Story 36: Mo'ses Begins The Work Of Delivering Is'ra-el From E'gypt l

   Before taking his family on a perilous journey to E'gypt, Mo'ses asked the consent of his father-in-law. Without meaning actually to deceive Je'thro, Mo'ses thought it best to tell him nothing about the vision which he had, or the Divine appointment to become the leader of his people in casting off their bondage in E'gypt. Even though he did not think it wise to share his wonderful secret with Je'thro, Mo'ses was truly grateful to his father-in-law for taking him into his home when he was a wanderer, for hiring him to look after his sheep for forty years, and for giving him one of his daughters in marriage. Je'thro took the news of the departure in good spirit, and said to Mo'ses, "Go in peace." He was very fond of his son-in-law, and knew that he would not go away unless he had some very good reason.
   Mo'ses took his wife and sons, and started out in the wilderness for the long journey back to the home of his kindred. In the course of the journey God reminded Mo'ses that he had neglected an important duty while he was living in Mid'i-an. For some reason he had failed to have one of his sons circumcised as required of the chosen people of God. When this neglect was called to his mind by the LORD, and the rite duly performed, Mo'ses sent the boy and his mother back to the home of Je'thro. The LORD directed Aa'ron to go into the wilderness to meet his brother Mo'ses, and the two brothers journeyed on into E'gypt to perform the great work to which they had been called.
   The elders of Is'ra-el were then called together, and Mo'ses told them of the call which he had received from God. They accepted him as their leader, and news of his mission spread rapidly among the Is'ra-el-ites. At first there was great rejoicing among the people, and they treated Mo'ses and Aa'ron with deep respect and affection. Then Mo'ses and Aa'ron went directly to Pha'raoh, the king of E'gypt, told him that they were messengers sent by the LORD, and asked that all the He'brew people be allowed to make a three days' journey into the wilderness outside the borders of E'gypt so that they might worship their God in a special feast.
   This reasonable request was bluntly refused by Pha'raoh. The proud king of E'gypt said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Is'ra-el go." He had no respect for the God of Is'ra-el, and no mercy toward the people who worshiped Him; his answer shows that he did not believe that God could help the people of Is'ra-el. Thus the servants of God were scorned and insulted, and the wicked king of E'gypt sought to make himself a god superior to the God of Is'ra-el.
   Hardened in heart, darkened in mind, and filled with a cruel, selfish spirit, Pha'raoh mocked the suggestion that his great host of slaves should be permitted to leave their work long enough to worship their God. At once he ordered his officers and taskmasters to increase the burdens of the children of Is'ra-el, and to make their work more difficult to do.
   At this particular time the He'brew slaves were employed in making brick for the great temples being erected in E'gypt. In the process of molding bricks out of clay they used straw, which was cut in fine strands to hold the bricks together. Up to this time the straw had been gathered by other workmen, but Pha'raoh now ordered that the He'brews go out into the fields and gather their own straw, and that they must make just as many bricks as they had been making before. This increase in their burdens filled the He'brews with despair, and in their disappointment and anger they turnt against Mo'ses and Aa'ron, blaming them for the new hardships inflicted by the E'gyp-tians.

