Moses: The Old Testament’s Greatest Prophet
According to the Bible, Moses was the prophet who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to the edge of the promised land. The Old Testament mentions him 767 times, making him one of the most prominent people in the Old Testament. (Only David is mentioned more.) While Abraham is Israel’s ancestor, Moses is often considered its founder, for his role in establishing Israel as a nation.
In this article, we’re going to give an overview of who Moses was, what he did, and some of the big questions surrounding his life. Here’s what we’re covering:
Moses is a central figure in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Together, these four books cover Moses’ life from birth to death, allowing us to see him in a wide range of roles. Each of these roles tell us a little more about this dynamic Old Testament character.
Moses was a member of Egyptian royalty
Moses wasn’t born into a royal family—but shortly after his birth, he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was raised as a member of Pharaoh’s household (Exodus 2:10). This position of honor likely came with a royal education. In the Book of Acts, Stephen, the first Christian martyr, asserted that “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22).
Moses was a fugitive
As a member of Pharaoh’s household, Moses lived a life of privilege. But he was still a Hebrew. And when he was about 40, Moses saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews, and he killed the Egyptian.
Being brought up in Pharaoh’s household didn’t give Moses immunity for murder, and Pharaoh tried to have him killed for what he’d done.
So Moses fled to a place called Midian (Exodus 2:15), where he settled down, married a woman named Zipporah, and had a son named Gershom (Exodus 2:21–22). Exodus simply calls this “a long period” (Exodus 2:23). During that time, Pharaoh died, and Moses’ crime was forgotten or dismissed (Exodus 4:19).
Moses was a prophet … the greatest in the Old Testament
God appointed Moses to speak for him, first to Pharaoh and then to the Israelites. He spoke with God’s authority, and he taught the Israelites what God desired, most notably by delivering them the famous Ten Commandments and allegedly writing the Pentateuch.
Of all the prophets, Moses was the only one who regularly met with God .The Pentateuch closes by remarking on how no other prophet in the Old Testament came close to Moses’ legacy:
“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew , who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” —Deuteronomy 34:10–12
Moses was a mediator
One of Moses’ key roles was as a mediator between God and Israel. God had a special relationship with Moses, and God frequently spoke to him directly. The Israelites were also afraid of God—so afraid that they didn’t want to speak to God directly. So they asked Moses to speak to God instead:
“When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” —Exodus 20:18–21
Moses often wound up serving as a negotiator between God and his people, bringing the Israelites’ desires to God, and bringing God’s desires to the Israelites. At times, Moses even stayed God’s anger, convincing him to forgive the Israelites and hold back his punishment for their disobedience (Numbers 11:2, Numbers 14:19–20, Exodus 32:14).
Moses was a judge
Moses was a judge
As a prophet, Moses was God’s representative to the people of Israel. So whenever they had disputes, they turned to Moses to learn the will of God, and he sat as judge over every case. When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro visited from Midian, he immediately saw that Moses was taking on too much responsibility—it wasn’t sustainable—and proposed a new solution:
“He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.” —Exodus 18:25–26
Moses’ direct connection to God made him invaluable as a judge, but because he knew God’s will so well, he was able to teach others to serve the Israelites in this capacity.
Muhammad: A Prophet Like Unto Moses - Why Islam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83bFU3sNq0g
Topic: Eid al-Fitr?