GALATIANS # 4
HISTORY
An overview (3)
6/21/10



As a member of the pharaoh’s household, Moses was part of the most powerful, privileged, wealthy class of people alive at that time: he lived a life of power, privilege, and luxury. However, with the death sentence resulting from his slaying the overseer, he instantly lost all this and had to flee for his life, into the dessert, a fugitive, completely discredited, and rejected – by both the Egyptians and the Israelites!

In the wilderness he was taken in by a nomadic herdsman: from living in a magnificent home with all the sophistication, comforts and finest luxuries of that time; to living in a tent; constantly on the move; a refugee; scrambling to survive; herding goats for a livelihood.
Many years go by, then, suddenly from this obscure, ignominious life as a goat herder out in the middle of nowhere, God appears as a burning bush and “calls” Moses, sending him back to Egypt to rescue his brethren from their slavery; the very kinsmen that had rejected him; to confront the Egyptians who had sentenced him to death, twice!

In Egypt, God guides Moses in a series of astonishing confrontations with the pharaoh: the pharaoh responds to Moses, in a very typically human way: he refuses to accept that Moses, the fugitive, goat herding slave, is presenting the “Truth” and that the message is really from God – not Moses. God increases the pressure, ratcheting up the magnitude of the demonstration of His power, notch by notch, culminating in the final plague: the death of all the first born males in Egypt. At the conclusion of this plague pharaoh yields and releases the Israelites, leaving Moses the victor.

After the Israelites left, the pharaoh regained his courage, gathered his army and pursued them: to salvage his self esteem; to subdue them once and for all; to recapture and return them to slavery. Meanwhile, the Israelites had come to the red sea, whereupon, looking back they see the Egyptian army closing in on them – the red sea blocking their escape – it appears that all is lost! They abandon their trust in God, turn on Moses again, accusing him of getting them in this spot where they will likely be killed, Moses tells them to stand still and behold the salvation of God:
“Title : The Holy Bible, King James Version
Edition : Third
Copyright : Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 1998, Parsons Technology, Inc.

Exodus 14:10-31 ( KJV )
And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
From this “victory” over the most powerful man alive at that time, Moses continues to perform what appear to be astonishing feats. Though the people “believed the LORD” they didn’t see and/or hear God, they only saw Moses apparently causing all these astonishing things to take place. The conversion and belief of the people was much like that of the pharaoh (Ex. 10: 16 – 20) weak and insincere, only to relieve the immediate situation for their selfish interests.
With God’s guidance Moses leads the people on into the dessert, arriving finally at mount Sinai where God had told him he would serve Him: Exodus 3:11-12 ( KJV )
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
In lesson three we left off with Exodus 32, the story of many (not all) of the Israelites shocking display of their “shallow conversion”. In this incident His chosen people, even after having been miraculously rescued, turn away, choosing their false gods over Him! Enthralled by all the miraculous events that they have witnessed, rather than praising God, they attribute all the miracles to their pagan gods, and return to worshiping them!

However, aside from this failure of many of the Israelites, in this short passage we see the clearest demonstration of “why Moses”. Not only was he well trained, and educated, as we discussed earlier, but here he demonstrates another astonishing characteristic which is in very short supply among we Homo-Sapiens:
Matthew 22:36-40 ( KJV )
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

As we discussed last week, Moses was raised with all the power, privileges, and prestige of being part of the pharaohs household: even the possibility of becoming pharaoh himself – the most powerful, wealthy, man alive! And, even if not pharaoh, the certainty of a life of luxury and influence.

Yet, what did he do? Ex 2: 12 – 15

Moses was outraged at the brutal treatment of the Israelite and felt compassion for him, prompting him to go to his aid. Enmity with both the Egyptians and his kinsmen were the consequences of this action, costing him his lofty position in life and alienating him from his kinsmen.

Would Moses have shown such concern, “love”, for his kinsmen if he had known what was to befall him? We really can’t tell from what is recorded here, but the events recorded in Ex. 32 add a fascinating insight:
Exodus 32:31-33 ( KJV ) And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

We find this sentiment echoed by the apostle Paul in Rom 9: 3. Here we see each of these men offering their lives…even their salvation…for their “friends, this love of God/friend is a very significant part of their greatness.

John 15:12This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

With all that had gone on, Moses not becoming impressed with himself, and seizing the power for himself (it would have been very easy to dupe the Israelites at this point, some of them did make a power play but God backed Moses, we will study this next week) in light of all the astonishing feats he had accomplished as God’s representative, was only possible by his loving God with all his heart mind, body and strength. Moses has repeatedly demonstrated his complete selflessness, culminating here in his offer to die for his friends.


DISCUSSION
1. Why Moses?
2. What were the three periods of Moses life?
3. How did they differ?
4. Why did the Israelites continue to desert their faith in God?
5. How did Moses demonstrate his selfless concern for his people?