Story 35: God Speaks To Mo'ses From A Burning Bush lll

   After telling Mo'ses the great name by which he was to be known in the mission to the Is'ra-el-ites, God commanded him to call together the elders of Is'ra-el and tell them of the Divine Plan which had been arranged for their freedom. God also commanded Mo'ses to ask Pha'raoh to free the He'brews from their bondage. A word of warning, however, went with this final command. The LORD said, "I am sure that the king of E'gypt will not let you go; but I will stretch out My hand and smite E'gypt with all my wonders, and after that he will, let My people go."
   In spite of all these wonderful promises from God, Mo'ses still felt himself unable to carry out the mission with success, so the LORD gave him two special signs of encouragement. First, He told him to throw his shepherd's staff upon the ground, and when he did so, it was suddenly turnt into a serpent. Then the LORD told him to pick it up by the tail, and as soon as he touched it, it became a shepherd's staff once again.
   The second sign took place when Mo'ses was directed to put his hand into his bosom. When Mo'ses withdrew his hand, it was turnt white by the dread disease of leprosy. Once again he was ordered to place his hand in his bosom, but this time it was completely healed when he withdrew it.
   Still worried about his ability to make a successful appeal to Pha'raoh on behalf of My people, Mo'ses complained that he was a very poor speaker. He declared that he had an impediment of speech which would make it impossible for him to address Pha'raoh with any hope of success.The LORD then rebuked him for his unbelief, and for the suggestion that someone else be sent in his place; Mo'ses was told that his brother Aa'ron would speak for him in all the interviews with Pha'raoh,
   While these conversations were going on between the LORD and Mo'ses, the heart of Aa'ron was moved to go out toward the wilderness east of E'gypt. Here he was led by the LORD to meet Mo'ses, and to become an assistant in the great work to which his brother had been called. Mo'ses then accepted the call of God, returned to the house of his father-in-law and arranged to leave at once for E'gypt; taking his wife and son.
 

Story 35: God Speaks To Mo'ses From A Burning Bush ll

   Although the one thing in the world which Mo'ses desired above all was the deliverance of his people from bondage in E'gypt, he felt that he was unable to serve as the leader in such an undertaking. With all humility he answered the summons from the burning bush in these modest words, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pha'raoh, and that I should bring the children of Is'ra-el out of E'gypt?"
   It was only natural for Mo'ses to think of the fact that he was still sought by the E'gyp-tian authorities for the killing of an overseer so many years before, of the fact that for forty years he had been out of touch with events in E'gypt, and of his own lack of experience in serving as the leader of a great people. For these reasons he was most reluctant to accept the Divine Commission now thrust upon him.
   If Mo'ses had been a proud, conceited man, he no doubt would have said, "Who am I not?"; but as a man who trusted only in the LORD, he said, "Who am I?" In reply to the modest question of Mo'ses, the LORD assured him that He would be with him, and that as a token of His presence Mo'ses should worship on this mountain when he brought Is'ra-el out of E'gypt.
   Then Mo'ses remembered the treatment his people had received when he had slain the cruel taskmaster so many years before. It also occurred to him that perhaps the Is'ra-el-ites would not follow a leader who had spent forty years in the king's palace while they were forced into the hardest kind of labor, and who had now been absent from the country for forty years. He knew that his people must be broken in spirit by the years of bondage, and must have lost all hope of being delivered from their troubles. Honestly facing these difficulties, Mo'ses asked the LORD, "Who shall I say sent me, what is His name?" To this question God replied, "Tell them that I AM WHO I AM sent you, that is my name."
   This name for the God of Is'ra-el means a great deal; though it cannot be fully understood by man, it helps us to learn something about the nature of God. It means, in part, that God is eternal, without beginning or end; independent, unchangeable, and all-powerful; that he is the great and only ruler of everything that has been, or ever shall be created. Mo'ses did not fully understand the words of God, but he knew that they cast a blessing upon his mission to Is'ra-el. He knew that he could begin his work of deliverance in the name of God, a name which has power to free slaves, and to inspire men to the most courageous deeds.
 
 

