that all such pleasures were but for \u201ca season.\u201d Through faith, his eye was on the true riches and pleasures to be found in doing God\u2019s bidding; he could \u201csee\u201d Him Who is invisible. He counted being a poor and despised servant of God of greater value than being an heir to the treasures of Egypt (vv. 26\u201327). His faith-based decision to cast his lot with God\u2019s people would prove crucial and pivotal for him, for Israel, and for the entire world thereafter.<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 conscience would not allow him to enjoy comfort and privilege, knowing his brethren suffered greatly. It was time to do something about it: \u201cHe supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance…\u201d (Acts 7:25a; cf. Exo. 2:14a).9<\/sup> Moses must have believed that his act of defending a fellow-Hebrew by killing his oppressor (Acts 7:24) would signal to all of Israel that he (an Egyptian prince, no less!) was ready to champion their cause and lead them to freedom, \u201cbut they understood not\u201d (v. 25b). Ironically, Moses was ready to lead his people to freedom at this point, whereas forty years later he sought to avoid doing so (Exo. 3:11\u20134:17).<\/span><\/p>\n The next day, as he sought to settle a dispute between two Hebrews, one of them reproached him for killing the Egyptian, as if to say, \u201cYou may be an Egyptian prince and judge, but who made you a prince and judge over us?\u201d (Exo. 2:14a; cf. Acts 7:27). Only with difficulty can one imagine a sorer demonstration of ingratitude and neglect of opportunity than this. Realizing that his deed was known, Moses rightly supposed that Pharaoh would count him a traitor and an insurrectionist: \u201cNow when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh…\u201d (Exo. 2:15). With these few words he concluded the record of the first forty years of his life in Egypt.<\/span><\/p>\n The Occupations of Moses <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n From the foregoing information, it is obvious that Moses\u2019 first forty years were spent as a prince <\/strong>in Egypt. His next forty years were spent as a shepherd in the employ of Jethro, his father-in-law, in the land of Midian. His real life\u2019s work did not begin until he was eighty years old. At that age, he became the great emancipator <\/strong>of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Upon leading them to freedom, he then became their guide <\/strong>through the wilderness as they traveled toward Canaan.<\/span><\/p>\n He was a unique prophet <\/strong>of a special class. God said of him that he was not like \u201cordinary\u201d prophets: \u201cMy servant Moses is not so; he is faithful in all my house: with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches…\u201d (Num. 12:7\u20138). God gave his covenant law to Moses to give to the people, and thus was both law-receiver <\/strong>and law-giver<\/strong>. He was the Lord\u2019s spokesman and mouthpiece. Jehovah thereby invested him as the spiritual <\/strong>and civil head <\/strong>of Israel the last forty years of his life. To confirm Moses in these terrible responsibilities, God empowered him to perform manifold wonders and signs, both of blessing and punishment. He was Israel\u2019s steady and faithful guide <\/strong>through the trackless wilderness wanderings. When or where has there ever been another man who fulfilled such awful responsibilities so well?<\/span><\/p>\n His \u201cGreat Commission\u201d <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In the last forty years of Moses\u2019 life, God commissioned him to do many things on various occasions (e.g., part the Red Sea, smite the rock for water, come up into the mountain to receive the law, et al.). One commission God gave him looms high above and serves as the foundation of all of the others.<\/span><\/p>\n While tending Jethro\u2019s flock in Horeb (i.e., Sinai), Moses saw a bush that burned but was not consumed with the fire. God spoke to him from this bush and identified himself as the God of Moses\u2019 father, as well as of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (3:2\u20136). From that announcement, He went on to tell Moses that it was time to free Israel from its bondage, and that he was to be their emancipator (vv. 7\u201310). That which Moses had voluntarily attempted to do forty years earlier was now thrust upon his shoulders as a God-given charge. God directly and unmistakably commissioned him to this task. Moses\u2019 various attempts to excuse himself eventually angered God, and He would have none of them (3:11\u20134:17). Had Moses refused to execute this commission none of the others would have ever been given, at least not through him.