Moses, a Biblical Personality Who Freed The Israelites

Who Was Moses in The Bible? Overview

Moses was a famous biblical personality, great leader and prophet of God who free Israelites from slavery. He lived his life in conveying God’s message and to save his nation. Moses had very difficulties fulfilling his job as a prophet and leader. As a prophet he tried very hard to educate people to only worship God instead of any idols and people.

As a leader he tried very hard to lead Israelites and to free them from slavery. He was also given miracles that were very surprising for others. He showed these miracles and it became a way to express his prophecies to others. Here we’ll discuss the whole life of Moses and his struggles in conveying God’s message, showing miracles, fighting pharaoh and to lead israelites.

Early Life of Moses

Moses was born 1391 years ago before Jesus’ birth. His father’s name was Amram and mother’s name was Jochebed. He was born in Egypt and had two siblings whose names were Miriam and Aaron. He wrote five books of God’s commandments and teachings which are collectively known as Pentateuch.

It consists of five books named Genesis, Deuteronomy, Numbers, Leviticus and Exodus. He wrote these books  approximately thirteen hundred to fourteen hundred years ago before Jesus.

Bible Verse:

Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. (Exodus 2:1-3)

Moses was born in that era when Pharaoh used to kill children specialist baby boys. He was told by someone that in Egypt a child will be born, he will be very powerful and will become the source of downfall. That’s why Pharaoh issued a rule that if any boy is born he will be killed. During this Era Moses was also born. To protect him from the operation of Pharaoh his mother left him in a basket floating on the river.

Bible Verse:

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (Exodus 1:22)

Bible Verse:

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. (Hebrews 11:23)

Moses was floating on the river and reached a side where the daughter of Pharaoh whose name was probably Hatshepsut was present. She saw a child who was floating in the river in a basket. She took him up and decided to bring him in her mention.

By the way, The meaning of Moses’ name is very interesting due to his story. The meaning of his name is the one who is dragged from water and He got this name because he was floating in a river and was taken up by Pharaoh’s daughter.

Bible Verse:

Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:5-10)

He passed his childhood in Pharaoh’s mention by Pharaoh’s daughter. He married a girl named Zipporah. His father-in-law’s name was Jethro who was very wise. After marriage he had two sons whose names were Eliezer and Gershom.

Moses Role in Delivering Israelites

At the age of 40 Moses was commanded by God that he had to deliver the Israelites from the operation of pharaoh. Pharaoh used to tease them so much that’s why God decided to free them from this cruelty through Moses. God gave Him miracles through which he led and protected israelites.  He lived his life in midian and worked as a Shepherd.

He used to grass sheep on mountains. Once he was doing his job on Mount Sinai and he saw a burning bush. This Bush was burning but not actually converting into ash. He was very shocked by what was happening here. So, He got close to it then God talked to him and this time Moses came to know that he is a chosen person of God. He was instructed by God that he has to free Israelites from pharaoh’s operation.

Verse:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:1-10)

Battle of Moses With Pharaoh

Moses went to Egypt and he addressed Pharaoh and said to him that he has to free Israelites because he is doing cruelty.

Verse:

Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.” Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.” Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand. The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’” At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform. Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. (Exodus 4:18-31)

Pharaoh was a very proud person. He was like; I didn’t know any God, I am a God by the way, I can feed people and can do everything by my position and wealth. Moses showed miracles but Pharaoh was not willing to agree to free israelites. He prays to God that he is very proud and is not convinced to free israelites.

By Moses’ prayer God sent many plagues on Egyptians. Egyptians faced these plagues. Once Pharaoh was shocked to see them but he couldn’t do anything. He was so stubborn that he decided to never free Israel. Moses warns him that if he doesn’t do this then God will send more plagues on them. Pharaoh didn’t hear him and was not willing to free israelites. After many plagues including them are plagues of frogs, gnats, flies, livestocks, Boils, Hail, darkness God sent plagues in which the firstborn was dying.

And also some are:

• The Plague of Frogs
• The Plague of Gnats
• The Plague of Flies
• The Plague on Livestock
• The Plague of Boils
• The Plague of Hail
• The Plague of Locusts
• The Plague of Darkness
• The Plague on the Firstborn

Verse:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’” The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.” Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river….. (Exodus 7:14-12:30)

Pharaoh was very shocked so he decided to free Israel. He said to Moses that he could bring them with him out of Egypt. Moses did so and took them with him and left Egypt.  There were approximately 6 lakh men of Israel with Moses. They were on the way when Pharaoh decided to fight with them, as he was very proud and he never wanted to fail.

