The Prince Of Egypt

Today, we will learn from the life of one of the greatest man of God.

He was a deliverer, a leader, a prayer warrior, a humble man, and a friend of God.

When we think of Moses we see a coward, a man who cannot speak properly and so on. But even before God called Moses he was a powerful man.

According to Josephus (a historian) Moses was brilliant and had great speed and eagerness in what he learnt. When Moses grew up he became one of the greatest Egyptian generals and had led a victorious campaign in far off Ethiopia.

We will learn from his life and his leadership and his walk with God.

1. Born and prepared

Jacob’s descendents had been in Egypt for around 400 years, and were now slaves.

Pharaoh considered them as a threat.

Since their numbers grew daily, he instructed the midwives to kill the male babies.

Later orders were given to toss the male babies into the Nile.

Exodus 1:22-2:10
22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."
2:1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,
2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it.
6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
7 Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"
8 "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.
9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

Just imagine Moses being brought up in the Royal House, what kind of upbringing he would have had?

Imagine his confidence, his brilliance, his speech, his clothing, his food, his friend’s etc.........

This kind of upbringing really helped him in his future leadership.

And at this time Moses would have had no idea of God.

Maybe he was just worshipping some Egyptian idol.

Think of your life, how God uses the past to shape the present and the future?

It is amazing how God chooses people from entirely different backgrounds into his kingdom.

SHARE: How God chose you, and share about your background too.

2. Called and equipped

Moses comes to mount Sinai as a shepherd!

What is opportunity for a prince to learn meekness?

Exodus 3:1-10
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."

In Ex 3:1-10, we see how Moses learns the heart of a shepherd.

And may be this is the time he came to know of the God of Israel.

These 40 years in the wilderness were years of learning and changing.

Moses was definitely a man of great learning and talent, but these were the years his character grew.

God allows all of us to go through different phases in life that shapes us.

Exodus 3:11-4:17
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey.'
18 "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.
20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.
22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."

4:1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.
3 The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4 Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
5 "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you."
6 Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.
9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14 Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.
15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."

But we see in Ex 3:11-4:17, Moses makes a lot of excuses to God.

May be it was not that he could not speak or the lack of power that really stopped him, but it was just that his heart was not ready. When we make excuses, it is a heart issue.

SHARE: Do you make excuses to do something for God?

What are some excuses we make? But when our heart changes we are ready to do anything for God. How’s your heart today? Are you ready to do anything for God?

Are you ready to sacrifice and hear God’s calling? What if you are asked to be on a mission field? Or if you are asked to be in the full time ministry?

For Moses it would have been an incredible change from a prince to a preacher,

from a harsh man to a humble man. Once his heart changed he just went for it.

3. Human yet motivated

Moses was the man who inspired all the Israelites of the promised land, yet he was not going to make it there.

Numbers 20:12
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Deuteronomy 32:48-52
48 On that same day the LORD told Moses,
49 "Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession.
50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people.
51 This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.
52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel."

Though Moses did not make it, he inspired and gave everyone this incredible vision of the promised land.

Moses was willing to be cut off from the promised land for the sake of his people.

This shows the heart of Moses. The pure motivation to please God.

Today are you willing to work hard even when there are no results?

Do you work hard even when there is no fruit?

Persevering for fruits is more important than bearing fruit.

Do you work for glory or praise? Do you get discouraged when no one encourages you? What is your motivation? Why do you do what you do?

Why do you bring, or not bring, visitors?

The true leadership of Moses can be seen even after his death. Joshua conquers Canaan!

Brothers and sisters our ultimate reward is heaven. Let’s never forget that! Let heaven motivate us till the very end.

Challenge

Make a strong decision to use your talents to bring glory to God. Talk to your leader of how this can happen.