<\/span><\/p>\n At God\u2019s order, Aaron traveled to Sinai to meet Moses where he \u201ctold Aaron all the words of Jehovah wherewith he had sent him, and all the signs wherewith he had charged him\u201d (v. 28). These \u201cwords of Jehovah\u201d included the fact that Aaron was to be his younger brother\u2019s mouthpiece and assistant in the awesome task before him. The two brothers then left Horeb and returned to Egypt to do God\u2019s bidding, thus ending the second forty-year period of Moses\u2019 life.<\/span><\/p>\n His Work as an Author <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Moses is the \u201ctraditional\u201d author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. More importantly, the Bible declares him to be such. Critics have for two centuries enjoyed raising all sorts of doubts with fanciful and sometimes ridiculous theories about the authorship of these books, all of which are designed to convince their followers that Moses did not write them. They have no credible evidence that any other one or ones wrote them. They occupy a position characterized by objection, speculation, cynicism, and skepticism that has spread like a cancer through theological circles, destroying the faith of many.<\/span><\/p>\n It is not within the purview of this chapter to treat the Mosaic authorship in any detail (an entire chapter in this volume is devoted to that discussion, to which readers are referred). Let us consider the following simple facts:<\/span><\/p>\n As penman of these foundational books of the Bible, Moses is undoubtedly the best-selling writer of all time, as well as the most influential writer the world will ever see. Readers should bear in mind that the Holy Spirit is the author, and Moses was merely the scribe.<\/span><\/p>\n The Death of Moses <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n After forty years of trials, tears, and travail with the people of God in the wilderness, Moses finally brought them to the eastern order of Canaan, their land of promise. It was time for them to cross the natural boundary of the Jordan River and begin enjoying the fruits of the promise God had made to their fathers. However, Moses would not be allowed to enter the land because, said Jehovah, \u201cye rebelled against my word,\u201d referring to his striking the rock instead of speaking to it to produce water, as God had commanded (Num. 20:10\u201313; 27:13; Deu. 1:37; 33:51; et al.). In preparation for their entering the land, Moses delivered the long discourse of the book of Deuteronomy (\u201csecond law\u201d), wherein he repeated the law as given at Sinai and strictly charged them to keep it and teach in all succeeding generations.<\/span><\/p>\n Though in God\u2019s justice He could not allow Moses to enter Canaan, in His mercy He allowed him to view it. He commanded Moses by himself to ascend Mount Nebo in Moab, \u201cto the top of Pisgah,\u201d adjacent to Jericho, from which he got a panoramic view of the land (32:49, 52; 34:1\u20134). Remarkably, God commanded him to die while he was in the mount, and so he did (32:50; 34:5). Perhaps as a final tribute to Moses\u2019 greatness, God Himself laid this faithful servant to rest somewhere in a valley of old Moab, undiscovered in 1500 B.C., and still undiscovered to this hour (v. 6). Although he lived to the age of 120 years, his eyesight nor his physical vigor were still intact (v. 7). Israel mourned his death for thirty days (v. 8).<\/span><\/p>\n Some Characteristics of Moses\u2019 Greatness<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n A Man of Faith <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy faith\u201d Moses refused Egyptian privilege and chose to suffer with God\u2019s people (Heb. 11:24). \u201cBy faith\u201d He fled Egypt to live as a stranger in the wilderness for forty years (v. 27a). \u201cBy faith\u201d he endured that period of wilderness life because he could \u201csee\u201d \u201chim who is invisible\u201d (v. 27b). \u201cBy faith\u201d forty years later he instituted the Passover (v. 28). Biblical faith\u2014the faith of Moses\u2014is defined in the first words of Hebrews 11. It involves matters which we cannot see with the physical eye (2 Cor. 5:7), but about which we can nonetheless entertain assurances of their reality. Evidence produces conviction, and God has never required men to have faith in anything He has said without sufficient evidence to support it. This faith is not optional, but absolutely obligatory; one possessing it both believes in the existence of God and in His Word (Heb. 11:6). Moses\u2019 faith shines all the brighter because he grew up in a time of sparse revelation and no written communication of God\u2019s will.<\/span><\/p>\n It was this sort of faith, therefore, that Moses had and out of which he acted to fulfill God\u2019s commands. As with all of the persons named in Hebrews 11, His faith was not a mere dogma or opinion, but an activating principle of life. He understood that \u201cfaith apart from works is dead\u201d (Jam. 2:26). There is no greatness of achievement without greatness of faith.