Moses in Biblical History

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Schaff's Bible Dictionary

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Who is Moses?
MOS'ES
(Heb. Mosheh, *drawn out - i.e. of the water; Coptic Mo-use, watersaved), the leader and creator of the Jewish nation. This table shows the pedigree of Moses: His life falls naturally into three divisions, of forty years each, according to the account preserved in Stephen's speech. Acts 7:23, 1 Kgs 20:30, Eze 23:36. 1. Moses was born in the dark hour of Hebrew story when a son was an object of the murderous search of the Egyptian spies. His father was Amram, his mother Jochebed, his tribe was Levi, and this fact may have determined the choice of Levi for the priesthood. Moses was the youngest child of the family; Miriam was the oldest, and Aaron came between. For three months his parents hid the babe, but at last it was no longer possible, and Jochebed, with a trembling heart, but it may be with a dim consciousness that God had great things in store for him, laid him in the little basket of papyrus she had deftly woven, pitched with bitumen within and without, and, carrying it down to the brink of one of the canals of the Nile, she hid it among the flags. The child was tenderly watched "afar off" by Miriam, who, less open to suspicion than the mother would be, stood to see what would be done to him. The daughter of the Pharaoh, the oppressor, came to the sacred river to bathe, attended by her maidens, who, surprised to find the basket, which had providentially floated down to the princess' bathing-place - or had Jochebed purposely put it there? - call the attention of their mistress to the discovery. The basket is fetched by one of them, and when opened a little babe, evidently one of the Hebrews' children, but exceedingly fair, is revealed to view. The woman-heart of the princess, who was a childless wife according to tradition, yearned over the little one. Her yearning was of God. Then Miriam drew near, gathered from the conversation that the child's life was to be spared, proposed to get a nurse for him among the Hebrew women, and thus it came to pass that Jochebed again had her child at her breast, but this time as his hired nurse. The biblical history of this period closes with the child Moses in the palace under tutors and governors, and increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in the favor of God and of man. There is a break in this history, as in that of the greater than Moses, between the infancy and the manhood. 2. The second division of Moses' life was totally different in its character from the first. Moses, at the age of forty, is learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. The adopted grandson of the Pharaoh, initiated in the secrets of the priests, to whose order he belonged, he had a brilliant and useful worldly career before him. Had he remained in his advantageous surroundings, he would have been one of the great Egyptian sages - probably the greatest of them all. But God intended him to occupy a much more exalted position. There was needed by him a period of meditation. He must be cut off from books, and by direct contact with Nature in all her moods learn what books cannot give. The providential occasion of this violent change was Moses' slaying of an Egyptian taskmaster who had ill-treated a Hebrew. This was no secret, as he hoped it would be. The news, indeed, had been carried to Pharaoh, and so Moses was compelled to flee. It is probable that the murder was intended to impress upon the Hebrews his desire to help them - that he, the king's son, would be their deliverer; for it seems impossible to resist the conclusion that the pious teachings of his mother had not been forgotten, and that many prayers had been put up by him as he determined to be his brethren's saviour. But we see now that it was no wonder that this attempt at an insurrection proved abortive, and likewise that Moses had much to learn before he could properly lead the great Exodus. Moses fled from the prominence, the refinement, and the luxury of the court to the obscurity, the roughness, and the poverty of the wilderness. He became the shepherd of Jethro and the husband of his daughter Zipporah. Ex 2. This second period lasted forty years, and again a wondrous transformation took place. The transition was made at Horeb when one day he saw a "bush" - probably an acacia tree - which was said to be on fire and yet was unconsumed. He drew near to examine the wondrous sight, and the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and gave him his prophetic call. But now the would-be leader of forty years agone was full of excuses, deprecated his abilities, and disparaged his appearance. Accordingly, God appointed Aaron as his spokesman and brought about their meeting. Ex 3-4. Thus informed of the divine name, Ex 3:14, promised divine aid, and strengthened by miracles, Ex 4:1-7, Moses, at the age of eighty, now both a scholar and a practical man of affairs, starts out upon the deliverance of his people. On his way to Egypt his son Gershom was smitten by a mysterious illness, Zipporah thought because circumcision had not been performed. Accordingly, although loath to do it, she herself circumcised Gershom. Ex 4:24-26. The child recovered. 