Moses emerged from humble origins with immense faith and trust, willing to forego rank, wealth and power in order to save the Hebrew people.
He demonstrated his leadership abilities by trying to arbitrate between Israelites who were struggling with injustices among themselves and showing them his compassion. Furthermore, he spoke slowly and had introspective thoughts.
Table of Contents
God’s plan
Moses began his life in Egypt’s palace courts as a royal subject and spent forty years learning wisdom, ways, and power from Pharaoh’s court. While witnessing and performing some signs from God was impressive for Moses during this period, when God called on him to lead the Hebrews out of slavery he felt overwhelmed and doubted his ability to fulfill this role successfully.
But when God showed Moses his inadequacie, Moses understood. Rather than storm into Egypt with an elaborate military strategy or bring an arsenal full of weapons in order to arm an oppressed people for rebellion, he came limping along – realizing that God could use even his weakness as a platform to demonstrate His strength.
After spending several years in Midian, God decided to send Moses back into Egypt with the mission of liberating his people and leading them toward their promised land. Moses was chosen because he knew how to work with and communicate with enslaved people as well as possess qualities like leadership, judgment, and justice that enabled him to do this job well.
As soon as Moses returned to Egypt he wasn’t the same man he’d left behind; now an 80-year-old with a stutter and stick in hand, Moses had changed considerably; no longer did he want any part in being God’s messenger, feeling too old and weak for that job himself; so God made Aaron his mouthpiece as a constant reminder that Moses wasn’t enough.
God revealed his purpose for choosing Moses through the story of Moses. It was to display His glory and love for all people, including enslaved Israelites who would become his people; showing them how to become a model nation that followed his way of living. Even when Israel failed to live up to this idealized view of life, He still loved and pursued them, acting to protect them from their national sins which warranted his punishment; He wanted all nations freed of their destructive habits.
God’s wisdom
Wisdom means understanding God’s truth and living accordingly, something Moses understood well enough that he was chosen by Him to lead God’s people out of Egypt by faith alone, as Hebrews 11:27 states “By faith he left Egypt without fearing the wrath of Pharaoh because he endured as seeing him who is invisible”. Moses had an acute sense of right and wrong and knew when it was necessary to take a stand against injustice.
Moses was so determined to do what was right that he did not hesitate to kill an Egyptian who beat a Hebrew, an act that demonstrated great courage. Yet Moses wasn’t perfect and often displayed foolish behavior.
One such act was when Moses attempted to keep Pharaoh from learning of the plagues; another example is when he struck the rock twice instead of speaking to it directly. These actions demonstrate Moses wasn’t exactly wise, yet never gave up hope that God would give him strength to complete his mission.
Moses initially struggled when appointed leader of the Israelites. He doubted himself and wondered why God had asked him to fulfill such an impossible role; furthermore, due to an inability to speak well himself, Aaron often did most of the speaking for Moses.
But once plagues began to strike Egypt, Moses realized he was being used by God. He saw how his weaknesses provided an avenue for God’s power; He chose Moses despite having both a stutter and stick for overthrowing Egypt’s mightiest nation and redeeming his people.
Moses stood out because of his childlike faith. God uses our weaknesses as platforms to reveal Himself more powerfully; therefore He teaches us it is better to serve others rather than seek personal glory for ourselves. If we wish to gain wisdom we must recognize our needs and express them; doing this will open the way to Christ’s wisdom being imparted into our lives.
God’s power
God proved His power by freeing the Hebrews from Egypt, in what has become one of the most famous stories from the Old Testament: Moses was not a natural leader but He used him to help deliver his people from oppression.
Moses displayed early evidence of his leadership abilities by his willingness to defend his people. So passionate was his dedication that he even killed an Egyptian (Exodus 2:12-15)! After this event, he fled Midian but still cared deeply for them – as shown when he arbitrated between two Israelites (Exodus 3:1-5).
God then appeared to Moses at a burning bush and told him He desired for him to lead His people out of Egyptian captivity. At first Moses was skeptical but eventually agreed. Aaron joined them; God promised he would. Furthermore, He ordered Moses to show respect by taking off his sandals – reminding them He is holy and should be treated accordingly.
As a leader, Moses had the ability to motivate others. He could sense their distress and was willing to make sacrifices on their behalf. Furthermore, his courage and wisdom enabled him to manage difficult situations effectively while listening carefully to advice from other leaders like Jethro who served as one of his mentors.
Moses did not live up to expectations once he arrived on the scene, nor was he the charismatic leader his people had anticipated; many would often criticize his efforts while he struggled to make them understand how important his work truly was.
Even so, Moses persevered and eventually freed Israel of their oppressors – an impressive demonstration of God’s strength that served as the basis for the Old Covenant. We can witness similar power today through Jesus Christ’s resurrection – with promises that if we trust in God as Moses did He will give us strength and power to bring redemption to others.
God’s love
The Bible describes God’s love for Israel’s people in many ways. Moses serves as a prime example of this love: leading his chosen people from Egyptian captivity through wilderness wanderings and into their promised land territory, all while teaching about God and his plans for them – fighting hard for their freedom while interceding on their behalf to Him.
Moses faced a difficult task while wandering in the desert: providing water for his people. In anger, he tried hitting a rock instead, but God told him not to do that and instead to speak softly to it instead. This demonstrated Moses’ devotion and commitment to helping his people, as well as God’s help on this journey.
Aaron had the political clout, military knowledge and physical gifts necessary to lead God’s people with aplomb. Still, even he wasn’t perfect and at times his anger would get the better of him – once when he slapped an Israelite slave that resulted in their death before burying their body in the desert sands.
Moses struggled with patience as well, expecting results faster than they came from God. After witnessing an Egyptian beat a Hebrew slave, he intervened and killed them both- but concealed this fact by hiding their bodies under a mound of sand.
Even after his transgressions, God forgave Moses through His mercy and used him to teach Israel how to obey and trust in Him. According to scripture, Moses was an example of faith; indeed the author of Exodus describes him as the greatest of all prophets of God.”
As with all leaders, Moses made mistakes. When the people of Israel became restless while wandering in the wilderness, Moses responded in anger. Chastising them for their rebellious hearts and then raising his staff and striking a rock before their eyes showed his frustration with both God and humanity – an act which revealed his anger at both parties involved. Hence God sent Moses’ older brother Aaron as an intermediary to serve as his mouthpiece and defend him during their conflict.
