Moses - Servant of God - The Meekest Man in All the Earth
6 - The Return to Egypt
In our consideration of Moses we have reached the end of the second period of his life.
You may recall that we discovered earlier that his life can be divided into three periods of forty years. The first was spent in Egypt as a member of the royal household learning all the arts of leadership and diplomacy as an adopted prince. All through that time he never forgot that he belonged to the Hebrew people - God's own special people, the Israelites. The second period was spent in the land of Midian working as a shepherd for his father-in-law, Jethro.
It was at the end of this period that God revealed Himself to Moses through a bush that burned but was not consumed. It was there that the Lord told him that He had plans to deliver the Hebrews, from their enslavement in Egypt. Moses was to go back and confront Pharaoh and demand that he allow God's people to go free. At first Moses was very reluctant to accept what God was commissioning him to do. However, after his queries, misgivings and excuses before God in which he experienced the patience, grace and understanding of the Lord, Moses returned home to Midian. There, no doubt, he informed Jethro, a God-fearing man, of his experience at Mount Horeb. After this, in obedience to God's purposes, he returned to Egypt with Jethro's blessing and good will. He took with him his family and his shepherd's crook, which some have called the staff of God. We are told that God then said to him, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do".
On his journey Moses was made to realise that he must obey all the commandments of the Lord and circumcise his son as a sign and recognition that he too belonged to the covenant people of God. This would teach us, yet again, that obedience to all of the Lord's requirements is required of all who would serve him. This was to be the first priority for Moses, and he sought to maintain this throughout his life.
As Moses moved on, God prompted Aaron, his brother, to join him in the desert. Moses then told Aaron of all that God had communicated to him from the burning bush, and of all that God was sending him to say to Pharaoh. In addition, he recounted the instructions about the miraculous signs God had commanded him to perform. Then the two brothers called together all the elders of Israel, and Aaron informed them of everything that God had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. Best of all, he stated that God was concerned about his people and had seen their misery. In response to this, they bowed down and worshipped the Lord. It is a good thing for us as believers today to constantly to bow in worship as we reflect upon the greatness, goodness and grace of our God towards us in the gift of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour and redeemer.
Another important lesson for us to learn is seen in Moses' second priority. This is the application of God's word and obedience to it in all that we do. We are privileged to have God's word in full in the Bible, which has been preserved for us through the centuries. Many great servants of God have given their lives so that the Holy Scriptures might be freely available for all to read. We thank God for such diligence and dedication on their part. This in itself should make us value the scriptures highly, and motivate us to read from them daily. It is from the word of God that we receive our spiritual food, which in turn helps us to grow to be more like our Saviour and Lord.
Moses and Aaron then made their way to Pharaoh's palace. On being shown into the king's presence they told him what their God required of him in relation to the Israelites, his people. Pharaoh's reaction was to say, "Who is this Lord? I do not know him and will not let them go, but rather will give them more to do". This distressed Moses considerably. It frequently happens that the first result of courageous obedience appears to be failure. Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he increased the workload of the Israelites. Worse was to follow because the people blamed Moses for what was now happening.
Moses reacted to this new situation by turning to God in prayer, the third priority in Moses' life. He posed a question to the Lord, "Why have you brought trouble upon my people? Is this why you sent me on this mission?" This was not at all an expression of unbelief, but rather of confidence. Moses was so sure that God had sent him that he was quite unable to accept failure as the ultimate outcome of his obedience. To refuse to believe that God has made any mistake, even when everything appears to have gone wrong is real faith. We honour God when we trust Him, and ask such questions as these.
The true servant of God clings to the fact that God's purpose is greater than his own understanding. So Moses has no hesitation in asking "Why"? Just as any parent welcomes the questions of the child who trusts him, so does God make each obscure thing a stepping-stone to higher and further knowledge for those who would serve Him faithfully, although they may sometimes find things difficult to understand. The Lord says, "trust me!" To such questions, God's answer is often the one He gave here to Moses: "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh; because of my mighty hand he will drive my people out of Egypt and let them go".
God also gave Moses a tremendous series of promises: "I am the Lord the Almighty, the covenanting God of your fathers. All my resources will be diverted at bringing my promises to Israel to pass". This can be summed up in three great promises or predictions concerning his purposes for Israel:
- I will bring you out from bondage - that is EMANCIPATION.
- I will redeem you with a stretched out arm - that is REDEMPTION.
- I will bring you into the land which I promised your fathers - that is REALISATION.
The purposes of God in salvation have never changed and what He was about to do for the people of Israel He is doing for people today. It is wonderful to know that the good news, which Jesus taught his disciples to preach after he returned to heaven, offers to sinners like you and me freedom from the sin that holds us captive - that is EMANCIPATION. It also tells us that Jesus paid the price upon the cross for our sins - that is REDEMPTION, and finally that Jesus one day will come back again to take us home to glory - that is REALISATION.
Have you placed your faith in this unchanging God?