A Review
We all remember the story of the baby Moses being put in a basket at the edge of the river to keep him from being killed by the king, and how he was saved by the king’s daughter. Perhaps you remember that he became the great leader of the people who were then slaves to the Egyptians. His parents were of the family of Levi, a son of Jacob (or Israel), so they were what we call decendants of Abraham, as were all the Hebrew people; they were also called Israelites.
It was God who told Moses to lead the people away from Egypt, and he was their leader all the years on their journey to Canaan. God gave him the two “tables.’ or slabs, of stone with the ten laws, called the “ten commandments” engraved on them. Do you remember there was thunder and lightning, signs of God’s great power, and sounds of trumpets, when God spoke to Moses and all the people?
Those laws for Israel were often called the “laws of Moses,” but were laws from God. Men quote them now, and no nation since has found better laws. Many other laws were told Moses for those people, and he also was given the directions for the large tent called the Tabernacle, where God set the “cloud of glory” to show them He was with them, and where they could go to honor Him. When we read of that, we learn by it of God’s holiness, and of the work to be done years after by Christ.
You remember, there were also many very wonderful miracles which God did by Moses. He divided the waters of the sea: made water to flow from a rock, enough for the people and their animals; cured the people who were bitten by serpents, and many other miracles.
All these things were written and kept by those people. It is thought that other men were helpers to Moses in the great task. They were many years in the lonely deserts when such a work could have been done.
We might think we have no need to read those laws and events. Yet God wants His people to know His ways, and we are told they were examples for us (1 Cor. 10:1111Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)). When we read how God cared for and helped them, we will be encouraged in times of trouble.
It is believed by the Hebrew people and others, that Moses also was the one God used to write the first scriptures, the book of Genesis. When the Lord Jesus was on earth and wished to teach people what was told in the scriptures about Himself, He began “at Moses” (Luke 24:2727And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)). That meant that the Lord began at the writing of Moses. So we believe Moses wrote those first scriptures in Genesis, which told of One to come to “bruise” Satan.
Christ spoke many times, of words written by Moses. He said, “Had ye believed Moses ye would have believed Me, for He wrote of Me,” John 5:4646For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. (John 5:46).
ML 12/13/1942