So he ordered the army to be ready and went after Moses. Moses and Israelites get the news that Pharaoh is chasing them so they were very afraid. He prayed from God and they were on the shore of the Red Sea. Both of the ways have hurdles, on the front side they have sea by which they cannot pass because they didn’t have any ark. On the back side there were Pharaoh and his Army.

Moses prayed from God for help. God listened to him and sent help through Holy spirits. as Moses was given a staff by God so God commanded him to strike it on the ground. He did so. When Moses did this then the Red Sea divided into two parts, water was on the sides and a dry land appeared.

Moses and Israelites walked on that dry path and reached their destiny. When Pharaoh and his Army reach and see the river divided into two parts, they assume that this River was divided by Moses and they are on the way so we should follow them. He and his Army started to walk on that dry land in the sea but God again attacked the sea and Pharaoh  with his Army got destroyed. This was the end of Pharaoh and his Kingdom.

Verse:

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. (Exodus 14:21-31)

Leading Israelites in Wilderness

Moses led Israelites in the wilderness after getting free from slavery of Pharaoh. It takes 40 years to wander in the desert. During this time Moses got instructions from God. He left Israelites with Aaron. God gave him 10 tablets of commandments on a mountain.

Biblical Verse:

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20:1-21)

Israelites made a golden calf and started to worship this Golden calf. This thing was against God ‘s law. As a believer they should never worship others instead of God but despite many blessings they disobeyed God and started to worship the Golden calf. During the journey in wilderness God grants them water to drink and heavenly food to eat but they disobey God.

Moses was on a mountain where God granted him 10 tablets of Commandments, he spent 40 days on this mountain. When he came back, he saw Israelites worshiping a calf idol. Moses was very angry with Israelities due to their act. On God commands he killed them due to their sins. Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness because they disobey God. Moses died before reaching the promised land. In the leadership of Joshua Israelites reached the promised land of Canaan.

Biblical Verse:

But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.” (Numbers 14:32-35)

Biblical Verse:

Yet the Lord says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. (Deuteronomy 29:5)

Relation With God, Aaron, Miriam And Israelites

Moses was the prophet of God. God choose Him for human welfare. Moses works hard to accomplish God’s orders and commands. In that journey he faces many challenges. During these difficult situations his brother Aaron and Miriam helped him. Aaron was a spokesman of Moses, he has a powerful speaking power. That’s why with Moses he faced all the situations. And for Israelites Moses was their leader and he led them till his death.

Bible Verse:

The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.” The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. (Deuteronomy 18:15-18)

Bible Verse:

Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. (Exodus 4:14-16)

Biblical Verse:

Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21)

Legacy of Moses

After Moses Joshua did his job. he led Israelites and brought them to the promised land. Moses’ whole life tells us about struggle, bravery, hard work, strong faith in God and God’s oneness. God gave him his commands and he wrote books.

Verse:

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)

On the behalf of these things we can conclude that it’s our duty to worship only God avoiding idols or other things. God doesn’t like the act of worshiping others instead of him. One thing due to which I got really sad is that Moses passed his whole life in searching God’s promised land. he was very near to reach it but he died before the arrival .he was on the Mount Nebo Where he died. The interesting thing is that his grave is unknown. Nobody knows where he is right now. God dug his grave and he knows where his grave is situated. God wanted to keep it secret due to the actions of Israelites.

Verse:

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. (Deuteronomy 34:1-7)

Conclusion

By reading Moses’ life and story we can conclude that he was God’s righteous person and he tried his whole life to fulfill God’s order and wishes. He worked hard and bravely faced operations and worked hard to save his Nation. He did many miracles which were given by God. His story is very inspiring. He has the power to turn the water into blood, his staff can change into snake. He tore up the sea with his staff into two parts. The main lesson from the story of Moses is that we should always worship God and never accept others as God. Only God is worthy of worship and we are strict to follow the orders of God.

We are good servants so it’s our duty to always respect his orders and to fulfill them. Last but not the least, Moses is a very important and Central figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to Jews Moses is a very important and inspiring personality, Christians also believe in Moses as a powerful and God’s loving servant. Similarly according to Muslims Moses is also a very powerful, influential and loveable personality who worked hard according to God’s commands.

Verse:

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)

Verse:

“Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. (Hebrews 3:5) 

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