Lessons from the Life of Moses
Picking up where we left off with Joseph, we fastforward along with the Biblical narrative through hundreds of years, up to the rise of a new and oppressive Pharaoh in Egypt who fears and hates the Israelite people. Moses rises to promience in this age of Egyptian violence and power and becomes God’s instrument of deliverence for the children of Israel. Yet Moses’ life is full of close calls - it’s almost all over before it even begins. As Moses grows, his own desicions nearly end his life and opportunity to deliver God’s people, but God’s plan always accounts for our folly and even our sin does not disquality us for participating in God’s kingdom. Let’s see how Moses comes through these close calls and becomes the man God meant him to be.
Senenmut holding Neferure (Queen Hatshepsut’s Daughter")
Anchor Texts:
Act 7:17-32 ESVUK - “But as the time of the promise drew - Bible Gateway
Exodus 2:11-15 ESVUK - Moses’ Original Early Life Story from Exodus
Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:17-19 ESVUK - Vengeance is mine
Questions to Ponder:
Moses was ____________ in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in _________ and ___________.
Moses may have had the Egyptian name of __________________.
“______________ is mine” declares the Lord - what does this mean?
Read Exodus 2:11 - Considering what happens after this, what do you think it was look for Moses to see the living conditions of his people?
Compare Exodus 2:12 and Acts 7:24 - how does Stephen’s speech in Acts cast Moses actions? Are these two versions at odds or telling different aspects of the story?
Is there a time you can share about when you saw or realized the actual living conditions of a people group that shocked you? Is there a way you benefited from their distress?
One day Moses stepped out of his usual pattern, is there a “one day” time in your life when you followed God’s prompting and your course in life changed?
Answers: 1. educated, speech, action. 2. Senenmut. 3. Vengence
The Theme in Art:
Several statues and writings allude to a mysterious and powerful figure in Egypt during the “New Kingdom Period” named Senenmut. This figure lived in the royal court yet was not royal, was possibly not born Egyptian, but rather to peasents, and his life ceases to be recorded at the exact same time as one estimate for the date of Moses’ flight from Egypt. He has a tomb in Egypt that he was never buried in, and his name suffered the curse of damnatio memoriae, intentional erasure from the annals of Egyptian history (“damnation of memory”). Yet satues and writings survived, and we know just enough for this strange character to wonder if it could be Moses. Read more here: Is This Moses? | ArmstrongInstitute.org
Another statue depicting Senenmut
The Theme in Song:
We all need a reminder that God’s not done with us yet. Here’s a worship song that reminds us of His faithfulness!