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See also: The Exodus 74–77 ■ The Ten Commandments 78–83 ■
The Twelve Spies 88 ■ Entering the Promised Land 96–97The prophet Moses
Moses is one of the greatest
figures of the Bible—a leader
and lawgiver who is brought
up as an Egyptian prince,
becomes a social outcast,
and ultimately goes on to
become a leading prophet.
After avoiding Pharaoh’s
slaughter of the Israelite
firstborn sons when his
mother hides him in a basket
on the Nile, he returns to his
people as an adult to lead
them out of slavery. After his
initial reluctance, Moses not
only becomes the liberator of
the Israelites, but shepherds
them across the desert for
40 years as their spiritual and
military leader. A figure of
authority and justice, he
adopts and enforces God’s
Ten Commandments.In Midian, Moses marries a local
woman and becomes a shepherd.
It is while he is tending his flock
beneath Horeb, the mountain of
God (also known as Mount Sinai),
that God first speaks to Moses.
Spying a bush that is burning
without being consumed by the
fire, Moses approaches the bush to
investigate the phenomenon. When
God appears to Moses from withinthe flames, his first reaction is one
of dread: he hides his face, afraid
to witness God. God, however, has
a mission for Moses: He tells him
that He has heard the crying of the
Israelites in bondage and that He
has chosen Moses to lead His
people out of Egypt.Uncertain prophet
Moses demonstrates his human
frailty by demurring in the face
of God’s request. He tells God that
he is not the right person for the
mission, fearing that neither
the Israelites nor the Egyptians
will listen to his entreaties. Moses
further complains that the Israelites
will not believe that God has shown
Himself to him, because he does
not know God’s personal name.
God is patient with Moses,
mirroring the intimacy He has
previously shown to the individuals
He chooses to carry out His will,
such as Abraham (see pp. 44–47).
He tells Moses “I am who I am”
(Exodus 3:14), indicating His
perpetual omnipresence. To provide
further evidence of His almighty
nature to both the Israelites and
to the Egyptians, He gives Moses
the power to perform three ❯❯EXODUS TO DEUTERONOMY
Moses removes his shoes before
speaking with God in this 15th-century
painting by Dieric Bouts the Elder. God
commanded him to remove his sandals
before entering holy ground.Moses becomes a
shepherd, anticipating
his role as a shepherd
of the Israelites in their
exodus from Egypt.God speaks
to Moses from
a burning bush, a
symbol of God’s
everlasting presence.The adoption of Moses
by an Egyptian princess
echoes Pharaoh’s
promotion of Joseph
in Genesis (41:41).Moses murders
an Egyptian who is
mistreating a Hebrew
slave, foreshadowing the
punishment of Egypt.The symbolism behind Moses’s journey
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