RELIGION: How Much Do We Really Know About Moses?

How much do we really know about Moses? If you ask most people who Moses was, they would say he was the one who wrote the Ten Commandments upon a stone. And they would be right, but he was much more and we are so glad that Pastor brought his story into a different light.

First of all, Brother Bob read to us from Exodus chapter 3. In this portion of the scripture, there are many things the Lord told Moses to do. We find that Moses was with the flock of Jethro his father-in-law when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a burning bush. He looked and saw that the bush burned with fire but it was not consumed. Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."

Can you imagine the fear we would experience if something like that happened in our present life? At this point, Moses turned aside and God spoke out of the burning bush. He said, "Moses, Moses?" Moses replied, "Here am I." God said draw not nigh here, instead, take off your shoes, for the place where you stand is holy ground. Now God explained to Moses that he was the God of his fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look upon the face of God.

The Lord spoke again and told Moses that he knew the affliction of his people who were in Egypt, and heard their cry by reason of the taskmasters which were over them. He saw the sorrow they were suffering and He said that He had come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land and take them to a good land where milk and honey flow. God saw the oppression of his people at the hand of the Egyptians. Then he spoke and told Moses that he was going to send him unto Pharaoh so that he could bring the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Moses questioned God, asking why he would choose him for such an important task. God's answer was that He would be with him when he brought His children out of Egypt, that He would one day serve him upon the mountain where they stood.

When Moses heard this, he began to ask what he should say when the children of Israel asked him who sent him. God spoke and told him to say He was sent by the "I Am That I Am." Then He told Moses to tell them that He was sent by the God of their Fathers. He was to gather the elders of Israel and tell them what he had seen and heard. Then Moses told them that God has seen what they were suffering in Egypt. God then told him to repeat what he told him about delivering the children of Israel into a better land where milk and honey flowed. He assured Moses that they would hearken to his voice and they would go to the king of Egypt and say to him that they had met with the God of the Hebrews and they wanted to go on a journey into the wilderness that they may sacrifice to the Lord their God.

He told Moses that He knew that the King would not let them go. Then He said, I will smite Egypt with all manner of afflictions and, after that, the king would let them go. He caused them to have favor with the Egyptians and they were given all sorts of things for their journey. Moses was still afraid that they would not believe that he had been with the Lord. Now God gave Moses something to establish proof of being sent by him. He asked Moses what was in his hand? Moses replied it is a rod. God said cast it to the ground and he did so. When the rod hit the ground, it became a snake and the Lord said now pick it up by the tail. He thought he better flee from that serpent, but he obeyed God. When he did, the serpent returned to the rod.

Then He told him to do a strange thing, put his hand in his bosom and draw it out. When he did, it was leprous. When he returned it to the same place, it was once more whole. This was so that, if the children of Israel did not believe he had been with the Lord, he had proof. After Moses complained that he could not speak well, God consented to let his brother Aaron go with him. Among the signs preformed to prove He was telling the truth was the parting of the Red Sea. That is a familiar account that we have all heard.

Now that Pastor had laid the foundation, he told us that the rod was an instrument showing victory. Every time he used the rod, God was glorified. The last part of Moses' life that Pastor spoke about was that during a battle with Amalek the children of Israel would be winning as long as Moses held the rod into the air. He began to tire, so Aaron and Hur, who had gone up on the mountain with him, held up his hands.

Pastor reminded us that we should hold up the hands of our leaders because their load is often more than they can carry alone. It seems that the rod was a form of faith. There is so much more to the life of Moses, and it would be good if you would take time to read the chapters in Exodus that reveal the wonders he experienced.

We would love to invite you to worship with us at the Cove on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Bible study on Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. Be Blessed and remember God is on our side during all the trials we are going through during these times.

Opinions expressed are those of the author.