<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 faith included trust in God and His promises. Without this facet of faith, it is impossible to please God, for one must not only believe in God, but trust in His promise to reward those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). Many profess belief in the Father or the Son of God but have little or no use for His Word. They are a \u201cpackage deal\u201d and cannot be separated. Jesus said: \u201cHe that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day\u201d (John 12:48). Let us cultivate the fulness of faith as Moses demonstrated.<\/span><\/p>\n A Man of Meekness <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We need no exercise of the powers of inference to know of Moses\u2019 meekness, though many circumstances demonstrate as much. Moses described himself as follows: \u201cNow the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth\u201d (Num. 12:3). In some circumstances and from some tongues this would be a boastful statement. However, from Moses, his entire life is testimony to its truthfulness. The setting in which it appears is where Aaron and Miriam challenged his authority in a sordid display of arrogance and jealousy. Rather than respond directly to their challenge, in his meekness, he left the judgment of their behavior in the hands of God, Who responded suddenly and decisively (vv. 4\u201312).<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 demonstrated his meekness on this occasion. Rather than being vengeful, Moses meekly accepted Aaron\u2019s repentance and earnestly cried for the Lord to heal his leprous sister (v. 13). His hesitancy to go back to Egypt as God\u2019s emancipator may have been from meekness as much as any motive (Exo. 3:11; 4:10; cf. 6:12, 30). We see this trait in his intercession with God for the people in the matter of the golden calf (32:10\u201314; 31\u201332). When confronted with Korah and his rebellion, Moses \u201cfell upon his face\u201d rather than seeking personal vengeance (Num. 16:4; cf. v. 15). A man not excelling in meekness could never have borne all of the ungodly attacks and murmuring he endured from a stiff-necked and selfish people.<\/span><\/p>\n Meekness has to do with strength under control and refusal to press one\u2019s felt \u201crights\u201d to the limits. Meekness will cause one to suffer wrongs rather than create worse wrongs. Meekness is an inner spirit that produces gentleness in action and speech. The meek person is self-effacing rather than self-glorifying. Rather than connoting weakness or cowardice, meekness requires great inner strength and self-control. Negatively, a meek person is not self-assertive, proud, haughty, boastful, or vain. Humility and lowliness are marks of the meek. Jesus said such will \u201cinherit the earth\u201d (Mat. 5:5).<\/span><\/p>\n A Man of Prayer <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We often see Moses in prayer. His access to God in prayer was much like the Savior\u2019s in that God and he had a \u201cface to face\u201d and a \u201cmouth to mouth\u201d communication relationship (Exo. 33:11; Num. 12:8; Deu. 34:10). He often interceded for the people, as noted above, even when the people were not deserving of it and were opposing both God and him. Moses also besought God\u2019s blessing upon the people (Num. 10:35\u201336; Deu. 1:11; 33:1\u201329).<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus, the great Antitype of Moses, teaches us to prayer both by numerous precepts and examples. God delights in the prayers of His people, even though He knows our needs before we ask (Mat. 6:8). We have not because we ask not (Jam. 4:2). The Lord urges us to ask, seek, and knock at Heaven\u2019s gate (Mat. 7:7\u201311). We need to take Paul\u2019s injunction on prayer to heart: \u201cPray without ceasing\u201d (1 The. 5:17\u201318).<\/span><\/p>\n A Man of Perseverance <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We must marvel at the perseverance of Moses. Without it, he would have early thrown up his hands in frustration and defeat in the face of apparent insurmountable obstacles and difficulties in his mission. He not only had to contend with a hard-hearted Pharaoh, but with a stiff-necked mass of perhaps 2 million of his own people. Pharaoh did not want to let them go, and the people were not exactly enthusiastic about their prospect of leaving Egypt. Even when, by God\u2019s power, Moses led them out, he then had to contend with their murmuring at almost every encampment and sometimes between them. Many of them rebelled at his authority and even his own brother and sister were jealous of it. They were so faithless at Kadesh-Barnea that they ruined the opportunity to enter the land of promise quickly. They were on the verge of stoning Moses and selecting a captain to take them back to Egyptian bondage. Talk about mental toughness\u2014the perseverance of Moses demanded a large degree of it.