Moses

Creation date: 13-Feb-2020
 

Last updated: 25-June-2023
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Sections

1 Preface 2 Moses adopted and raised raised by his mother
3 Living Under Pharaoh's House 4 Moses Kills an Egyptian, Flees to Midian, and Rejected
5 Burning Bush 6 Forty Years in the Desert
7 God uses Moses to deliver Israel to leave Captivity 8 Delivered Israel fails to inherit Promise Land
9 Moses offers himself for the sins of Israel 10 Moses Striking the Rock
11 Moses' Death 12 One of Three Men in the Old Testament
13 Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration 14 Is There a Future Mission for Moses?

An interesting point that this author has not seen in many Biblical Commentaries, is Moses is from the tribe of Levi, although he never acted as a Priest, albeit he instructed Aaron and all others of the tribe of Levi the ordnances and laws set by God that were given to Moses.

Preface

Perhaps the entire world has heard of Moses, where high reverence is given to him in both Judaism and Christianity.  Additionally, besides the knowledge from those who are read of Moses from the scriptures, Moses has been made famous by many historical documentaries and at least one famous movie from 1956, The Ten Commandments.   The Ten Commandments Movie is highly accurate and only has a few problems that do not represent the full scriptural accuracy.

One Biblical Commentary said that the name of Moses is mentioned more than any other scriptural name other than of course the names of God and Jesus Christ.  Moses has some highly possible future roles in the future as listed later in this topic.

There absolutely can be written volumes of information of regarding Moses' life and accomplishments, where this topic on Biblical Thoughts for God's Glory will attempt to give a general summary of the fascinating life of Moses that was lived for God.  Many Biblical Scholars, which this author agrees, believe Moses will have a future role during the Tribulation Period as one of the Two Witnesses who:

  1. Preach against the Antichrist from Jerusalem in Israel.
  2. Send plagues and drought against the areas controlled by the Antichrist.
  3. Proclaim daily the number of days left before the Antichrist's reign will be over.
  4. Will call upon fire and other means from Heaven to kill any assassins sent to kill the Two Witnesses.
  5. Will be murdered three and one half days before the end of Tribulation Period, where they will rise from the dead while being seen by the entire world, and then called up into Heaven which is also seen by the world.  The next amazing and wonderful event is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as described in Revelation 1:7.

Moses adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and his mother still raised him

When the man, Israel and his sons came to Egypt, there was thirty years of peace, equality and no servitude because of the blessing of one of the sons Joseph who had saved Egypt from seven years of famine that the Pharaoh gave Joseph great wealth and substance in appreciation.  After Joseph died at the age of 110 (Genesis 50:26), there came a new Pharaoh into power who did not know about Joseph (Exodus 1:8).

The new Pharaoh, enslaved Israel as read in Exodus 1:8-22 which included an order to have the killing of male babies by drowning in the river. Female babies were allowed to live, but the command of the Pharaoh was not done by midwives because of fear of God, so many male babies lived.

Exodus 1:8-22 8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. 9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land. 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor: 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field, all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigor.

15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16 and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birth-stool; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. 17 But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. 18 And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive? 19 And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them. 20 And God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. 21 And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them households. 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

Moses was born in the house of Levi, which is the line of priests in the nation of Israel.  Moses mother cared for Moses until a point of fear that she put Moses in the bulrushes of a river, as his mother couldn't see Moses killed by Pharaoh's command.   God arranged the daughter of Pharaoh to see the baby Moses in the bulrushes, and have Moses' sister go get the mother to nurse Moses where Moses was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter.

