Moses: Drawn (or Egypt. mesu, "son;" hence Rameses, royal son). On the
invitation of Pharaoh
(Genesis 45:17-25) Jacob and his sons went down into
Egypt. This immigration took place probably about 350 years before
the birth of Moses. Some centuries before Joseph, Egypt had been
conquered by a pastoral Semitic race from Asia, the Hyksos, who
brought into cruel subjection the native Egyptians, who were an
African race. Jacob and his retinue were accustomed to a shepherd's
life, and on their arrival in Egypt were received with favour by the
king, who assigned them the "best of the land", the land of Goshen,
to dwell in. The Hyksos or "shepherd" king who thus showed favour to
Joseph and his family was in all probability the Pharaoh Apopi (or
Apopis). Thus favoured, the Israelites began to "multiply
exceedingly"
(Genesis 47:27) and extended to the west and south. At length
the supremacy of the Hyksos came to an end. The descendants of Jacob
were allowed to retain their possession of Goshen undisturbed, but
after the death of Joseph their position was not so favourable. The
Egyptians began to despise them, and the period of their "affliction"
(Genesis 15:13) commenced. They were sorely oppressed. They continued,
however, to increase in numbers, and "the land was filled with them"
(Exodus 1:7) The native Egyptians regarded them with suspicion, so that
they felt all the hardship of a struggle for existence. In process of
time "a king [probably Seti I.] arose who knew not Joseph"
(Exodus 1:8)
(See PHARAOH)
The circumstances of the country were such that this king thought it
necessary to weaken his Israelite subjects by oppressing them, and by
degrees reducing their number. They were accordingly made public
slaves, and were employed in connection with his numerous buildings,
especially in the erection of store-cities, temples, and palaces. The
children of Israel were made to serve with rigour. Their lives were
made bitter with hard bondage, and "all their service, wherein they
made them serve, was with rigour"
(Exodus 1:13,14) But this cruel
oppression had not the result expected of reducing their number. On
the contrary, "the more the Egyptians afflicted them, the more they
multiplied and grew"
(Exodus 1:12) The king next tried, through a
compact secretly made with the guild of midwives, to bring about the
destruction of all the Hebrew male children that might be born. But
the king's wish was not rigorously enforced; the male children were
spared by the midwives, so that "the people multiplied" more than
ever. Thus baffled, the king issued a public proclamation calling on
the people to put to death all the Hebrew male children by casting
them into the river
(Exodus 1:22) But neither by this edict was the
king's purpose effected. One of the Hebrew households into which this
cruel edict of the king brought great alarm was that of Amram, of the
family of the Kohathites
(Exodus 6:16-20) who with his wife Jochebed
and two children, Miriam, a girl of perhaps fifteen years of age, and
Aaron, a boy of three years, resided in or near Memphis, the capital
city of that time. In this quiet home a male child was born (B.C.
1571) His mother concealed him in the house for three months from the
knowledge of the civic authorities. But when the task of concealment
became difficult, Jochebed contrived to bring her child under the
notice of the daughter of the king by constructing for him an ark of
bulrushes, which she laid among the flags which grew on the edge of
the river at the spot where the princess was wont to come down and
bathe. Her plan was successful. The king's daughter "saw the child;
and behold the child wept." The princess
(See PHARAOH'S DAUGHTERS)
sent Miriam, who was standing by, to fetch a nurse. She went and
brought the mother of the child, to whom the princess said, "Take this
child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages." Thus
Jochebed's child, whom the princess called "Moses", i.e., "Saved from
the water"
(Exodus 2:10) was ultimately restored to her. As soon as the
natural time for weaning the child had come, he was transferred from
the humble abode of his father to the royal palace, where he was
brought up as the adopted son of the princess, his mother probably
accompanying him and caring still for him. He grew up amid all the
grandeur and excitement of the Egyptian court, maintaining, however,
probably a constant fellowship with his mother, which was of the
highest importance as to his religious belief and his interest in his
"brethren." His education would doubtless be carefully attended to,
and he would enjoy all the advantages of training both as to his body
and his mind. He at length became "learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians"
(Acts 7:22) Egypt had then two chief seats of learning, or
universities, at one of which, probably that of Heliopolis, his
education was completed. Moses, being now about twenty years of age,
spent over twenty more before he came into prominence in Bible
history. These twenty years were probably spent in military service.