<\/span><\/p>\n So many good works are never brought to fruition because we do not persevere. Many are good \u201cstarters,\u201d but not so many good \u201cfinishers\u201d can be found. The test of faithfulness is not in the pleasant and agreeable times and circumstances. Rather, when the wind is in one\u2019s face, the road is rocky and steep, and the enemy is attacking that faithfulness is tested. When one perseveres under such circumstances, he proves his mettle. The New Testament frequently urges us to exercise \u201cpatience.\u201d However, the word thus translated actually means \u201cendurance\u201d or \u201csteadfastness.\u201d For lack of this trait many who obey the Gospel fall away quickly. For failure at this point many no longer preach, teach a Bible class, or serve as elders or deacons. We should not wonder that \u201cpatience\u201d is one of the attributes that when practiced will cause one to be fruitful and when it is lacking will cause spiritual blindness and relapse (2 Pet. 1:5\u20139).<\/span><\/p>\n A Man Who Listened to Wise Counsel <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n When Moses began leading the people from the Red Sea to Sinai, he was judging all their complaints (Exo. 18:13\u201316). His father-in-law, Jethro, warned that he would soon \u201cwear away\u201d if he continued this practice because it was too much for him to do (v. 18). He then counseled Moses to divide the labor by training and appointing judges to settle all but the most difficult cases (vv. 19\u201322). By doing this Moses would not be overburdened and the people would be happier at getting their cases heard (v. 23).<\/span><\/p>\n Moses\u2019 reaction to Jethro\u2019s counsel is an index to his character. Rather than being resentful of this advice, he saw the wisdom and logic of it and gladly implemented it (vv. 24\u201326). Many folk are so proud and egotistical that they seem to believe that only they have any good ideas or wise thoughts. To them, suggestions for improvement of their methods are equivalent to personal assaults. Wise men not only accept wise counsel when given (as did Moses), but they seek such counsel, for they realize that \u201cWhere there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed; But in the multitude of counsellors they are established\u201d (Pro. 15:22; cf. 11:14; 24:6).<\/span><\/p>\n A Man Who Was Compassionate <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Compassion was likely a major motivation that caused Moses to champion the cause of the Hebrew slaves while he was still a prince in Pharaoh\u2019s court (Acts 7:23; Heb. 11:24\u201326). We see the compassionate side of Moses in his defense of the Hebrew slave against his taskmaster and in his attempt to settle peacefully a dispute between two Hebrews (Exo. 2:11\u201313). We can observe his compassion in the numerous times he seeks God\u2019s mercy for the people when they deserved His judgment. His compassion is easily recognized in his prayer for God to cure Miriam of Leprosy, although she had just attacked his authority in a show of petty jealousy (Num. 12:2\u201313). He took no pleasure in the pain and suffering of others but felt it with them and sought to relieve such.<\/span><\/p>\n Few traits are more noble and beautiful than this one. It is seen in almost every word and deed of the Lord. He taught its beauty through the object lesson we call \u201cThe Parable of the Good Samaritan,\u201d saying that the Samaritan stopped and rendered aid because \u201cwas moved with compassion\u201d for the dying man (Luke 10:33). Paul urges this characteristic upon us: \u201cPut on therefore, as God\u2019s elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering\u201d (Col. 3:12). Peter echoed the exhortation of Paul: \u201cFinally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humbleminded\u201d (1 Pet. 3:8).<\/span><\/p>\n A Man Who Was Not Materialistic <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Had Moses been materialistic, he was in the perfect setting to do so\u2014the court of the richest and mightiest nation on earth at the time. However, from someone (perhaps his mother) he learned that life did not consist in the abundance of one\u2019s possessions (Luke 12:15). His faith (as earlier discussed) enabled him to see beyond the present and material sphere with all of its trappings. He did not allow either the treasures of Egypt or the pleasures of sin available to him in the Egyptian court to corrupt him (Heb. 11:25\u201326). He forsook not only the wrath of the king, but all of the wealth and fleshly indulgence of Egypt when he left as well (v. 27). As the great leader of Israel for forty years, Moses had many opportunities to enrich himself with the gold, silver, and jewels brought out of Egypt and the spoils of war, but he never once did so. In the rebellion of Korah, he stated in his plea of innocence to God: \u201cI have not taken one ass from them\u201d (Num. 16:15).