In brief
Moses is the prophet God used to deliver Israel from slavery in Egypt, around 1400 BC by the usual reckoning. Saved as a baby, raised in Pharaoh's house, a shepherd in the desert, he is called at eighty at the burning bush. He leads the people through the sea, receives the law at Sinai and dies at the edge of the promised land, having known the Lord face to face.
What does the name Moses mean?
His name is generally linked to a Hebrew word evoking the idea of drawing out. The Bible gives the explanation in Exodus 2:10: Pharaoh's daughter calls him Moses because she drew him out of the water.
The story of Moses
A Child Saved from the Water
Exodus 2:1-10Pharaoh orders the Hebrew boys to be thrown into the Nile. The child's mother hides him for three months, then places him in a basket among the reeds. Pharaoh's daughter finds him and takes him in. She names him Moses, and his own mother becomes his nurse.
The Burning Bush
Exodus 3:1-14Moses is tending Jethro's flock at Horeb when a bush burns without being consumed. God calls him by name, has seen his people's oppression and sends him to Pharaoh. Moses objects, and God answers that he will be with him. He reveals himself as the one who is.
Crossing the Sea
Exodus 14:10-31Pharaoh pursues Israel, and the people, caught between the army and the sea, cry out in fear. Moses answers that the Lord will fight for them. At God's command he stretches out his hand, the sea opens, Israel crosses on dry ground, and the Egyptians are swallowed up.
The Law at Sinai
Exodus 20:1-17At Sinai, God first reminds his people that he brought them out of Egypt, then speaks the ten commandments. They say how to love God and neighbor: one God, the sabbath, honoring parents, and the prohibition of murder, adultery, theft, lying and coveting.
Death on Mount Nebo
Deuteronomy 34:1-8Moses climbs Mount Nebo, and the Lord shows him the promised land, which he will not enter. He dies there at one hundred and twenty, his eyesight undimmed. The Israelites mourn him for thirty days, and Joshua, filled with a spirit of wisdom, takes his place.
What Moses teaches us
- God calls by name, even an eighty-year-old who thinks he is out of the game.
- Facing the impossible, God's promise, I will be with you, is worth more than our abilities.
- God fights for his people: he asks them to stand still and trust him.
- The law begins with grace: God delivers first, then tells how to live free.
Key verses
God introduces himself to Moses as the one who is. This name speaks of his constant presence and grounds the people's trust for the mission that is beginning.
The New Testament rereads Moses' choice: refusing the privileges of Egypt to share the hardship of God's people, with his eyes on the reward.
No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. This verse states Moses' unique place in the Old Testament.
Sermons about Moses
- Moses at the Burning Bush: God Calls You by NameA sermon on Exodus 3: God sees, calls Moses by name, gives him a mission and reveals himself as the one who is.
- Moses, the Hero Whose Heart Was AfraidA sermon on Moses' fear in the face of God's call, and on how God walks with him despite it.
- The Mountains of Abarim: What Moses Sees from Mount NeboA sermon on the end of Moses and what he sees from Mount Nebo, in connection with Deuteronomy 34.
- "Show Me Your Glory": Moses' Two CriesA sermon on Moses' desire to see God's glory and on his two great cries.
Frequently asked questions
Why did God choose Moses?
The Bible presents a choice made by God, not a reward. He saw Israel's oppression and sends Moses. When Moses asks who he is to go, God does not praise his qualities: he promises his presence, I will be with you.
What does the name Moses mean?
His name is generally linked to a Hebrew verb evoking the idea of drawing out. The Bible gives the explanation in Exodus 2:10: Pharaoh's daughter calls him Moses because she drew him out of the water.
Where can I find the story of Moses in the Bible?
It begins in Exodus 2 and continues through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, up to his death in Deuteronomy 34. The New Testament often cites him, notably in Hebrews 11.