1. Arrived at Goshen, Moses and Aaron at once began the discharge of their commission. But their primary efforts only increased the subject people's burdens, and the two brothers were well nigh in despair. Then began the series of miraculous visitations recounted in Ex 7-12. The last of the plagues so stunned the Egyptians that they precipitately drove the Israelites out. See Plagues, Exodus. The Israelites were prepared and went ready for the journey, which, instead of being one of three days into the desert, Ex 5:3, was one of forty years. Through all this time the Israelites were miraculously protected, fed, and led. Moses went in and out before them to the divine satisfaction, although his conduct by no means pleased every one. Nor had Moses always the proper control over himself. He flung down the God-engraven tables of the Law, enraged at the idolatry of the frivolous people while he was for forty days in the Mount with God. Ex 32:19. But the most damaging act of this nature was at Kadesh-meribah. The people murmured for water. Moses was commanded to speak to the rock; instead, he struck the rock twice with his rod. It was because on this occasion God was not honored that Moses and Aaron were forbidden to enter the Promised Land. Num 20:11-12. But to counterbalance this evil trait there were many good ones. He makes mention of one of these - viz., his meekness. Num 12:3. Besides, he was characterized by disinterestedness, impartiality, faithfulness, and courage. When he had risen superior to the fears which daunted him when he received the divine call, he was unwavering. The people might murmur or break out into rebellion, he was ready to plead with God for them; yea, when they had so grievously sinned that God declared he would destroy them, Moses asked that his name might be blotted out of the book of God rather than behold their destruction. Ex 32:32. In addition must be mentioned his eminent services as lawgiver. It is indeed a vexed question how much credit should be given to him as the publisher of a code marked throughout by "Thus saith the Lord." We are safe in saying that the Law, as we have it recorded in the Scriptures, was divinely inspired, and that Moses made the record as directed of the Lord. The Decalogue is a moral miracle in ancient legislation, and retains its power to this day in all Christian lands. See Law. As an historian Moses also is to be honored. The five books commonly called the Pentateuch, which he wrote, contain the only reliable history of the creation of man and the beginning of the human as well as of the Jewish race. See Pentateuch. But there are also other compositions attributed to him - namely, Ps 90 and the book of Job. In regard to these there is no certainty, but the ninetieth Psalm seems to fit in well with the circumstances of the Wandering, and the book of Job is perhaps his in its first draft; the Talmud makes him the author, and several commentators have adopted this view. See Job. We know Moses to have had the poetic gift, for in the Pentateuch there are several exhibitions of it: 1. "The song which Moses and the children of Israel sung" (after the passage of the Red Sea, Ex 15:1-19). 2. A fragment of a war-song against Amalek, Ex 17:16: "As the hand is on the throne of Jehovah, So will Jehovah war with Amalek From generation to generation." 1. A fragment of a lyrical burst of indignation, Ex 32:18: "Not the voice of them that shout for mastery, Nor the voice of them that cry for being overcome, But the noise of them that sing do I hear." 1. The song of Moses, composed on the east side of Jordan. Deut 32:1-43. 2. The prophetic blessing of Moses upon the tribes. Deut 33:1-29. As a leader and as a prophet Moses comes before us. As the former "his life," says Dean Stanley in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, "divides itself into the three epochs of the march to Sinai, the march from Sinai to Kadesh, and the conquest of the Transjordanic kingdoms. Of his natural gifts in this capacity we have but few means of judging. The two main difficulties which he encountered were the reluctance of the people to submit to his guidance and the impracticable nature of the country which they had to traverse. The incidents with which his name was specially connected, both in the sacred narrative and in the Jewish, Arabian, and heathen traditions, were those of supplying water when most wanted. In the Pentateuch these supplies of water take place at Marah, at Horeb, at Kadesh, and in the land of Moab. Of the first three of these incidents, traditional sites bearing his name are shown in the desert at the present day, though most of them are rejected by modern travellers. The route through the wilderness is described as having been made under his guidance. The particular spot of the encampment is fixed by the cloudy pillar. But the direction of the people, first to the Red Sea and then to Mount Sinai, is communicated through Moses or given by him. On approaching Palestine the office of the leader becomes blended with that of the general or the conqueror. By Moses the spies were sent to explore the country. Against his advice took place the first disastrous battle at Hormah. To his guidance is ascribed the circuitous route by which the nation approached Palestine from the east, and to his generalship