In a previous post, we were introduced to Moses, raised by the daughter of the king of Egypt, Pharaoh. She had rescued him as a three-month-old floating down the Nile River in an ark. His parents had placed him in the little ark instead of the alternative of being thrown into the Nile to die per an edict of Pharaoh. Moses’ biological mother was his wet nurse, unbeknownst to Pharaoh and his daughter. The beginning of his life was really quite ironic.
It was Pharaoh’s daughter who named him Moses, giving him a name with Egyptian roots. According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, he was given the Egyptian name Mouses “for the Egyptians call water by the name of Mo, and such as are saved out of it, by the name of Uses: so by putting these two words together, they imposed this name upon him.”1
Although he grew up as Egyptian royalty, Moses was apparently aware of his Hebrew heritage. As he grew older, he became increasingly troubled by the harsh treatment of the Israelite slaves. Given his adoption into the Egyptian royal family and his identification with the oppressed Hebrews, Moses grew up with a dual identity. Who else do we know with a dual identity?
When Moses was about 40 years old, he witnessed an Egyptian slave master beating an enslaved Hebrew. In a moment of righteous indignation, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting and tried to intervene, but they rejected his help, asking if he intended to kill them as he did the Egyptian. Realizing that his act of violence was known, Moses feared for his life, and for good reason…
Pharaoh, hearing of the incident, sought to kill Moses.
Moses fled Egypt and escaped to the land of Midian, located in the desert region east of Egypt. In Midian, Moses met the seven daughters of Reuel (also called Jethro), who he defended from some harassing shepherds. In gratitude, Jethro invited Moses to stay with his family. Moses eventually married Zipporah, one of Jethro’s daughters, and they had a son named Gershom because he was a foreigner in a foreign land.
Moses spent the next 40 years in Midian, living as a shepherd.
While tending Jethro’s sheep in the wilderness near Mount Horeb, “the mountain of God,” an unusual burning bush caught Moses’ eye. It’s my understanding that burning bushes are common in arid climates. What made this one unusual was the appearance of an angel in the bush. Oh, and the bush wasn’t consumed. I guess that might qualify as unusual. So Moses thought what any of us might have thought…
I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up. (Exodus 3:3)
As he approached, God garnered Moses’ attention by calling his name from within the burning bush – another uncommon occurrence. God provided further identification (as if a non-consumed burning bush with an angel and God’s voice wasn’t enough!). God revealed Himself as the God of his ancestry – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God had Moses’ attention.
God proceeded to share with Moses His plan to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and oppression. He chose Moses to be the leader who would confront Pharaoh, his adoptive father, and lead the people to freedom. Moses did not feel up to the task, questioning his ability to fulfill this mission. He had concerns. And questions. For example, Moses said to God…
Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” then what shall I tell them? (Exodus 3:13)
God responded with the well-known statement: I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14)
In this blog series, an exhaustive discussion of this powerful exchange is beyond the scope of our journey to understand the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed. A couple of things are worthy of consideration, however. First, God did not respond to Moses’ question with a scolding theological reply. “Which god are you” was a fair question, given that the Hebrew slaves had lived 400 years in a polytheistic culture of gods and temples associated with different aspects of life, nature, or the cosmos (i.e., sun gods, rain gods, etc.). I always find it fascinating that God met Moses and the Hebrews at their point of theological understanding.
Capturing the essence of the statement I AM WHO I AM could consume an entire book. Essentially, it declares God’s eternal, self-sufficient, and unchanging nature, showing that He is independent of all creation, beyond human comprehension, and the ultimate foundation of all existence. Yahweh is derivative of the I AM statement. See why a book might be required?
Theologically, Moses is referred to as an archetype of Jesus. In short, in the kingdom of God narrative, an archetype is a person who serves as a model pointing to a greater fulfillment in God’s redemptive plan. Both Moses and King David are seen as archetypes of Jesus the Messiah, foreshadowing His role as the ultimate deliverer, king, and mediator.
While pondering Moses’ story, it occurred to me that his dual identity as Egyptian royalty with the roots of the common people is an archetype of Jesus. Thus, the question, “Who else do we know with a dual identity?” This is Advent season when we consider the significance of Royalty taking on the form of commonness.
The King came near!!
1Josephus, Flavius. The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (p. 491-2). http://www.DelmarvaPublications.com. Kindle Edition.
Practical Theology Today 