In the days when Moses lived in the palace in luxury and wealth, his life was not carefree and frivolous. He was brought up by a nanny who was really his mother, though no one knew it. She secretly instilled in him a sense of belonging to a chosen people and a feeling of pride for it. Despite the delights of palace life, Moses maintained unwavering loyalty and devotion to the people of Israel. Even as he ate, dressed, or slept, all his thoughts were of the Israelites.
After spending 40 years in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses rejected fame and riches and renounced the worldly life. He was willing to sacrifice his life for his people.
Moses’ task was to save Israel despite the danger. When Moses witnessed the injustice to the chosen people, he was filled with unrestrained anger and beat the Egyptian to death. Moses’ love for the Israelites and his righteous indignation toward the Egyptian drove him to action. This act was not contrary to the providential will of God.
By killing the Egyptian, Moses took responsibility for the Israelites and their fate. Compared to the sin of the Egyptians who enslaved the people of Israel, Moses’ act was far less serious. Moses cared about the Israelites more than anyone else, so God chose him to lead the nation.
However, the Israelites did not understand Moses and told everyone about killing the Egyptian. So, knowing that his deed would be exposed, Moses was forced to flee to the desert of Midian, where he spent 40 years.
Settling in the Midian Desert, Moses forgot the glory days of luxury when Pharaoh’s daughter provided him with whatever he wanted. Moses became a nameless shepherd, put on a robe of sheep’s wool, and began to drive the flocks of sheep from one place to another. However, as he watched the flock graze, he yearned for Canaan, the land that had been promised to Abraham, his distant ancestor.
Moses cried out in desperation to Heaven and assured God that though he was now merely herding sheep, one day he would lead his people, like a flock of sheep, into the land of Canaan.
Seeing the Israelites suffer under the cruel oppression of Egypt, Moses felt such heartache, as if his bones were being pulverized. He cried out to Heaven: “Jehovah! I ask You, on behalf of my people – have pity on the people!” Because of this attitude of Moses, God chose him as a leader to lead the people out of Egypt. It was to this seemingly unassuming shepherd who wandered in the wilderness of Midian that God entrusted the foundation of an entire race, beginning with his forefathers, and thereby made him the representative of his people.
Because Moses endured the hardships of life in the Midian desert with an unwavering determination to do God’s will, the Israelites, who themselves suffered under the weight of severe captivity, were able to unite with him. So, God was able to carry out His providence through Moses as leader.
Whatever Moses did, his actions were bold and at times risky. Everything he faced in life, all of his struggles, were beyond reality.
Since Moses went to Pharaoh’s palace at God’s direction, one would assume that God blessed him and took him under His protection. However, God, on the contrary, blocked his way and tried to kill him. Why did God try to hinder Moses and kill him? After all, this man was actually following His instructions! This point is very difficult to understand.
Common sense tells us that if God is blocking someone’s way, there is no way he can get through. But Moses was determined and eager to do God’s will, even risking his life. He overcame, therefore, this trial sent by God and by Satan. Moses, who firmly believed in the Almighty God, had an indomitable character and was a revolutionary of universal proportions unequaled in history. With this conviction, Moses went to Pharaoh’s palace to perform more than ten miracles.
Exceptional faith helped Moses to withstand all resistance and not give up. That is why he was able to lead 600,000 Israelites out of Egypt. As we look at Moses’ life, we see that it all looks like an extraordinarily risky adventure.
Moses knew God and treated Him as a Father. So, he felt that he had a responsibility to comfort the sorrow and grief of God’s heart. For this purpose, he was even prepared to fast for 40 days. For 40 days Moses cried out to God with all his soul, and on that basis was able to receive the Word of God, which raised the Israelites.
Receiving the Ten Commandments was a joyous event. But the Israelites had no idea that anyone had suffered and sacrificed for this joy. If the 600,000 Israelites had known about it, they would not have been lost in the wilderness. If they had demonstrated even a semblance of Moses’ faith, if they had begun to keep the Ten Commandments, and if they had been able to sacrifice themselves to alleviate God’s bitter plight, then they would not have been lost in the desert months later.
When Moses gave the Israelites the Law, he told them about a God of power, might, and judgment, not about a God of love. He did this to protect and educate them according to the Law as a heavenly people. He wanted to bring them to the land of Canaan, where milk and honey flow, and thus carry out God’s will in terms of restoration.
Moses never acted on his accord. He never undertook anything without first consulting God, whether it was important strategic decisions or mundane little things. By following this rule, Moses was able to enter Pharaoh’s palace, perform miracles and carry out the ten plagues of Egypt, and then lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the desert.
Once in the dangerous desert, the Israelites had to unite with Moses. The wilderness life and the hardships associated with it should not have deterred them. They were to act in unity with Moses, who had delivered them from slavery and led them into Canaan. They had no right to argue with him or doubt him. However, they did not unite with Moses, deviated from God’s way, and died.
Why did the Israelites perish in the wilderness? They were unaware of the inner devotion of Moses, their leader, who constantly cried out to God for their good. Nor did they realize how much suffering and hardship Moses had endured on their behalf since the day he rescued them from Egypt and during the many years of wandering in the wilderness. As a result, they became separated from Moses and eventually perished in the desert.
Wandering in the desert, they could not have survived if they had not followed Moses. However, when they reached the Jordan River, Moses asked them to go ahead and he himself stayed behind. He watched with excitement as they impatiently crossed the river and rushed toward Canaan, but he himself remained on the bank. Did he complain: “How could you do this, leaving me here and crossing to the other side yourself”? No, he only felt something like this: “It is all right if I die here. You, my children, must go and inhabit this land, blessed by God forever”. He held up both hands and prayed, “God, look at this nation of Israel-these people are braver and more courageous than I am. Please protect them and give them the brightest future”!
Throughout history, believing people reading the Bible accounts of Moses thought that they were only describing the life of Moses and the history of Israel. In reality, however, in these descriptions God wanted to reveal certain secrets of the providence of restoration. Moses walked in a way that became a pattern, or a way-formula. Everything Moses went through on the way of the national restoration of Canaan became a model for the way of Jesus.