The Story of Moses: From Egypt to Mount Nebo

Moses is regarded by many as the most important figure in the Hebrew Bible. His name appears 767 times. Only King David is mentioned more often than Moses. The great codifier of Jewish law, Maimonides, wrote that belief in the primacy of “Moses our teacher” is one of the foundations of Jewish faith. This opinion is supported by Scripture where we read that since the time of Joshua, “No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face (Deut. 34:10).
The writers of the New Testament appear to concur with this assessment since Moses is mentioned more times in the New Testament than any other figure in the Hebrew Bible. Moses is honored by three prominent religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And while Abraham is regarded as Israel’s spiritual physical and ancestor, Moses, for his role in mediating the covenant between God and His people, is regarded by many as the nation’s founder.
Having written books on the Story of Israel, the Story of Jesus and the Story of the Apostle Paul, it seemed appropriate that my next book in this series should be about Israel’s most prominent and highly regarded leader, Moses.
Moses rose to a position of leadership in Israel through circumstances that were beyond his control. It was during the dark and distressful days of Israel’s bondage in Egypt that a child was born to a humble, Hebrew couple. After the birth of their son, they sought to spare his life by allowing their child to be adopted by an Egyptian princess. Having been raised in pharaoh’s royal court, Moses seem destined for a life of privilege and luxury. But God had other plans. When Moses intervened to defend an Israelite worker being attacked by an Egyptian taskmaster, his life suddenly and dramatically changed. Moses was forced to flee Egypt and spent the next forty years as a shepherd in the land of Midian. But God’s plans for Moses were actually being accomplished, not thwarted, by this desert experience.
It was in the desert, as a shepherd of sheep, that God was preparing Moses to lead the flock of His people. When Moses had been thoroughly prepared for his mission (a process that took forty years), God appeared in a burning bush and charged Moses with a challenging mission. Moses was called by God to lead His people out of Egypt and into the land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses would spend the next forty years in the wilderness of Sinai, fulfilling his divine calling. But as we will see, this undertaking was not without some serious mishaps and mistakes along the way.
In this book, I trace Moses life from the place of his birth in Egypt to his death on Mount Nebo in the land of Moab. On the way, we will consider the high points and low points of Moses’ spiritual journey. As we do, we will look for leadership lessons and practical principles which can help us on our own spiritual journey through life. I invite you to join me in taking a long walk with Moses. We will learn from his actions, be guided by his leadership, and consider the teachings in his final sermon, the book of Deuteronomy.