Synopsis
This is the fifth book in the Ritchie Character Study Series. Tom Wilson has provided this very helpful study on the life of Moses, one of the greatest leaders in the Bible, renowned lawgiver, prophet and deliverer of his people. There are few men and women in the record of Scripture whose lives we are able to follow in great detail from cradle to grave. However, for one of these, Moses, we know the unusual circumstances even of the early months of his long life. We know nothing about David's early years or of Isaiah's childhood, but we do know of Moses' birth, followed three months later by his remarkable deliverance from the flags of Egypt's River Nile. Then, at the end of a long life, he was carefully buried, a task that God did not entrust to any man or woman. The first five books of our Bible are from his pen, four of which trace the varied experiences and the wide-ranging abilities of Moses himself. Modern researchers have questioned why there are no references in Egypt to Moses and the Exodus, particularly when ten devastating plagues struck that nation. However, no Pharaoh would willingly advertise a series of disasters commonly ascribed to an enslaved underclass and their God, a God that Egypt did not recognize. However, Moses features largely in both Old and New Testaments. Surgenor notes that in the Bible:
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There is something very timely about today being the first day that I sit to consider contributing to this volume on the life of Moses. I am at home on a Lord's Day morning. The Breaking of Bread and other meetings have been cancelled, a very unusual experience. The reason is an invasion by an enemy too small to be seen by us. We can only see the results of its invasion. It is called COVID-19. It is a mini plague sweeping through our land and other lands, bringing with it, and leaving in its wake, hysteria, panic, and ruin. The entertainment world has come to a halt, economies are being shaken, the confidence of humanity in its technology is being questioned, and world leaders are at a loss. While COVID-19 does remind us of what once happened in Egypt under the rod of Moses, this is minor compared to what once brought mighty Egypt to its knees. And it is only a dress rehearsal for what awaits this globe in a coming day of tribulation. So much for the fruit of my free thought and association! Now we must bend our minds to the man himself, Moses. Here is one of the towering figures, not only of Scripture, but of history. It is no exaggeration to say that Moses was a man who actually changed the course of history. He led an enslaved people out of Egypt leading to the formation of the nation of Israel. That nation continues to dominate much of our news today. A case could be made that the Jew individually, and the people of Israel nationally have been at the center of world history. Our consideration, however, is Moses as seen in the Word of God. Here as well, he is a formidable character to consider. As noted by our brother Wilson, his life and labours occupy 136 chapters in the Old Testament (without taking into account numerous references in other books including the Psalms), and there are 79 mentions of his name in the New Testament. Only Abraham (70 times) and David (54 times) come close to rivalling him for a place in the New Testament. Few men are seen in as many dimensions as Moses. Perhaps David would equal him in many ways, yet Moses seems unique. Here is thefirst man called, "A Man of God." Here is the second man called, "My servant" by God (Abraham was the first). He was the first leader called out by God. While the patriarchs led their families, the leadership of Moses was quite distinct and unique. He is seen as a prophet, priest, and king (Deut 33:5). He is the standard for faithfulness (Heb 3:5), meekness (Num 12:3), intimacy with God (Deut 34:10), and the office of prophet (Deut 34:10). He is a scholar, statesman, and song writer. He ranks among the great historians and even penned a Psalm or two. His life furnishes lessons on leadership, building for God, grace under pressure, worship, service, and other aspects of Christian living. He is a picture of the coming Christ, delivering a people from bondage and leading them into a land of blessing. Linked with his life, and only tangentially dealt with in this volume, are all the lessons from the journey from Egypt to Canaan, the Offerings, the Tabernacle construction, and the Law. Having drawn attention to all that we know and can learn from him, this needs to be balanced by what we do not know of his life. We know the events of perhaps only three days during his first forty years in Egypt. We know nothing about the 40 years in the wilderness tending sheep except the day of his arrival and that final occasion when the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush. And while we may think that we know a lot concerning the 40 years in the wilderness, an honest assessment will show us that we are only given information about 2-3 years of the happenings in his life. We must recognize that many years were spent in the routine round of everyday living.
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