the two successful campaigns in which Sihon and Og were defeated. The narrative is told so shortly that we are in danger of forgetting that at this last stage of his life Moses must have been as much a conqueror and victorious soldier as Joshua." But as a prophet Moses is evidently the revealer of the will of God, and preeminent because with him the divine revelations were made "mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches," and he beheld "the similitude of Jehovah." Num 12:8. He saw the flame in the bush; for two periods of forty days each he was in the thick darkness with God, Ex 24:18; Ex 34:28; and above all was he favored with the vision of the trailing garments of the Almighty, and he heard a voice which "proclaimed the two immutable attributes of God, justice and love," in words which became part of the religious creed of Israel and of the world. Ex 34:6-7. But perhaps the most remarkable fact is yet to be mentioned. Moses frequently met God in the tent of the congregation, which he removed outside the camp.Ex 33:9. No wonder that the subject of so many and so familiar interviews with God should be regarded with peculiar veneration by the Hebrews, the Mohammedans, and the Christians. When Moses was one hundred and twenty years old his eye was not dim nor his natural force abated. Deut 34:7. He was able, on the day of his death, to stand on Nebo, a height of the Pisgah range, and thence look across the Jordan and up and down the Promised Land. Bitter was his disappointment at not being allowed to enter, but meekly he submitted to the will of God. He had been so much with God that to die was simply to be always with Him whose voice he had heard and whose glory he had seen. But since his death would make a great change to his people, he prepared the way for it. He addressed the people and warned them against apostasy. He then gave a public charge to Joshua, his successor. He then uttered the song, Deut 32, and blessed the people. Deut 33. Quietly, it would appear, unattended, perhaps secretly, the aged yet strong man climbed the Pisgah range, stood on the height of Nebo, and viewed the extensive prospect. "As he gazed upon it the words fell upon his ears, 'This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed; I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes;' and then, not in sternness or in anger, but in utmost love, like a mother lifting her boy into her arms, the Lord added, 'But thou shalt not go over thither,' and in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the soul of Moses had passed within the veil and was at home with God." - Rev. W. M. Taylor, D.D., Moses the Lawgiver, N.Y., 1879, p. 439. "And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor; but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." Deut 34:6. In the words of the Rabbins, "Jehovah kissed him to death" (or rather into life eternal). His remains were removed from all reach of idolatry - the sin of sins, forbidden in the first commandment. As Thomas Fuller quaintly says, "God buried also his grave." Vainly have men sought to find it. The familiar lines of Mrs. C. F. Alexander's ode, "The Death of Moses," may be appropriately quoted here: "And had he not high honor? The hillside for his pall, To lie in state while angels wait, With stars for tapers tall; And the dark rock-pines,like tossing plumes, Over his bier to wave; And God's own hand, in that lonely land, To lay him in his grave." Centuries passed on. The land had witnessed many changes; the promised One stood upon the Promised Land when once more Moses is seen by mortal sight. Upon the slopes of Hermon he appeared in company with Elijah to talk with Jesus of the decease Jesus should accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 9:31. Thus was the type brought face to face with the Pattern. And this resurrection leads to the conclusion which some hold - that Moses, like Christ, was raised from the dead after a brief sleep in the grave. Moses was of God's special preparation, the resultant of many forces. Wrought upon by inspiration, he was able to be legislator, statesman, leader, poet, saint, because he was so variedly trained. An exceptional man in original gifts, he was equally exceptional in his opportunities. To be of Hebrew extraction, and therefore by descent to share in the glorious hopes of his race, was to have a grand start Godward. To be the adopted child of Pharaoh's daughter, to breathe "the atmosphere of courts," to be acquainted as an equal with the nobility of the land, was to gain an intimate knowledge of statecraft from the best exponents of it. To be trained for the priesthood, initiated into the holy mysteries, learned in all the learning of the Egyptians, was to be thoroughly furnished unto religious service. To be exiled and compelled through many years to eat "the bread of carefulness," to be a keeper of sheep and a dweller in tents amid the sublimity of Sinaitic scenery, was to have time for reflection and for communion with God. Thus, when at eighty he returned to Egypt, he was able to debate with scholars and to sympathize with slaves. He towered above all his brethren. He was alone in the loneliness of genius. He was accessible in his feeling for the oppressed. But Moses was unique in other ways. He alone has held friendly