THE L.I.F.E. PLAN MOSES BLOCK 2. THEME 3 - ISRAEL IN EGYPT LESSON 3 (47 of 216)

Transcription

1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN MOSES BLOCK 2 THEME 3 - ISRAEL IN EGYPT LESSON 3 (47 of 216)

2 BLOCK 2 THEME 3: ISRAEL IN EGYPT LESSON 3 (47 OF 216): MOSES LESSON AIM: Present the three periods in the life of Moses. SCRIPTURE: (ACTS 7) And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. (Acts 7:22) KJV The Egyptian midwives, who assisted the enslaved Hebrew women during childbirth, disobeyed the orders of the Pharaoh when he instructed them to kill any male child born among the Hebrew people. One of the Hebrews, a woman from the tribe of Levi, gave birth to a son. For three months, she was able to keep him hidden and take care of him. When this was no longer possible for her, she made a small, waterproof box, and placed the baby in it. She put him in the river at a time and place where he could easily be found by the Egyptian princess who came to the river for her baths. The princess saw the floating box and found the baby. His sister, who had stood close by to see what would happen to him, stepped up and suggested that she bring one of the Hebrew women to her to nurse the baby. This was done, and the girl brought the baby s own mother to the princess. She told her to take the baby away and nurse it and she would pay her for her service. Eventually, the child was taken in by the princess as her son. His name was called Moses because he had been rescued out of the water. Thus begins the life of Moses. The one who was rescued became the rescuer of the children of Israel. When we read Stephen s sermon in Acts 7, we see that the life of Moses is divided into three periods of forty years each. The first two periods were spent preparing Moses for his God-given purpose of delivering Israel from Egyptian bondage. The last period was the performance of his assignment. In the first forty years, Moses was raised in the Palace of Egypt. The princess of Egypt nourished him as her own son. He was educated in Egypt and became a mighty man of both words and deeds. It is thought that Moses had been appointed to a high office in the government of Egypt. The historian Josephus, reports that Moses at one time, commanded one of the Egyptian armies in the south. All of this education and practical experience in governing and leading large numbers of people was just the preparation Moses needed for the assignment God would give to him. At some point in this early part of Moses life, apparently God began to speak to Moses heart about what he would have him to do. The enslavement of the Hebrews and the ill-treatment they received from the hands of their captors at times was more than Moses could bear. On one occasion, he observed a slave being abused and stepped in to avenge the slave by killing the Egyptian. He buried the body in the sand, hoping that no one had seen what he had done. He thought this action would have sparked a rally among the Hebrews but it actually had the opposite effect. They asked what gave Moses the right to think that he was to be some kind of heroic deliverer to them. This period of Moses life came to an end with this event. He fled from Egypt to the desert of the land of Midian.

3 Although Moses was a stranger in the land of Midian, the people there were not all that strange to him. They too were descendants of Abraham through his wife, Keturah. They would have some knowledge of the God of Abraham as did Moses. Moses married a Midianite woman named Zipporah and they had two sons. Jethro, the father of Zipporah gave Moses a job tending his sheep. This period of time that Moses spent in Midian was also forty years. Moses often felt the despair of the desert. He was out there in the rough and rugged terrain with a flock of sheep. He knew in his heart that God had a larger purpose for him. We read in his Psalm, Psalm 90, how after thirty years in the desert, He was wondering why he was wasting his time out there when there was a greater purpose awaiting him in Egypt. He did not know at the time that his preparation would continue for ten more long, hot, agonizing years. There is a great lesson here in the life of Moses regarding God s purpose for our life. Before God can use us in the assignment for which we were made, he has to prepare us first. We can see that when Moses was forty years old, and killed the Egyptian, neither he nor Israel was ready for him to undertake the colossal task of delivering them from bondage. God still had much work to do to prepare Israel to leave Egypt. There was still much work to do to get Egypt into a position where they would release the children of Israel from their slavery. And there was still much work to be done in the life and heart of Moses, the deliverer. He had learned the things he needed to know in the Palace. Now, there were lessons to learn in the desert. He had to learn about the lay of the land and the terrain. God made it possible for him to practice his leadership skills by giving him a flock of sheep to lead. The task was there and waiting, but the training had to be complete. The timing for it would come when all was ready. We need to be aware of the training process God is taking us through for our assignment as well. When all was ready and when God s preparation of Moses was complete, the time came for Moses to perform his assignment as Israel s deliverer. One day out on the back side of the desert, God appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. God spoke to him, saying he had heard Israel s cry for help and Moses was going to be the one whom he would use to rescue Israel out of her slavery. The time had come to put all the training into practice. Through Moses, God would humble the land of Egypt to the point that not only would Israel be delivered from slavery, but they would walk out of Egypt with their pockets full of the riches and treasures of Egypt. The event of Israel s deliverance under the leadership of Moses is called The Exodus. We read about it in the second book of the Old Testament which also bears this name. It would soon be apparent to Moses why it took 80 years to prepare him for his assignment. Israel would not be an easy people to lead. They had become so accustomed to bondage and slavery that they were unable to give their hearts fully to the Lord. The task of getting Israel out of Egypt was easy compared to the task of getting Egypt out of the hearts of the people of Israel. In slavery, at least they knew they had a place to sleep and a next meal, even if it was meager at best. In the wilderness, they would have to trust God for the things they could not see. This was hard for them. Almost all of them never recovered. This mindset was even engrained in the hearts of their children. For another forty years, Moses would have to contend with their rebellious hearts in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. God has an assignment for each of his children. Our task is to discover it, to be developed or trained for it, and to do it. This is the pattern we see from the life of Moses. It is the same for us. Where are you in this process in your life?

4 LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 2 THEME 3: ISRAEL IN EGYPT LESSON 3 (47 OF 216): MOSES The life of Moses: I PREPARATION FOR HIS ASSIGNMENT A. In Egypt - In the palace B. In Midian - In the desert 1. Training for the deliverance of Israel 2. Timing for the deliverance of Israel II THE PERFORMANCE OF HIS ASSIGNMENT A. God called Moses B. God sent Moses SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. Moses life and ministry Exodus - Deuteronomy Acts 7 Hebrews 11:23-29 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. THE DOCTRINE OF GOD Providence 2. DISCIPLE-MAKING Training for our assignment

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. How did God thwart Satan s plan to destroy the lineage of the Messiah? He had Moses mother defy Pharaoh by sending him to the princess of Egypt 2. How long did Moses live in the house of Pharaoh? 40 years 3. How long did Moses live in Midian? How was God training Moses for his work? 40 years - he was a shepherd 4. How long did Moses guide Israel in the wilderness? 40 years 5. How long did God prepare Moses for his assignment? 80 years 6. How did God appear to Moses when he called him from the desert to deliver Israel? In a bush that burned but was not consumed 7. God has an assignment for you. He may be preparing you for that assignment as we speak. Are you starting to get an idea of what God wants to do with your life? Student response 8. How important is training before performance? Student response

6 BLOCK 2 THEME 3: ISRAEL IN EGYPT LESSON 3 (47 OF 216): MOSES QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. How did God thwart Satan s plan to destroy the lineage of the Messiah? 2. How long did Moses live in the house of Pharaoh? 3. How long did Moses live in Midian? How was God training Moses for his work? 4. How long did Moses guide Israel in the wilderness? 5. How long did God prepare Moses for his assignment? 6. How did God appear to Moses when he called him from the desert to deliver Israel? 7. God has an assignment for you. He may be preparing you for that assignment as we speak. Are you starting to get an idea of what God wants to do with your life? 8. How important is training before performance?