Exodus 2:1-10 1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid it in the flags by the river s brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. 5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river-side; and she saw the ark among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. 6 And she opened it, and saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh s daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh s daughter said to her, Go. And the maiden went and called the child s mother. 9 And Pharaoh s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Living Under Pharaoh's House

There is not any scripture given about Moses growing from a baby into a man, but since he was in the house of Pharaoh, then he would have been:
  1. Provided the best of foods that were customary for the house of Pharaoh.  Acts 7:22.
  2. Taught in several languages to read and write.   Acts 7:22.
  3. Experienced the best medical treatments known by Egypt.   Acts 7:22.
  4. Learned the customs of royalty and most likely enjoyed the pleasures and benefits.   Acts 7:22
  5. Expected to act and be a prince of Egypt to all that saw him.   Acts 7:22
  6. Would have been forced to participate in the pagan worships of Egypt, because of his adopted mother, while not believing.
  7. Absolutely knew who his true parents were and visited them when he could.   Exodus 2:8-10.
  8. Was known by the entire house of Pharaoh that he was from the Israel people and not a true Egyptian.   Exodus 2:8-10.
  9. Had blessings, favors and love from the house of Pharaoh because of God, just as Joseph had with a previous Pharaoh because of God's providence.   Exodus 2:8-10.
  10. Most likely was known by many, if not all of the nation of Israel, that Moses was born an Israelite and became an Egyptian prince.  Exodus 2:11-14.
  11. Most likely was known by Pharaoh and all of Pharaoh's house that Moses was an Israelite, but Pharaoh allowed Moses to be in his house because of the love for his daughter who had adopted Moses as her own.

Several Biblical Commentaries, will mention some of the list of the eleven items.  Here are some additional points regarding the time that Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh.

  1. There are Egyptian pagan gods at that time, which are not mentioned in the scriptures as Moses wrote in Exodus 23:13 the commandment by God to Israel to not even think of them.
  2. None of the Egyptian medical procedures are mentioned in the scriptures because they were mingled with worship of at least forty pagan gods that contained magic spells.  There are several ancient Papyrus documents discussing medicine which summarize the use of procedures, with magic spells. 
    (a) Magic does not exist, and magic is an illusion that often has its source from the Satanic Realm to deceive people into believing there is not a God of the Bible.  It is possible that there were Egyptians, that roles in medicine, that use Satanic practices to sometimes heal a person.
    (b) There are some surprising knowledge that was known by the ancient Egyptians, that actually is similar and or used in medical procedures today as noted in some sources.
  3. There is an unfortunate incident that occurs later in the exodus event of Israel from Egypt that shows there was an influence of the pagan gods in some of the Israelites with Korah, in Numbers 16:31-35, that is discussed later in this topic. 
  4. It is evident that Moses had a faith in the true God by the righteous indignation of an Egyptian Task Master against and Israel Slave by the murdering of the Egyptian, which is discussed in the next section of this topic.
  5. We do not know what happened to Moses' adoptive mother, that was Pharaoh's daughter, which this author believes she accepted the true God as her God by Faith, just like many people in the scriptures that are exposed to God's truth which Moses would have exemplified through God's blessings on him as a witness of God.
Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth.
Numbers 16:31-35 31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. 32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. 34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up! 35 And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

Moses Kills an Egyptian and then flees to Midian after being rejected by Israel

Most Biblical Commentaries correctly state that at the event when Moses murders the Egyptian Task Master, then Moses was ready to lead Israel out of their captivity if Israel.  While some Biblical Scholars may state that Moses wasn't ready for the task, the scriptural passage of Exodus 2:11-14 and Acts 7:22-29 indicate Moses felt a unity with the two Hebrew men that were fighting with one another that had Moses forsaking his role of a prince of Egypt by the murder. 

Notice that the the two Israelite men make the comment "Who made you a prince or a judge over us?", where the two words "prince" and "judge" are more than a derogatory complement based on Moses being a prince of Egypt, where Moses will be in a place of ruling and judging in the future over Israel.  It is most likely that the two men didn't know that their thought and question to Moses didn't reveal a prophecy, but God uses Double Occurrences and Patterns throughout the entirety of the Bible for our learning, which reveals and give Glory to God. 

