Moses

Moses has been on my mind of recent.

Moses was born literally into Egyptian royalty, and raised in its finest traditions and learning.

And,  regaled by his mother on what Joseph had prophesied concerning Israel's exodus (Genesis 50:24), Moses figured out that he probably was the one that would lead the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt.

He knew the Israelites far outnumbered the Egyptians, and so after a while he tried to "speed up" Joseph's prophecy by fomenting a rebellion.

The plot backfired spectacularly and Moses was forced to flee Egypt.

All his privileges and the strategic advantage of being a royal insider was lost. Moses' family must have blamed him. Moses would probably have blamed himself. Probably he would have felt his strategy was wrong. And so his people would be confined to several more generations of slavery, he must have thought.

Another 40 years of drudgery passed by in which time Moses had gotten married and had children.

But that scientific mind, honed by Egyptian schooling was not quenched. He saw a strange unscientific occurrence from afar. Having observed for a while, he decided to move closer.

And so, in this most unlikely of situations (at the age of 80), he was officially commissioned to go and lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

This was a different Moses though. He was no longer young and headstrong. An abundance of caution and experience had been added to his privileged upbringing.

This almighty God was not even suggesting a strategic military plan. As far as Moses could tell, he was being asked to go and talk the Egyptians into letting the Israelites go! Talk!!!

Well, talk and a bit of persuasion (such as the 10 plagues) did the trick, and the Israelites were out of Egypt in a jiffy.

Now this was the beginning of Moses the scientist's problems. He never really shed that analytical mind of his.

The years of exodus, in which God performed so many miracles through Moses, he still thought and acted like a scientist. Through it all he grew to know God so well.

Perhaps too well.

Numbers 13:17-20 (NIV) When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.
What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?
How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

This was Moses' scientific mind at work again. God had only asked him to send men to explore the land, but here was Moses defining parameters that would make them look away from God's awesomeness, and at the impossible task ahead of them.

Moses was asking the men to analyze the possibility of their possessing the land that God had promised Israel!

Again, God asked Moses to speak to the rock at Meribah, so that water could gush out to quench the Israelites thirst. Ever scientific, Moses decided to strike it (in repetition of how he had struck it earlier and water had gushed out). This time he struck it twice.

Moses had started to believe he was actually the one responsible for the welfare of the people!

He was punished for this. He and Aaron never had the opportunity to lead the Israelites into Canaan.

They both died in the wilderness.