HOWDY - More about MOSES

How would like to go from being a prince to being a pauper in the blink of an eye?

Then to be hunted as a criminal and have a death sentence hanging over you.

Well I was so confused I didn’t know what to do for I knew if I was caught it would have meant the end of my life. This was all because I let my temper get the best of me. When I saw that Egyptian beating that Israelite I lost it and while I didn’t mean to kill him, he was dead just the same.

So here I am, out on the desert, living with sheepherders and married with some kids. The details of what happened next are in the record but I will touch on a couple of high points.

I was out herding the sheep and I went further than usual to find some good pasture, and then I saw something I didn’t understand. A bush was burning but it didn’t burn up. It shouldn’t have taken but a few minutes but it just kept on burning.

Just when I was thinking “this beats anything I ever have seen,” GOD appeared in the mist of the bush and told me to go back to Egypt and deliver the children of Israel from Pharaoh.

Now I heard that a new Pharaoh had come to power but I knew from experience that they are all pretty much the same. After much debate, questions asked and answered, promises made and the revelation of the name of GOD. Then I was told to go and tell the children of Israel that “I AM HAS SENT ME” to deliver them.

I made one last feeble effort to get out of going by saying I can’t talk, that caused GOD to get angry, and he said go get Aaron your brother and he will speak for you.

One other thing that got my attention was GOD had me throw down my staff and it became a serpent and when I picked it up (at GOD’S command) it became a staff again. Every time things got tough I always remembered that snake and the miracle that happened.

I will defer to the record for what happened in the next days, weeks and months for the details are there except that what happened was real and lived out by real people.

There were high points like the plagues that were needed to get Pharaoh’s release of the Israelites. The crossing the Red Sea, water from the rock and one sad thing of a personal note was when I was to be replaced the LORD had to look beyond my immediate family to find a man who was strong and stable enough to lead this mass of people.

The outstanding thing about my tenure as leader was order. The setting up the different tribes, and the sacrificial system was an act of GOD, for these were a stiff-necked people that would revert to the old ways in a moment.

As with everyone my time came to an end and the burden was transferred to a proven younger man for which I am thankful.