Story 35: God Speaks To Mo'ses From A Burning Bush l

   All through the forty years which Mo'ses spent in Mid'i-an caring for the sheep of his father-in-law the burdens of the Is'ra-el-ites were made heavier and heavier. Their daily tasks were greatly increased, brutal methods were taken to check their increase in numbers, and life was made miserable for them in every possible way. They did not know whether Mo'ses was living or dead, and probably never expected to hear of him again.
   Death had come to the Pha'raoh who was on the throne at the time when Mo'ses had fled from E'gypt, but another king, also called by the title of Pha'raoh, had taken his place. The Is'ra-el-ites had hoped that the change in monarchs would bring some relief from  their burdens, but the new king seemed to be more cruel than any who had come before him. Under the new trials and sufferings the He'brews became much more earnest in their prayers to God for deliverance, and in this way their religious life was brought into a deeper understanding of their complete dependence upon God.
   One day Mo'ses led his sheep far out into the desert regions of A-ra'bi-a to the level plain at the foot of Mount Ho'reb, which is sometimes called Mount Si'nai. While the sheep were grazing, a very startling experience came to Mo'ses. While his heart burned with love and compassion for his oppressed brethren back in E'gypt, and while he was thinking of their increased burdens under the cruel new king, a strange sight came to his eyes.
   A bush on the plain was aflame with a brilliant and dazzling fire, yet it was not burned or consumed. Mo'ses stood before the strange sight lost in wonder and amazement, unable to take his eyes from such a miracle. And so he said to himself, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." Suddenly a voice came from the burning bush, saying, "Mo'ses, Mo'ses." He humbly replied, "Here am I." Then the voice said to him, "Draw not closer; put off thy sandals, for the ground whereon thou standest is holy ground."
   As Mo'ses stood in silence and awe, the voice spoke again from the burning bush: "I am the God of thy father, the God of A'bra-ham, the God of I'saac, and the God of Ja'cob." After Mo'ses had covered his face as a sign of respect, the voice continued: "I have seen the affliction of my people in E'gypt, and have come to deliver them. I shall take them to Ca'naan, the good land flowing with milk and honey, the land which I promised them long ago."
   The voice from Heaven then described the cruel treatment which the children of Is'ra-el had suffered in E'gypt, and spoke of the wonderful land in Ca'naan which God would give them for their own as soon as they drove out the heathen nations which then held the land. Mo'ses was told that this voice had come to him as a sign from Heaven, and that he should tell Pha'raoh that the LORD had sent him to deliver the He'brews from the land of E'gypt. By this command Mo'ses was called by the LORD to become the leader of Is'ra-el at once.
  

Story 34: The Youth, Training, And Manhood Of Mo'ses lll

   When the young women returned to their father's house they told him of the kindness which had been shown them by one whom they took to be an E'gyp-tian. The priest, whose name was Je'thro, reproached his daughters for not inviting the man to come to their home as a guest. The daughters then returned to the well and asked Mo'ses to come to their father's house. He was glad to accept the invitation, and before long decided to enter the priest's household as a shepherd. The next forty years of Mo'ses' life were spent in the land of Mid'i-an. The Mid'i-an-ites were descendants of one of A'bra-ham's sons by his wife Ke-tu'rah, and were of She'met-ic blood, but were not members of the race blessed in the Covenant which God made with A'bra-ham.
   Soon after entering the employ of Je'thro, Mo'ses fell in love with Zip'po-rah, who was a daughter of the Mid'i-an-ite priest. She was given to him in marriage by Je'thro, and a son was born to them. Mo'ses continued to look after the sheep for his father-in-law, and remained in the household for forty years. During that time he spent many hours every day out on the plains and hills with the sheep, communing in his heart with God, and never forgetting his hope some day to deliver the He'brews from bondage in E'gypt.
   Strange were the ways in which God prepared Mo'ses to deliver his people. First, his life had been saved by an E'gyp-tian princess, and his early years had been spent under the care and instruction of his own mother, who had providentially been permitted to attend to him as a nurse. Then came the period when he enjoyed all the advantages open to a member of the E'gyp-tian royalty. Next came the forty years of exile from E'gypt, during which time he married a daughter of the Mid'i-an-ite priest, and communed with God while caring for the sheep in the desert regions of A-ra'bi-a. Then came the call of God to begin the work for which he had been trained for eighty years, and this will be the subject of our next story.