converse with Jehovah. What though he was slow of speech? He was lofty of thought. What though he was timid? He had the promise of divine strength. And the good qualities he showed during the Wandering are such as come from fellowship with the Highest, while his bad qualities - his occasional infirmity of temper, for example - are mere spots upon the sun or temporary obscurations of the light, the times he forgot God. But when he fell all observed it, just as all notice the fallen monarch of the forest; when he stood firm few marked it, as few remark the upright tree. The above article is a mere sketch. To write fully the life of Moses would be to write the history of Israel during the Exodus. The reader will refer to the separate articles incidentally mentioned. We close by a brief study of the character of Moses, following the Rev. Dr. W.M. Taylor in his book above quoted. Three qualities give him immortal interest and prominence. 1st. Faith. By faith he esteemed "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." Heb 11:26. "Never more alluring prospects opened up before any man than those which the world held out to him. The throne of the greatest monarchy of his age was within his reach. All that wealth could procure, or pleasure bestow, or the greatest earthly power command, was easily at his call. But the glory of these things paled in his view before the more excellent character of those invisible honors which God set before him. This faith sustained him in the solitudes of Midian and animated him amidst all the conflicts attendant on the Exodus and all the difficulties that confronted him in the wilderness. This faith gave him courage in the hour of danger and calmness in the time of trial." (pp. 459, 460.) 2d. Prayerfnlness. "In every time of emergency his immediate resort was to Jehovah. He was not speaking to a stranger, but was like a son making application to his father; and so he never pleaded in vain." (p. 461.) His was the prayer of faith. 3d. Humility. "He coveted no distinction and sought no prominence; his greatness came to him, he did not go after it. And his humility was allied with or flowed naturally out into two other qualities, disinterestedness and meekness. (See Num 11:29 and 1 Chr 12:3 for striking illustrations.) He gave up his own ease and comfort to secure the emancipation of his people; and while laboring night and day for them, he had no thought whatever of his own interests. His office brought him no emolument." In this he was like Nehemiah. He was free from all charge of nepotism. His meekness was shown in silently listening to complaints against himself. He appealed unto God. (pp. 462-3.) The only blot upon this beautiful character is a lack of patience or self-control, but this was more evident in the earlier portion of his life, nor was it prominent enough to belie his eulogy. Moses was a type of Christ. The parallel is readily traced. "As Moses, in the early part of his career, refused the Egyptian monarchy because it could be gained to him only by disloyalty to, God, so Jesus turned away from the kingdoms of the world because they were offered on condition that he would worship Satan; as Moses became the emancipator of his people, so was Jesus; as Moses, penetrating to the soul of the symbolism of idolatry, introduced a new dispensation wherein symbolism was allied to spirituality of worship, so Jesus, seizing the spirituality of the Mosaic system, freed it from its national restrictions, and ushered in the day when the true worshipper would worship the Father anywhere; as Moses was pre-eminently a lawgiver, so Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, laid down a code which not only expounds but fulfils the Decalogue; as Moses was a prophet, so Jesus is the great Prophet of his Church; as Moses was a mediator, so Jesus is the Mediator of the new covenant, standing between God and man, and bridging, by his atonement and intercession, the gulf between the two. We cannot wonder, therefore, that in the vision of the Apocalypse they who have gotten the victory over the beast and his image are represented as singing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb. Rev 15:3." (p. 466.) God buried Moses. It was fitting, therefore, that he too should write his epitaph. Here it is given by his inspiration, and, though written only in a book, having a permanence as great as if it had been graven with an iron pen in the rock for ever: "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty land, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel." Deut 34:10-12. (p. 468.) Moses, Song of. This wonderful ode celebrates more fitly the miraculous deliverance of the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. It is the national anthem, the Te Deum of the Hebrews. It sounds through the psalms of Israel, through the thanksgiving hymns of the Christian Church, through the touching songs of liberated slaves, and it will swell the harmony of the saints in heaven. Allusion to it is made in Rev 15:2-3; "They stand on the sea of glass mingled with fire . . . and sing the song of Moses the servant of God."

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Schaff, Philip, Dr. "Biblical Definition for 'moses' in Schaffs Bible Dictionary".
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