Steven the Disciple confirms the rejection in Acts 7:25.  Israel also has a pattern of rejecting guidance by God on the first offering and then accepting on the second offering, which is what Israel will do also in accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior which is a prerequisite to Jesus Christ's Second Coming.  This is what Steven was telling the Sanhedrin before his murder by the Sanhedrin, in Acts 7:54-60.

Exodus 2:11-14 11 Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, Why are you striking your companion? 14 But he said, Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and said, Surely the matter has become known.
Acts 7:22-29

Moses at 40 years old

 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; and he was mighty in his words and works. 23 But when he was well-nigh 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 him, and avenged him that was oppressed, smiting the Egyptian: 25 and he supposed that his brethren understood that God by his hand was giving them deliverance; but they understood not. 26 And the day following he appeared unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? 27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday? 29 And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

Moses realized that his murder of the Egyptian slave master would be soon be known by all including Pharaoh so Moses fled, in an escape for the punishment for murder, to the land of Median.  Note that God does forgive all the sins (including murder) that we make in our lives, through Jesus Christ payment on the Cross for all of our sins, which requires us to ask Jesus Christ to be our Savior.  There is not an unpardonable sin, other than the sin of not asking Jesus Christ to be our personal Savior.

Exodus 2:14 14 But he said, Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and said, Surely the matter has become known.
Acts 7:27-29

 

  27 But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Wouldest thou kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian yesterday? 29 And Moses fled at this saying, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.

In Exodus 12:15, informs us that Pharaoh did learn of the murder by Moses of the Egyptian Slave Master and sought to kill Moses.  After Moses flees Egypt in fear of his life for murdering the Egyptian Slave master, he flees to the land of Midian.

Exodus 2:15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

When Moses arrives in Midian, he witnesses seven women trying to get water to water their flock of sheep but were being forced to leave by other shepherds. Moses intervenes, which most likely was because of his Egyptian attire and receiving combat training, drove the shepherds away and then retrieves water from the well for the women along with helping to give water to the sheep.  The women, from the scripture account of Exodus 2:16-22, are all the daughters of the Priest of Midian Jethro where Jethro takes Moses into his house to live and gives Zipporah, one of his daughters, to Moses for his wife.  They have a son Gershom, meaning a sojourner in a foreign land.

A partial excerpt from the Priesthoods topic:

It is interesting that the scripture has no record of the lineage or authority of Jethro's priesthood.  There is a reference in Exodus 18:1, that indicates Jethro hears about Moses's later exploits of serving God in the exodus of Israel from Egypt, where this indicates Jethro was a priest of the God of the scriptures just like Melchizedek.  The scriptures do not indicate that Jethro's priesthood was invalid.

Both Jethro and Melchizedek then indicate that God is obviously active on the Earth to witness of Himself to the world where Israel would become a priestly nation to further accomplish God's Plan.

In Exodus 2:23-25, indicates a passage of time has gone by, where the Pharaoh of Egypt dies, the Israeli people suffer greatly under the Egyptian task masters, and God begin a process ("knowledge of them") to answer with deliverance for the cries of Israel.

Burning Bush

While Moses, was in Midian, there was a remarkable event that changed Moses into the person he wanted to be when killing the Egyptian task master and help Israel.  The event started with Moses taking Jethro's sheep by the Mountain of God

 

Forty Years in the Desert

The ...

God uses Moses to deliver Israel to leave Captivity

The ...

Delivered Israel, but initially fails to inherit Promise Land

The ...

40 years wondering the dessert, really 38.1 years

 

The ..

Moses offers himself for the sins of Israel

Moses is probably many Christians favorite Old Testament prophet.  We read in Exodus that he so loved Israel that he offered himself in place of everyone for God to forgive them for their transgressions.
 

