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Old Testament Overview - Moses—Failure the Backdoor to Success
From Egypt to Mt. Sinai (From success to failure)(the first 40 years):
His Success
1. His parents' faith (Hebrews 11:23)
2. God's blessing (Exod. 2:2; Hebrews 11:23; Acts 7:20) (Josephus the historian said he was a very handsome man and had a reputation as a great military leader. Moses, Getz pp. 22, 24)
3. His faith (Hebr. 11:24-26) (He left the riches of Egypt to seek after God's plan for his life.)
His Failure
1. Moses, the ineffective redeemer (Exod. 2:11-13; Acts 7:23-26) (Moses undoubtedly thought that his training and reputation would enable him to deliver his people from Egypt, but he failed!)
2. Moses, the failure (Exod. 2:14-15; Acts 7:23-25) (Moses flees into the desert, a beaten and misunderstood fugitive.)
3. Moses, the shepherd (Acts 7:30) (40 years of shepherding sheep in the wilderness was quite a change from his days of glory.)
From Mt. Sinai to Egypt (From failure to success)
His Weakness (Exod. 3:11, 13, 4:1, 10) (Due to his rejection by the people of Israel and the 40 years in the wilderness, Moses goes from being a self-confident man to being a man lacking in confidence.)
His Strength (Exod. 3;12, 14, 4:2-9, 12) (Moses' insecurity contrasted with God's security. Moses: "Who am I?" God: "I Am Who I Am."
From Egypt to Mt. Sinai (From Success to Greater Success)
Growth in God's Strength
#1 (4:29-31) The Israelites receive him this time (the opposite of their rejection 40 years before).
#2 (5) The Pharaoh and the people of Israel reject Moses, but this time Moses runs to God.
#3 (6:1-9) God spoke to Moses and Moses speaks to Israel; but they do not listen. It shakes Moses' confidence. See 6:12
#4 (6:10-12, 28-30, 7:1-13) Moses speaks to the Pharaoh with faltering lips, but God supports him.
#5 (7:14-10:29) Because of the plagues, Moses' confidence in God grows. (The victory over the magicians helped—especially when there were sores on them!) (Moses would accept no compromise with the Pharaoh – 7:25, 8:2, 10, 11, 24)
#6 (11:3) God exalts Moses.
#7 (11-12) The Passover: God teaches us where we can put our confidence—in the blood of Jesus. See I Corinthians 5:7
#8 (14-17) Moses' strength of character grows as he meets opposition and obstacles, and as God takes him through them.
#9 (15) Moses gives God the credit—Moses' name is not mentioned in the song of triumph. See 15:6
#10 (17:8-18, 18:1-23) Moses has become a great leader—one who relies on God, 17:8-18; and one who listens to others, 18:1-27