There is a tradition recorded by Josephus that he took a lead in the
war which was then waged between Egypt and Ethiopia, in which he
gained renown as a skilful general, and became "mighty in deeds"
(Acts 7:22) After the termination of the war in Ethiopia, Moses
returned to the Egyptian court, where he might reasonably have
expected to be loaded with honours and enriched with wealth. But
"beneath the smooth current of his life hitherto, a life of alternate
luxury at the court and comparative hardness in the camp and in the
discharge of his military duties, there had lurked from childhood to
youth, and from youth to manhood, a secret discontent, perhaps a
secret ambition. Moses, amid all his Egyptian surroundings, had never
forgotten, had never wished to forget, that he was a Hebrew." He now
resolved to make himself acquainted with the condition of his
countrymen, and "went out unto his brethren, and looked upon their
burdens"
(Exodus 2:11) This tour of inspection revealed to him the
cruel oppression and bondage under which they everywhere groaned, and
could not fail to press on him the serious consideration of his duty
regarding them. The time had arrived for his making common cause with
them, that he might thereby help to break their yoke of bondage. He
made his choice accordingly
(Hebrews 11:25-27) assured that God would
bless his resolution for the welfare of his people. He now left the
palace of the king and took up his abode, probably in his father's
house, as one of the Hebrew people who had for forty years been
suffering cruel wrong at the hands of the Egyptians. He could not
remain indifferent to the state of things around him, and going out
one day among the people, his indignation was roused against an
Egyptian who was maltreating a Hebrew. He rashly lifted up his hand
and slew the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand. Next day he went
out again and found two Hebrews striving together. He speedily found
that the deed of the previous day was known. It reached the ears of
Pharaoh (the "great Rameses," Rameses II.), who "sought to slay Moses"
(Exodus 2:15) Moved by fear, Moses fled from Egypt, and betook himself
to the land of Midian, the southern part of the peninsula of Sinai,
probably by much the same route as that by which, forty years
afterwards, he led the Israelites to Sinai. He was providentially led
to find a new home with the family of Reuel, where he remained for
forty years
(Acts 7:30) under training unconsciously for his great
life's work. Suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the
burning bush
(Exodus 3:1)ff and commissioned him to go down to Egypt
and "bring forth the children of Israel" out of bondage. He was at
first unwilling to go, but at length he was obedient to the heavenly
vision, and left the land of Midian
(Exodus 4:18-26) On the way he was
met by Aaron (q.v.) and the elders of Israel
(Exodus 4:27-31). He and
Aaron had a hard task before them; but the Lord was with them
(Exodus 7:1)ff and the ransomed host went forth in triumph.
(See EXODUS)
After an eventful journey to and fro in the wilderness, we see them at
length encamped in the plains of Moab, ready to cross over the Jordan
into the Promised Land. There Moses addressed the assembled elders
(Deuteronomy 1:1-4; 5:1-26:19; 27:11-30:20) and gives the people his last
counsels, and then rehearses the great song
(Deuteronomy 32:1)ff clothing
in fitting words the deep emotions of his heart at such a time, and in
review of such a marvellous history as that in which he had acted so
conspicious a part. Then, after blessing the tribes
(Deuteronomy 33:1)ff he
ascends to "the mountain of Nebo (q.v.), to the top of Pisgah, that is
over against Jericho"
(Deuteronomy 34:1)ff and from thence he surveys the
land. "Jehovah shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all
Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of
Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley
of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar"
(Deuteronomy 34:2-3) the
magnificient inheritance of the tribes of whom he had been so long the
leader; and there he died, being one hundred and twenty years old,
according to the word of the Lord, and was buried by the Lord "in a
valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor"
(Deuteronomy 34:6) The
people mourned for him during thirty days. Thus died "Moses the man of
God"
(Deuteronomy 33:1; Joshua 14:6) He was distinguished for his meekness and
patience and firmness, and "he endured as seeing him who is invisible."
"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 hand, and in all
the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel"
(Deuteronomy 34:10-12) The name of Moses occurs frequently in the Psalms and
Prophets as the chief of the prophets. In the New Testament he is
referred to as the representative of the law and as a type of Christ
(John 1:17; 2 Corinthians 3:13-18; Hebrews 3:5,6) Moses is the only character in
the Old Testament to whom Christ likens himself
(John 5:46) comp.
(Deuteronomy 18:15,18,19; Acts 7:37) In
(Hebrews 3:1-19) this likeness to Moses
is set forth in various particulars. In
(Jude 1:9) mention is made
of a contention between Michael and the devil about the body of Moses.
This dispute is supposed to have had reference to the concealment of
the body of Moses so as to prevent idolatry.