An Article on Moses- the Prophet
Introduction:
Moses is one of the important and historical religious leader in the Bible. In the Old Testament of Bible we can find in many place about Moses. The first five books of the Bible from Genesis to Deuteronomy which is also known as Pentateuch and also named as Torah was written by Moses. Moses is one of the most important personality in the Bible especially in the Old Testament.
According to the Book of Exodus, Moses was born in a time when his people, the Israelites, an enslaved minority, were increasing in population and, as a result, the Egyptian Pharaoh worried that they might ally themselves with Egypt’s enemies.Moses’ Hebrew mother, Jochebed, secretly hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed in order to reduce the population of the Israelites. Through the Pharaoh’s daughter (identified as Queen Bithia in the Midrash), the child was adopted as a foundling from the Nile river and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. After killing an Egyptian slave-master who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian, where he encountered the Angel of the Lord, speaking to him from within a burning bush on Mount Horeb, which he regarded as the Mountain of God.
God sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. Moses said that he could not speak eloquently, so God allowed Aaron, his elder brother, to become his spokesperson. After the Ten Plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, after which they based themselves at biblical Mount Sinai, where Moses received the Ten Commandments. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, Moses died within sight of the Promised Land on Mount Nebo.
The Call of God to Moses:
Although Moses was a Hebrew, he was raised in Egypt’s royal family as the grandson of Pharaoh. His revulsion to injustice erupted into a lethal attack on an Egyptian man, he found beating a Hebrew worker. This act came to Pharaoh’s attention, so Moses field for safety and became a shepherd in Midian, a region several hundred miles east of Egypt on the other side of the Sinai Peninsula. We do not know exactly how long the lived there, but during that time he married and had a son. In addition, two important things happened. The king in the Egypt died, and the Lord heard the cry of his oppressed people and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus2:23-25). This act of remembering did not mean that God had forgotten about his people. It signaled that he was about to act on their behalf. For that, he would call Moses.
God’s call to Moses came while Moses was at work. The account of how this happened comprises six elements that form a pattern evident in the lives of other leaders and prophets in the Bible. It is therefore instructive for us to examine this call narrative and to consider its implications for us today especially in the context of our work.
First, God confronted Moses and arrested his attention at the scene of the burning bush (3:2-5). A brush fire in the semi-desert is nothing exceptional, but Moses was intrigued by the nature of this one. Moses heard his name called and responded. “Here I am”(Exidus3:4). This is a statement of an availability, not location.
Second, the Lord, introduced himself as the God of the patriarchs and communicated his intent to rescue his people from Egypt and to bring them into the land he had promised to Abraham (Exodus3:6-9).
Third, God commissioned Moses to go to Pharaoh to bring God’s people out of Egypt (Exodus3:10).
Fourth, Moses objected (Exodus3:11). Although he had just heard a powerful revelation of who was speaking to him in this moment, his immediate concern was “Who am I?” in response to this, God reassured Moses with a promise of God’s own presence (Exodus3:12a). Finally, God spoke of a confirming sign (Exodus3:12b).
These same elements are present in several other call narratives in Scripture – for example in the calling of Gideon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and some of Jesus’s disciples. This is not a rigid formula, for many other calls often comes via an extended series of encounters that guide a person in God’s call often comes via an extended series of encounters that guide a person in God’s way over time.[1]
Moses -The Prophet:
In, the Bible we can find in many places that Moses was called as a Prophet of God. Especially, in the Book of Exodus we can find that Moses called as the Prophet.
God appointed Moses to speak for him, first to Pharaoh and then to the Israelites. He spoke with God’s authority, and he taught the Israelites what God desired, most notably by delivering them the famous Ten Commandments and allegedly writing the Pentateuch.
Of all the prophets, Moses was the only one who regularly met with God face-to-face.The Pentateuch closes by remarking on how no other prophet in the Old Testament came close to Moses’ legacy:
“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” —Deuteronomy 34:10–12 [2]
In the Bible, we read “Moses and the Prophets,” but less often do we read Moses being referred to as a prophet. But such he is. He is not alone as a prophet in the Pentateuch, but he is, without a doubt, the greatest. There were other prophets in the Pentateuch. Some were not actually called prophets, but they do appear to have a prophetic ministry. Noah, for example, is called a preacher of righteousness in 2 Peter 2:5. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams in Genesis 41 and his own 42:8 and the message of both was clearly prophetic. Jacob prophesied concerning the destiny of his sons on Genesis 49. While Moses did not refer to Enoch as a prophet in the Pentateuch, the New Testament Book of Jude speaks of his prophecy. Jude 1: 14-15. [3]
Moses was a prophet of God. Moses and Aron went to the king of Egypt. They asked him to let the Israelites leave Egypt. The king said he would not let them go (Exidus5:1-9). Jesus said he would help Moses and Aron. Jesus would show the king of Egypt his power. Then the king would let the Israelites go (Exodus6:1-6). Moses told the king Jesus would change the water in the rivers to blood. Jesus did change the water in Egypt to blood. The people could not drink the water. The fish died (Exodus7:14-21). Again, Moses asked the king to let the Israelites go, but the king would not let them go (Exodus7:22-25). Jesus sent many frogs to Egypt. The frogs were everywhere. They were in the homes and the beds of the people. The king said he would let the Israelites go if the frogs went away. Jesus made the frogs die. But the king had lied to Moses. He would not let the Israelites go (Exodus8:1-15). Jesus made lice come everywhere. But the king still would not let the Israelites go (exodus 8:16-19). Jesus made flies come everywhere to the Egyptians. The king told Moses that he would let the Israelites go if the flies went away. The flies went away, but the king had lied again. He would not let them go (8:22-32). Moses said that Jesus would make the Egyptian’s animals die. Soon their animals died. But the king still would not let the Israelites go (Exodus9:1-7). Jesus put bad storm killed everywhere. Then Jesus sent a bad hailstorm. The storm killed everyone who was outside. The king said that he would let the Israelites go. Moses prayed and the storm stopped. But the king would not let them go (Exodus9:8-35). Jesus sent grasshoppers to eat all the food. The grasshoppers ate all the fruit and green plants. Still the king would not let the Israelites go (Exodus10:4-20). [4]
Conclusion:
Moses was a great Man of God. We can learn many lesson from him. We can also learn from his ministry as Prophet. I don’t mean that we all need to be prophets, as Moses was. But we are to proclaim the word of the lord to men. In this sense, there is much for every Christians to learn from the prophetic ministry of Moses. There are several time that God send message to his people Israelites and to lead them in to the promise land. The land that has been promised by God to their people when they were in the slaves in the land of Egypt.
Bibliography:
https://bible.org/seriespage/moses-premiere-prophet. 19th April, 2021.
https://wwwheologyofwork.org/old-testament/exodus-and-work/israel-in-egypt-exodus-111316/gods-call-to-moses-exodus-211-322 , 19th April, 2021
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ 19th April, 2021.
https://overviewbible.com/moses/ 19th April.2021.
The End
[1] https://wwwheologyofwork.org/old-testament/exodus-and-work/israel-in-egypt-exodus-111316/gods-call-to-moses-exodus-211-322 , 19th April, 2021
[2] https://overviewbible.com/moses/ . 19th April, 2021.
[3] https://bible.org/seriespage/moses-premiere-prophet. 19th April, 2021.
[4] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/ 19th April, 2021.