<\/span><\/p>\n One may accurately measure a person\u2019s character by his attitude toward things. One cannot be both spiritually minded and materialistic: \u201cNo man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon\u201d (Mat. 6:24). John warned: \u201cLove not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him\u201d (1 John 2:15). Paul\u2019s warning will never be out of date:<\/span><\/p>\n But they that are minded to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows (1 Tim. 6:9-10).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A Man Who Was Not Power-Mad <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n As with wealth opportunities, Moses had great power opportunities. Many have long speculated that he may have ascended the imperial throne had he remained in Egypt and \u201cbehaved himself.\u201d Even if he were not heir to the throne, his openings for political power still would likely have been many. He obviously cared for no things. He shrank from the obvious place of power God chose for him when He commissioned Moses to free His people of their slavery. When Jethro suggested he delegate some of his authority to various judges, Moses did not count his authority something to be grasped (Exo. 18:17\u201326). When Aaron made the golden calf, God was ready to destroy the entire nation and make of Moses the great nation he sought in rebellious Israel (Exo. 32:10). However, Moses begged God to reconsider, which He did (v. 14). Although vested by God with great authority and power, of which various ones (e.g., Aaron, Miriam, Korah, et al.) were greatly jealous, he never flaunted or abused it.<\/span><\/p>\n How unlike Moses so many are today. They seek not to serve, but to be masters. They seek not to submit, but to control. They seek not to be helpers, but to be masters. Congregations are often torn asunder by men or women of the disposition to rule or ruin, and sometimes they do both. John exposed and chastised a brother named Diotrephes, \u201cwho loveth to have the preeminence\u201d (3 John 9). Elders are warned against \u201clording\u201d over their respective congregations (1 Pet. 5:3). Moses likely would never have succeeded in the work God called him to do had he succumbed to the allurement of power. Those who seek power for the sake of controlling others and exalting themselves today are sure to fail.<\/span><\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Many great servants of God have graced the earth whose names and careers appear in the Sacred Text. Many great servants have lived since the inspired men laid their pens and parchments aside, some of whom have lived and still live in modern times. However, God\u2019s assessment of Moses indicates that none greater than he, apart from the Christ Himself has lived or will live on earth. He was a spiritual giant that towered above all others.<\/span><\/p>\n Well did Israel pay tribute to this great man of God with thirty days of weeping and mourning (Deu. 34:8). The writer of the epilogue of Deuteronomy (obviously not Moses), gave due honor to him in summation: \u201cAnd there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face\u201d (v. 10). Truly, there was not another like him in Israel or in all the world like him until that One came of Whom Moses prophesied: \u201cJehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken\u201d (Deu. 18:15; Acts 3:22).<\/span><\/p>\n Endnotes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 1. All Scripture quotations are from the American Standard Version unless otherwise indicated.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. We have no way of knowing how long in advance of Moses\u2019 birth Pharaoh enacted his murderous edict, but it began before Moses\u2019 birth and it seems certain that it lasted until the exodus. Aaron was three years older than Moses (Exo. 7:7). The fact that he was not killed at birth could mean that the murderous decree was issued <\/span>after <\/strong>he was born, thus implying that it was enacted perhaps only two years or so before Moses\u2019 birth. However, since Moses survived the decree, it is at least possible that the decree was in effect when Aaron was born and he also survived it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n As awful as Pharaoh\u2019s cruel edict was, and as many thousands of infant deaths as it likely caused, he was a piker compared to the ravenous, \u201ckill-\u2018em-at-all-cost\u201d abortion kingpins in our time, especially in the USA. Even if the edict lasted a century, given the Hebrews\u2019 head count shortly after the Exodus he could hardly have even come close to ending the lives of more than 40 million babies. Abortionists in our nation alone\u2014in only 31 years (since the Roe v. Wade judgment in 1973)\u2014have ended the lives of this stunning number.<\/span><\/p>\n Note some parallels between Pharaoh and his infanticide decree and the modern promoters of abortion:<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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