Exodus 32:30-35 This is the incident when Aaron made a golden calf for Israel to worship instead of God, while Moses was on Mt Sinai:

30 The next day Moses told the people, You committed a great sin, and now I ll go up to the Lord, and perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. 31 Moses returned to the Lord and said, Please, Lord, this people committed a great sin by making a god of gold for themselves. 32 Now, if you will, forgive their sin but if not, blot me out of your book which you have written. 33 The Lord told Moses, Whoever sins against me, I ll blot him out of my book. 34 Now, go, and lead the people where I told you, and now my angel will go before you, but on the day when I do punish, I ll punish them for their sin. 35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people because they made the calf (the one Aaron made).
   

Moses Striking the Rock on the Second Event to Get Water for Israel

Note that even Moses, along with all of us are not perfect and make mistakes.  There was unfortunately incident done by Moses which had the consequences of not being allowed by God to enter the Promised Land because of disobeying what God told him to do with staff and rock in Numbers 20:11. 
  1. This was second event of getting water from the rock, where Biblical Scholars point out that "rock" is used consistently in the scriptures as a model of Jesus Christ, where also Jesus Christ is the "living water" (John 4:10).
    John 4:10 Jesus answered her, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.
  2. The first event of getting water from the rock by Moses who was to strike the rock was to represent Jesus Christ's first mission as the Messiah, and the second event was to have Moses speak to the rock which represents the Second Coming of Jesus Christ as the conquering King of Kings. 

 

We very know that Moses was deeply loved by God and Moses was at the event in the New Testament's Mount of Transfiguration appearance in Matthew 17:3 with Elijah.  Lucifer so hated Moses that he wanted to desecrate Moses' body after death.
 

Deuteronomy 34:5-7 5 So Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of Jehovah. 6 And he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. 7 And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
Jude 1:9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, The Lord rebuke you!

One of Three Men in the Old Testament

Moses is one of three men in the Old Testament that appear on first reading to be allowed to go to Heaven.  Many Biblical Scholars state that these three men may have been taken up in the air to meet or see things dealing with Heaven; but they still went to the paradise area of Sheol until the time that Jesus Christ came to get them from Sheol after the Death on the Cross.  

The three men are Enoch, Moses and Elijah.  Two points of many:

Based on John 3:13, 1 Samuel 28:6-20 and other scriptures, the best conclusion is Enoch, Elijah and Moses went to the Bosom of Abraham compartment of Sheol before the payment on the Cross was made by Jesus Christ.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
1 Samuel 28:15  (part) Notice that the phrase bring me up which infers ascending and not descending.   And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?  This is the incident that King Saul went to a Spiritual Medium at Endor to ostensibly have a S ance to speak to the Prophet Samuel, who had died.  The Prophet Samuel tells King Saul that he came from below, which has to be the good compartment of Sheol.

Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration

It is very interesting what the discussion possibilities were with Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration as read in three of the Gospels: Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, and Luke 9:28-36.
 
Luke 9:28-31 28 And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up into the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became white and dazzling. 30 And behold, there talked with him two men, who were Moses and Elijah; 31 who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

While we don't know the discussion, there are a few commentaries that suggest the conversation was about the upcoming crucifixion and the future roles of Moses and Elijah being most likely the two future Two Witnesses during the Tribulation Period.

Is there a Future Mission for Moses?

This is two partial excerpt from the Two Witnesses topic:

It should be noted that the identities of the Two Witnesses have merit for pointing to Elijah and Moses because of the following scriptural references.  Both Elijah and Moses have missions that were not completed.

Malachi 4:5-6 5 See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.
Matthew 17:3 (At the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ on top of the high mountain), "there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus."
Mathew 17:11-13 Jesus replied, To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands. 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Also, as discussed by one Biblical Scholar, who has passed on, the additional corroboration besides the powers that are identified with Moses is Lucifer fights with Michael over the body of Moses.  Why would a corpse of someone be important unless the body of the person is going to be used again!

Jude 1:9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

 


What to read next?

What is Salvation?  Is it possible to lose Salvation?  We have eternal life.  Evolution is not real.  When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it.  Rewards in heaven.  Do we Tithe?  What does the 3rd Commandment tell us?  What is Grace and Mercy?  Is there an Age of Accountability?  Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?