A life that points to Christ
Moses
From Moses we learn that God calls the reluctant and the inadequate, that meekness is not weakness but strength surrendered to God, and that a leader intercedes for the people he leads. His life teaches humble obedience, and it points to the greater Prophet and Deliverer God promised to raise up.
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”Exodus 3:11
“And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”Exodus 14:13
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;”Hebrews 11:24
“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”Deuteronomy 18:15
Their story, honestly
Moses was born under a death sentence, hidden, and raised in Pharaoh's palace, then fled to the desert after killing an Egyptian, spending forty years as a shepherd. At the burning bush God called him to free Israel, and Moses objected that he was nobody and could not speak. God sent him anyway, and through him brought the plagues, the Passover, and the parting of the sea. Moses led a grumbling people forty years through the wilderness, received the law at Sinai, and repeatedly interceded for Israel when God's anger burned, even offering to be blotted out for them. The Bible calls him the meekest man on earth. Yet his own anger cost him entry to the promised land.
What their life teaches us
First, Moses teaches that God's call does not wait for our confidence; He equips the inadequate and supplies what we lack. Second, his meekness teaches real strength: not spinelessness, but power held under God's hand, patient with an impossible people. Third, his intercession teaches love that stands in the gap, pleading for others rather than seeking his own advancement. And his failure at the rock teaches that even great servants live by grace, not by a spotless record; God buried Moses Himself and honored him still.
How their life points to Christ
God promised through Moses, I will raise up a Prophet like unto thee, and the New Testament says that Prophet is Jesus. Moses gave the law that shows us our sin; Jesus gives the grace and truth that saves. Moses interceded and offered to be blotted out for the people; Jesus actually was cut off for us, bearing the curse in our place. Moses led Israel out of slavery in Egypt; Jesus leads us out of slavery to sin through a greater exodus. The mediator of the old covenant points to the Mediator of the new.
Questions people ask
Why did God choose Moses despite his objections?
Because God's call rests on His own power, not our qualifications. Moses protested that he was a poor speaker and a nobody, and God simply promised to be with him. The story teaches that adequacy comes from God, not from us.
Why was Moses kept out of the promised land?
In anger he struck the rock and failed to honor God before the people. It was a real consequence, and yet God still called him faithful, buried him, and later showed him on the mount of transfiguration. Even the greatest servant enters glory by grace, not by an unblemished record.