THE BIRTH OF MOSES
Moses’ parents were both of the tribe of Levi. The father’s name was Amiram, his mother was Jochebed. The other chidren of Amiran and Jochebed were Aaron and Miriam. When Moses was born, his mother saw that he was a goodly handsome child. She hid him for three months and when she could no longer hide him, she kept him at the brink of the river. He was in a basket made of an ark of bulrushes. The daughter of Pharaoh discovered him later when she came to bathe. She paid the mother unknowingly to nurse the baby for her. He was later returned to the princess when he grew up.
When Moses grew up, he murdered secretly an Egyptian who was fighting with a Hebrew because he could not tolerate an Egyptian oppressing an Israelite. Besides, on another occasion he tried to intervene in a misunderstanding between two Israelites, he was faced with the question of whether he was a prince or Judge. Realizing that the crime was known, he fled to Midian and was in the service of Jethro, the priest of Midian who later became his father-in-law.
In Midian, as he sat down by the well, he met seven daughters of the priest of Midian who came to draw water for their father’s sheep. At this point, they were harassed by the shepherd and Moses defended them and helped them. Moses’ act of defence made Jethro, the father of the girls to provide him accommodation, occupation and family. Moses became a shepherd and married a daughter of the priest of Midian. The name of his wife was Zipporah, she gave birth to a son called Gershom meaning “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”
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EVALUATION
- Discuss the circumstances in which Moses was born.
- Discuss his stay with Jethro.
Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law at mount Horeb, also called Sinai which is described as the mountain of God. On this occasion. God appeared unto Moses at Horeb in a flame of fire. He saw a bush burning with fire, and the bush was not consumed. Moses decided to look at what was happening. It was then God called him and asked him to put off his shoes for where he was standing was a holy ground. It was then God disclosed His identity as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
God instructed Moses to go and deliver the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians telling him that he had seen the affliction of his people under the task master of the Egyptians. They were his own, He has heard their cry, knew their sorrows and had come down to deliver them form the hand of Pharaoh. He would take them to a large and good land flowing with milk and honey – [the land of Canaan.]
Moses asked God for His name and God said, “I am that I am”. Moses complained that he was not eloquent in speech, God told him to make Aaron, his brother, his interpreter. God gave him some signs which eventually came to pass. Moses then had to lead the children of Israel to their freedom from the hands of the taskmasters.
EVALUATION
- Describe how God spoke to Moses in the field where he was tending the flock of Jethro?
- Why was Moses chosen as the leader for the freedom of his people?
MOSES AND HIS PEOPLE CELEBRATE THEIR FREEDOM IN SONGS. EXO. 15 1:22
After God had instructed Moses to go down to Egypt and Speak to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Moses did as God had commanded him. But Pharaoh’s mind was hardened and he did not let Israel go, and so he tormented the lives of the Egyptians. A plague according to the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary is something that causes pain or trouble to someone over a period of time. It could also mean an infectious disease that kills a lot of people. These plagues took place before pharaoh released the people of Israel.
- River Nile turned to blood for seven days: It started with a river and spread to all its branches such as streams, ponds and pools of water.
- Frogs: These frogs came up abundantly and filled their houses, bed chambers, fields etc.
- Swarm of flies: The Egyptians were plagued with swarm of flies. These flies could come into houses, stain decorative furniture and make life intolerable for the Egyptians. Many Egyptians were destroyed by being stung to death.
- Gnat (Lice):- The dust of the earth in Egypt became lice on man and on beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout.
- Boils on man and beast: Moses took a handful of ashes from the furnace and it became small dust in the hand. Also, it provided a painful boil on all man and beast in Egypt.
- Locust: This was ushered in by a strong wind that blew all day and all night.
- Death of animals: All the Egyptians cattle, Carmels and sheep were killed by a strange ailment but the livestock of the Israelites were preserved.
- Heavy hailstone with thunder: These were in form of lightning, hail, thunder and destruction of vegetations.
- Three days darkness: This was the most dreadful because the darkness was so thick to the extent that the Egyptians saw not one another, and they could not move from their places for three days.
- Death of Egyptian first born: This plague came upon the Egyptians from the first born of Pharaoh that sat on the throne to the first born of the captive that was in danger.
After the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Israel sang songs of victory to God. The content of the songs is as follows;
1) I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously, the horses and the rider He has thrown into the sea.
2) The Lord is a Man of war the Lord is His name.
3) Thy right hand O Lord, is glorious in power, thy right hand shatters the enemy.
4) Who is like unto Thee O Lord?. It should be noted that Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Moses mobilized women in singing and dancing in appreciation to God for their freedom.
EVALUATION
- Name the plagues sent upon Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let Israel go.
- What was the content of the song of deliverance sang by the people?
GENERAL EVALUATION
- Discuss the miraculous escape of Moses from the hand of Pharaoh.
- How did Moses get to the land of Midian?
- Mention five qualities of leadership in Moses
- What two lessons can you give to the leaders of churches to learn from Moses.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
- How old was Moses when God called him (a) 40 (b) 80 (c) 120 (d) 100
- _____is described as the mountain of God (a) Sinai (b) Haran (c) Carmel (d) Everest
- The Israelites were in bondage for _____years (a) 4000 (b) 40 (c) 430 (d) 100
- ____was the prophetess that mobilized the woman to praise God after their freedom (a) Deborah (b) Miriam (c) Esther (d) Ruth
- ____ is the spokesman of Moses (a) Aaron (b) Joshua (c) Elijah (d) Joseph.
THEORY
- Write down one of the verse of the songs of victory sang by the Israelite after their freedom.
- How did God preserve the first born of the Israelites from being destroyed by the angel of death?
See also