34. Beginner Bible Course: The story of Moses

EPISODE 34 The simple Bible overview of…THE STORY OF MOSES

There aren't a lot of people...

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...who haven't heard of Moses Hollywood's made a number of movies about them and Dreamworks made a great one called the Prince of Egypt. Moses was born to a Levi couple at a throw the baby boy in the water time, you know about the basket and being placed in the Nile. And you probably know he was found by Pharaoh's daughter and her heart was warmed. When she saw the little Hebrew in the basket, you may even know about Miriam Moses big sister hiding in the reeds to watch and her offer to Pharaoh's daughter, to find a nursing mother, to care for the baby boy that nursing mother was Moses mother, but you probably didn't know she had him for three to four years.

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The text tells us until Moses was weaned. We find it odd to see a mom breastfeeding a one-year-old baby today. But that was in no way. Unusual in biblical times, no microwaves breast milk was the ultimate convenient food. In biblical times, children are weaned at three or even four years old. I asked my students, if any of them have a three or four year old little brother or sister, someone always does, then I ask, what does your little brother or sister understand? And what can he do, man? Do I get a list from being the center of entertainment to even beginning to read, I asked that student, does he know what the family expects what's right and wrong and important.

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And they say he absolutely does though. He doesn't always obey. It. File that away. Under the care of his Hebrew mother Moses was shaped as a toddler, somewhere around preschool. He's given back to the Pharaoh's daughter and he's raised as the movie says is a Prince of Egypt fast forward 40 years. He is now well-trained well-educated, well-respected a grandson of Pharaoh himself. The next thing we're told is one day when he's 40, he sees an Egyptian guard beating a Hebrew slave, looking both ways. He strikes the Egyptian, killing him, then berries in the sand.

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He takes sides. The next day he sees two Hebrews fighting and intervenes. Again, this time one of the men says, who made you a judge over us? Are you going to kill me? Like you killed that Egyptian yesterday. Moses realize the cat side of the bag. If they know Pharaoh knows Moses is terrified. He runs to Midian. Midian is hundreds of miles, straight East through a Mars like landscape desert. It may not be the end of the world, but you can definitely see it from there. He knows sooner arrives in Midian. When he sees a shepherd as being bullied at a well, he puts on his hero Cape and rescues her.

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She takes them home and introduces him to her father Jethro soon. Moses the Prince of Egypt. Mary's a nobody Midian shepherdess. And they soon have a nobody. Midian son Gershwin Exodus tells us nothing about the next four decades of Moses life. He spends it tending sheep. At the end of the world. He's a nobody in a place. Nobody would want to be tending a bunch of no good sheep in a future chapter of the Bible, God will say about him. He became the humblest man alive. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the cries of the children of Israel become deafening before.

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God. Their situation is unbearable. It's time for the merciful promise, keeping God to act it's time to have this baby nation. So he goes looking for the midwife. He's chosen. Moses in Midian. The story picks up at the burning Bush. Moses out, tending sheep, sees a Bush on fire. It's not so odd that dry brush in the middle of nowhere catch fire, but it is when brush burns, but doesn't burn up out of this Bush. God speaks to him. Moses I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It's time to keep my promise. I'm bringing my people out of Egypt into a land.

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I promised them and I'm going to have you lead them out. If this had happened 40 years earlier, Moses might've replied. Good choice. I'm the perfect guy. I know Egypt. I know Israel I'm smart. I know the language. I pretty much got it going on, but it's 40 years later. Moses is now a broken man. And he starts to make excuses for them. As a matter of fact, his first excuse God who am I? I'm a zero God's reply. Moses so you're a zero. I'll be with you. That makes us a 10 Moses second excuse.

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Who are you? If I go to Pharaoh and say God and I together are a 10, let my people go. And he asks, who's this God of yours. What should I say? God's reply. I am who I am. We could spend several word, picture podcasts on that statement alone, but we'll figure it out as we go. But I will tell you this. It may be the most important name. God gives himself to us in Hebrew. It's four letters. Y H w H pronounced way. Jehovah, the covenant keeping God who is, this is a biggie still Moses makes excuses.

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They won't listen to me. God says, okay, that's reasonable. So maybe they'll listen. If I give you some powerful signs, what's that in your hand, Moses set a staff, throw it down. When Moses throws it down, it becomes the serpent Moses was terrified. God says pick it up. Moses delicately grabs it by the tail. And it becomes the staff. Again. God says, put your hand into your shirt. Moses puts his son kissed all of colored, hand into a shirt. Now pull it out. God says when he pulls it out, it says white as sour cream. The text says it was leprose put it back in your shirt.

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Moses and pull it out again. Moses does. And when he pulls it out, it's tan. Like it was before. If that's not enough to convince Pharaoh, you'll have one more little sign. You'll be able to turn the water, the Nile to blood. Those weren't Trix to impress Pharaoh. They were given to Moses. So that Pharaoh might listen to the words of God coming out of his mouth. But Moses, isn't finished his final excuse. I can't talk good. I know that's bad. English but it's accurate. Moses says he's slow of speech. Some think he stuttered. And if so, it wouldn't be real impressive to Pharaoh, the powerful Egyptian ruler to have an old Midian shepherd, stuttering threats out in front of him.

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It could also mean he just couldn't come up with the words quickly. He wasn't a word Smith God's response. Moses who made your mouth. If I made it, I think I can make it work. Fine. Thank you. Having made for excuses Moses then goes to the, well, one too many times, he says to God in the Bush, send someone else. I won't do it. Now God pulls rank Moses you will lead my people out and I'm going to use air in your brother to help. In fact, you'll whisper my word into Erin's ear and he will be the spokesman on my behalf. I tell my students on the quiz, I'm going to ask a true or false question, true or false.

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It was not Moses but Aaron, who said to Pharaoh, let my people go. That's true. Give him credit. Moses God's midwife packs, his bags and heads back toward Egypt. He too will be going to the land God promise. So he brings his wife and son Gershon on the way, something very strange as said in the text, camping for the night, it said God sought to kill him. Moses wife quickly, circumcising Gershwin then throws the four skin. And Moses saying you're a bloody husband. To me. This is weird. The why God was upset is pretty obvious.

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Moses the midwife had not circumcised. His own son. Gershwin has God had commanded all his people to do Moses can't lead the people out unless he leads by example, the bigger question is who is God seeking to kill. It could of been either Moses or Gershon. Mrs. Moses reaction suggest to me it was Gershwin as the journey West continues and Moses plods along in some way, God speaks to Moses again, Moses FYI. This isn't going to be easy. Aaron meets up with them and escorts him to the tribal leaders Moses and Aaron, repeat to them God's words and then show them the miraculous signs God had given them in the staff, the leprose hand and the blood, the children of Israel were convinced God had heard.

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And they worshiped him. Perhaps the word of God on Moses journey were ringing in his head. As he watched the leaders of the tribes of the children of Israel worship, FYI Moses. This is not going to be easy. Is that an understatement? Moses knew Pharaoh was not going to just let Egypt slaves a wall side of that place. It was going to take some persuading and we'll see how God did that persuading in our next wordpicture.