Story 34: The Youth, Training, And Manhood Of Mo'ses ll

   The friendly act of Mo'ses was resented by the two He'brews, and the one who had been the aggressor in the quarrel said to him, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed that E'gyp-tian?" This placed Mo'ses in a very difficult position. His own people feared him because he had slain the E'gyp-tian while trying to protect one of them, and now they resented his friendly effort to promote peace and good will among them. He had been right in his sympathy for them, and was justified in using force to protect the man whom the taskmaster was treating so cruelly, but in killing the E'gyp-tian he had committed a serious crime against the government.
   The life of Mo'ses was now in danger. If news that he had murdered one of the E'gyp-tian officers reached Pha'raoh, he would probably be put to death as a criminal. Fearing for his own life, and knowing that once his sympathy for the oppressed and hated He'brews became known to the king there would no longer be any hope of delivering them, he fled from the country at once. He went across the desert to the east of E'gypt into A-ra'bi-a, and into the part of the peninsula that was known as Mid'i-an. He was compelled to remain in hiding, for Pha'raoh was greatly angered when he learned of the death of the E'gyp-tian overseer. The king felt that his hospitality had been abused, and that a member of his own household had turned against him in order to help the He'brews; it was ordered, therefore, that the young prince be captured and put to death.
   While hiding in Mid'i-an, Mo'ses lingered by the side of a well and gave serious thought to his problems. He had suddenly found it necessary to forsake the ease and comfort of the E'gyp-tian palace, and to give up the kindness of the princess who had adopted him.
   Now in the country known as Mid'i-an there lived a noble priest who owned large flocks of sheep and other valuable properties. He had seven daughters who cared for his flocks, and who often brought them for water to the well where Mo'ses was resting. There were also in that vicinity certain shepherds who were unfriendly toward the young women, and who often molested them when they came to the well to draw water for their sheep.
   While Mo'ses was sitting by the well lost in deep thought, the seven daughters of the Mid'i-an-ite priest came to water their flocks. Then the ill-mannered shepherds came and started to drive away the flocks that were being watered. Mo'ses saw the unkind treatment of the women, and knew that someone ought to help them. Realizing that he was now a wanderer because he had once tried to help others in a matter which they thought did not concern him, he must have been strongly tempted not to interfere, but he could not bear to see the women so ill treated. He rebuked the shepherds, drove them away, and then drew water for the flocks of sheep which belonged to the priest of Mid'i-an.
  

Story 34: The Youth, Training, And Manhood Of Mo'ses l

   For forty years Mo'ses remained in the palace of Pha'raoh, enjoying all the luxury and advantages afforded by the court of one of the richest and most powerful rulers in all history. As an adopted son of the E'gyp-tian princess he was given the advantages of the best education which could be had in any land. It is said of Mo'ses, "He was instructed in all the wisdom of the E'gyp-tians, and was mighty in his words and works." We also know that he was proficient in mathematics, natural philosophy, engineering, warfare, grammar, and medicine. From such training he was well prepared to hold a place of honor among the greatest nobles and princes, and to turn at last to the great mission of his life.

   His nurse, who was really his own mother, continued to care for him until he was no longer a child. She taught him to worship the true God of the He'brews, and told him about all the customs of his people. No doubt she also secretly told him of the wonderful way in which the LORD had caused him to be saved from death, and laid upon his heart the burdens and hardships of his own people.

   During all these years of royal advantages Mo'ses never forgot the sufferings of his own people held in bondage. The luxury and exuberance of his own surroundings did not close his eyes to the poverty and hardships of his brethren, nor could he enjoy his life of ease and comfort while the children of Is'ra-el remained so miserable. His unselfish love for the down-trodden people, and his patient hope for an improvement in their condition became so strong that he decided to take some definite step toward helping them.
   One day while he was quietly passing among the workmen on one of the government projects, probably an embankment near the river Nile, he saw one of the E'gyp-tian taskmasters striking a He'brew laborer with a whip. As he watched his own kindred straining under unbearable burdens, and saw how they were mistreated by the cruel overseer, his blood boiled with righteous indignation . Looking around and seeing that no other E'gyp-tians were near, he struck the taskmaster so fierce a blow that it killed him. He then secretly covered the body in the sand, and went on his way.
   This act of the young prince was not known to any of the E'gyp-tians, but the He'brew whom Mo'ses had protected whispered the news to other workmen, and they in turn told their brethren, until the deed was finally known to most of the He'brews. The next day Mo'ses visited the workmen again, and this time saw one of the He'brews strike another during a quarrel. At once he went up to them in the hope of settling their differences, and rebuked the one who seemed to be in the wrong. He had intended merely to show them that even though they were slaves, they still were kindred, and should try to deal patiently with one another.