Moses is the link between the time of bondage in Egypt and the time of wandering in the wilderness. He is the one whom God raises up to lead the people to freedom and toward the promised land. He was born under an edict by the Pharoah that he (and all Israelite male babies) be killed. By God’s providence he escaped death and was brought up in the Pharoah’s palace.
Moses killed a cruel Egyptian task master, and had to run away. Later in life, God commissioned Moses to release his people from their enslavement. Moses confronted Pharoah, and with the aid of the miraculous ten plagues, eventually got Pharoah to let the people go free. He took them across the Red Sea as they made exodus from Egypt.
After that, he led them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness. We'll leave that story and those adventures for another lesson (see preview page 3).
A brief account of the story of Moses is provided in Acts 7:17-42, part of the speech made by Stephen.
The Main Point
Behind this story is the faith that Moses showed in God by his willingness to forsake his life in Egypt and suffer affliction with the people of God instead. He showed great courage in opposing Pharaoh. Moses made mistakes, but he did believe that treasure in heaven is far more desirable than treasure on earth (Heb 11:23-29).
Bible Summary (Exodus 1-14)
Descendants of Israel made slaves in Egypt (1)
Pharoah commands the killing at birth of Israelite males (1)
Birth of Moses (2)
Moses found in the reeds and saved by Pharoah’s daughter (2)
Moses kills an Egyptian and flees (2)
God is aware of the suffering of the Israelites (2)
God commissions Moses -at the burning bush (3)
Aaron appointed as spokesman for Moses (4)
Moses given miraculous powers (4)
Moses threatened by God because son uncircumcised (4)
Moses demands of Pharoah, "Let my people go!" (5)
Pharoah refuses; unfairly increases work of slaves (5)
God reassures Moses (6)
Genealogy of Moses and Aaron (6)
Moses' staff turns into a snake for Pharoah (7)
The Ten Plagues
1~Waters become blood (7)
2~Frogs (8)
3~Lice (8)
4~Insect swarms (8)
5~Livestock die (9)
6~Boils (9)
7~Hailstorm (9)
8~Locusts (10)
9~Thick darkness (10)
10~Death of firstborn (11)
Passover instituted before last plague strikes (12)
Pharoah lets the people go (12)
More about the Passover ordinances (12-13)
God leads the people out of Egypt (13)
The Exodus - crossing the Red Sea (14)
Moses’s relations
Moses was...
Son of of Levite parents
Brother of Aaron and Miriam
Husband of Zipporah
Son in law of Jethro priest of Midian
Father of Nadab and Abihu
(the priests whom God killed with fire)
Moses’s Further Adventures
In the wilderness, after the Exodus, Moses...
Received the Law at Mt Sinai (Exo 20-35)
Set up the Tabernacle (Exo 35-40)
Preached in Moab (Book of Deuteronomy)
Saw promised land from a distance (Deu 34)
Values Moses Believed In
He chose to suffer affliction rather than enjoy the passing pleasures of sin (Heb 11:25).
He esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasure in Egypt (Heb 11:26).
He looked to the invisible God for courage rather than fearing the wrath of the Pharaoh behind him (Heb 11:27).
He was very humble and took the place of a servant in God’s household (Heb 3:2-6; Num 12:1-9).