Walking in the Footsteps of Moses

The Journey of Moses, the Prince of Egypt

Moses was a prophet from the Old Testament that was chosen by God to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery. Many remember the stories of Moses in Sunday school classes where they were taught about Moses as a baby, floating down a river in a basket to later be found by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised under her care. It was his birth that marked the beginning of Gods plan to bring Gods people to freedom. Traveling through the footsteps of Moses is a journey that will take you back through time where you will feel as if your reliving history.

Birth of Moses

One of the significant aspects of Moses birth was how he came under the care of Pharaoh’s daughter. At this time, the Hebrew people had become numerous in size which caused King Pharaoh to fear that they would overpower him if they allied with opposing forces. Because of this, Pharaoh ordered for all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed by the midwives so that they would not have the chance to grow up and become soldiers. Out of loyalty to God, the midwives disobeyed Pharaohs orders and a male child was born to Amram and Jochebed. Jochebed hid her baby to keep him safe but when she could no longer hide him she made a basket and placed baby Moses inside, setting him out onto the Nile River.

Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing at the time that she noticed the basket with Moses inside. She called her maidservant to bring it to her and upon seeing the baby she knew it belonged to one of the Hebrews. Pharaoh’s daughter decided to adopt the baby and sent for a Hebrew who could nurse him, which just so happened to be Moses mother, Jochebed. Jochebed was able to nurse her child and wean him while he was raised in the house of Pharaoh’s daughter. The name Moses in Hebrew means ‘drawn out of the water’ and in Egyptian, is like the word for ‘son’.

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses was brought up in the Egyptian court as Pharaoh’s daughters adopted son and grew into his adulthood with the awareness that he was of Hebraic roots. Out of this, he had a deep compassion for his kinsman, so when he witnessed an unjustified beating to one of the Hebrew slaves, Moses reacted and unintentionally killed the Egyptian who was beating on the slave. Out of fear, Moses fled to the desert of Midian where he became a shepherd to Jethro and later married his daughter, Zipporah.

While tending to the flocks on Mt. Horeb, Moses saw a burning bush that continued to burn instead of turning to ash. From the burning bush he heard the voice of God telling him that he had been chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When Moses returned to Egypt he persuaded the Hebrews to trust him and that he would lead them out of slavery. Moses himself told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go but Pharaoh refused and because of this Egypt suffered many plagues. It was during this time that the Passover is referred to, as the Israelites protected themselves by putting lambs blood over their doorways so as God sent the angel of death to kill all firstborn sons, theirs would be saved. It was this final act that broke King Pharaoh and led him to grant the Israelites permission to leave.

The Ten Commandments and the Wilderness

The Israelites were full of many complaints, but they sensed Gods power through Moses and were encouraged. It was at Mt. Sinai, also known as Mt. Horeb, where God first revealed himself to Moses and also where Moses received the ten commandments. When this happened, the Israelites heard thundering as God issued forth His commandments and out of this they agreed to follow after His covenant. During their forty years of wandering in the wilderness of Sinai and after overcoming many obstacles, miracles were seen. The Red Sea was parted before the Israelites with the Egyptians right on their heels so they could walk through to the other side and see their enemy defeated. When food became unavailable, God provided manna for the Israelites to nourish themselves. When water was scarce, God had Moses strike a rock and break forth a spring of fresh water for them to drink. The miracles during this time of wandering could not be mistaken and with Moses leading the Israelites continued to follow in his footsteps.

Moses Last Days

The leadership of Moses is noted extensively throughout the Bible. He was a man that reflected patience, humility, a strong will and a developed faith that stands the test of time. Though he was called to lead the Isrealites to their promised land, Moses himself did not enter the promised land with the Israelites and instead died at the age of 120 years in the land of Moab, now known as Mount Nebo, where he was buried opposite of Bet Peor. His regular meetings with God fulfilled him throughout his lifetime and he will be forever remembered for his life of obedience and faith. Follow in the footsteps of Moses in a guided tour through Egypt.