Introduction

To make this study only a series of events in the life of Moses is not our purpose. While events are important we are also interested in Moses as a man. Our study will focus not only on events but His character. We will be looking for such things as his responsibilities, his leadership, and his manner of life. We will be looking at the makeup of one of the greatest men to ever live on this earth. It is said, “Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3)

How did this fit into his ability to be a strong leader?

Outside of the Lord Jesus Christ no one has ever had as much responsibility placed on his shoulders as Moses had.

He is a remarkable man. This did not begin until he was 80 years old. However, those first eighty years were used by God to prepare him for the monumental task of delivering the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and bringing them to the land God had promised Abraham many years before Moses was born.

We will also see how God dealt with a rebellious nation. We will observe the great patience and longsuffering of God throughout the life of Moses as well as Moses’ patience. Moses is the author so we will be getting the story straight from Moses himself and eye witness of all the miraculous events.

After Abraham had settled in the land of Canaan the Lord told Abraham

“Life up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”

It would be many years before this would take place but God has His own time table. With the birth of Moses, we will see the beginning of this promise unfold.

The Pharaoh (king) of Egypt, who is not named, became fearful of the growth of the Hebrew people. He was fearful they might become so large they might join with some enemy of Egypt and overthrow the Egyptians. A Hebrew man named Amran and his wife Jochebed who were both of the tribe of Levi had a son born to them. It is said he was a “fine child.”

She determined she would attempt to hide him.

What do you think being a “fine child” meant?

One translation says, “She saw there was something special about him.”

Another translation says she “saw the baby was unusually beautiful.”

When he reached 3 months she could no longer hide him thus she made a papyrus basket for him coating it with tar and pitch and put him at the edge of the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. His sister Miriam who was 7 years older was placed nearby to keep watch over Moses.

Think about the responsibility that was placed on this little 7year-old girl. Moses also had a brother named Aaron who was three years older.

By the providence of God, the basket lodged in some reeds in a place where Pharaoh’s daughter and her maids came to bathe. Seeing the basket, she had one of them to bring it to her. She immediately recognizes that the child was a male Hebrew.

Knowing the command of her father to drown all male Hebrew babies why didn’t she do this or else turn him over to someone who may have been assign the responsibility to drown Hebrew babies?

The baby was crying. We are told she “was sorry for him.”

Such an act of drowning a baby violates the conscience to no end. She could not bring herself to do such a thing. Miriam immediately reacted by running to Pharaoh’s daughter suggesting she get a Hebrew woman to nurse the child.

Can you imagine the feelings this little seven year old child had when she saw what had happened? It would have taken great courage on her part to do this.

The mother of Moses was immediately brought to Pharaoh’s daughter. She told Jocobed she would pay her for keeping the baby. When Moses grew older at the time children were weaned he was taken to his new mother and became her adopted son. He was given the name Moses by his new mother.

Moses is from the root Hebrew word which means “drawn.” She said, “I drew him out of the water.”

So, it was the daughter of Pharaoh who gave him his name. You wonder how Pharaoh reacted when he discovered what his daughter had done.

This whole episode shows the providence of God. An unknown baby ends up being the son of an Egyptian princess which will give him access to the royal household of Pharaoh. Certainly, He would receive the finest education. He will have the finest clothing and the finest place to live in all of Egypt.

He has every advantage to grow in knowledge and wisdom. He would also attain skills in leadership by just observing how Pharaoh executed the laws of the land. Later he would need this ability as he led the Israelites to the “promised land.”

Everything was against the way things turned out for Moses. Since he was under the orders of Pharaoh for all male Hebrew babies to be drowned in the Nile he could have easily been detected then drowned.

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