AMK LEADERSHIP
STUDIES
Moses
Reference:
"And Joseph died, and all his
brethren, and all that generation." (The ministry of Abraham was about
1996 B.C. and the death of Joseph was about 1635 B.C.)
"And
the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied,
and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.
"Now there arose up a new king
over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the
people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come on, let us
deal wisely with them. . .
"And the Egyptians made the
children of Israel to serve with rigour, and they
made their lives bitter with hard bondage . . .
And Pharaoh charged all his people,
saying, "Every son that is born [of the Israelites] ye shall cast into the
river . . ." (KJV Exodus 1:6-14, 22; see also
Acts 7:17-19)
And Moses was born in Israel of the
tribe of Levi, but he was saved from death, and he was raised by Pharaoh's
daughter as if he were her own son.
"And Moses was learned in all
the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds." (KJV Acts
7:20-22)
"By faith Moses, when he was
come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure
of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt . . ." (KJV Hebrews 11:24-26)
Commentary:
Moses
could not be bought off by any amount of pleasure, wealth, or fame. Righteous
leaders are have no price. They remain true no matter what it costs.
Reference:
Some of the Israelites would not
accept Moses and the Egyptians sought his life. He fled Egypt and was a
stranger in the land of Midian. After many years the
Lord called Moses to return to Egypt and deliver Israel and to lead them to the
land of promise. (see KJV Exodus: chapters 3-4; Acts 7:23-35)
"And Moses said unto the Lord,
O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken
unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
"And the
Lord said unto him . . . go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach
thee what thou shalt say." (KJV Exodus 4:10-12)
But Moses was still reluctant and
the Lord became angry and said, "Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I
know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee:
and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his
heart.
"And thou shalt
speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and
with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
"And he shall be thy spokesman
unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth,
and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
"And the Lord said unto Moses
in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are
dead which sought thy life.
"And Moses took his wife and
his sons and he returned to the land of
Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand." (KJV Exodus 4:14-16, 19-20)
Commentary:
In spite of the fact that Moses
chose the right course he was rejected, persecuted, and forced into exile.
Forty years later the Lord called upon Moses to return and deliver the
Israelites from bondage.
Moses doubted his ability to do what
needed to be done. His lack of
confidence displeased the Lord, but Moses was given extra help and assurance.
Reference:
"And the Lord said unto Moses,
When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou
do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine
hand, and I will prosper thee; but Pharaoh will harden his heart, and he will
not let the people go . . .
"And it came to pass, that the
Lord appeared unto him as he was in the way, by the inn. The Lord was angry with Moses, and his hand
was about to fall upon him, to kill him; for he had not circumcised his son.
"Then Zipporah
took a sharp stone and circumcised her son, and cast the stone at his feet,
and said, Surely thou art a bloody husband unto me.
"And the Lord spared Moses and
let him go, because Zipporah, his wife, circumcised
the child. And she said, Thou art a
bloody husband. And Moses was ashamed, and hid his face from the Lord, and
said, I have sinned before the Lord.
"And the Lord said unto Aaron,
go into the wilderness to meet Moses, and he went and met him, in the mount of
God. .
"And Moses told Aaron all the
words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded
him." (JST Exodus 4:21, 24-28)
Commentary:
Even though Moses was one of the
greatest prophet-leaders of all time he was not perfect. He still had
weaknesses. He still made mistakes and committed sins. It is the same with all
earthy prophets and leaders (except the Messiah). Moses received a divine calling, but he had
failed to perform the token of the Abrahamic
covenant. The Lord was stern with Moses in order to teach respect for covenants
and commandments. With the help of his wife, Moses repented and continued to
receive divine direction and power.
Reference:
Sometime before Moses delivered
Israel from bondage he ". . . was caught up into and exceedingly
high mountain, And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the
glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his
presence. . .
"And it came to pass that Moses
looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the
world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which
were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered.
"And the presence of God
withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto
himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth.
"And it came to pass that it
was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural
strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know
that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed . . . And it
came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting
him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me. And it came to pass that Moses
looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? . . .
"And again Moses said: I will
not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I
can judge between him and thee. Depart hence, Satan.
"And now, when Moses had said
these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and
commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me.
"And it came to pass that Moses
began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of
hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded,
saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is
the God of glory.
"And now Satan began to
tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God,
saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.
"And it came pass that Satan
cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and
he departed hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld
him not.
"And now of this thing Moses
bore record; but because of wickedness it is not had among the children of men.
"And it came to pass that when
Satan had departed from the presence of Moses, that Moses lifted up his eyes unto
heaven, being filled with the Holy Ghost, which beareth
record of the Father and the Son; And calling upon the name of God, he beheld
his glory again, for it was upon him; and he heard a voice, saying: Blessed art thou, Moses, for I, the Almighty,
have chosen thee, and thou shalt be made stronger
than many waters; for they shall obey thy command as if thou wert God.
"And lo, I am with thee, even
unto the end of thy days; for thou shalt deliver my
people from bondage, even Israel my chosen." (Moses 1:1-2, 8-10, 12-13,
18-26)
Commentary:
Moses saw God and some of his
creations, and he was overcome with amazement.
Moses had experienced the grandeur of ancient Egypt and was surprised at
its insignificance compared to the glory of God.
Moses was very impressed with the
Lord's creative power. Creativity is a characteristic of righteous leadership.
But Satan didn't have any comparable creations to show Moses. Satan and his followers consume more than
they create. They rely on theft rather than increase.
Satan appeared to Moses and
solicited his worship in several ways. First he tried deception followed by
intimidation, fear, and force. When none
of these worked he threw a terrible tantrum. Many leaders attempt to gain
support by using these same approaches.
These methods don't work very well when dealing with people who are
reasonably intelligent, good, and strong. When wicked leaders are resisted or
overcome they often become raging fools.
Reference:
"And afterward Moses and Aaron
went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
"And Pharaoh said, Who is the
Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel
go." (KJV Exodus 5:1-2)
In spite of Pharaoh, Moses
". . . brought them out after that he had shewed
wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the
wilderness forty years." (KJV Acts 7:36; see also Exodus chapters 5-40)
Commentary:
Pharaoh stubbornly refused to
acknowledge and obey the Lord, regardless of the consequences. No matter what
was said or done he would not submit to anything higher than his own will.
Pharaoh was so wound up in himself that he could not even surrender to the
demands of reality. Leaders like this are almost incapable of learning or
improvement.
Reference:
Then came Amalek,
and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said
unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:
to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with
the rod of God in mine hand.
So Joshua did as Moses had said to
him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
And it came to pass, when Moses held
up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses' hands [were] heavy; and
they took a stone, and put [it] under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the
other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the
sun. (Exodus 17:8-11)
Commentary:
When Moses held up the rod as a
symbol of authority and power the people were encouraged. If his arms sagged
performance diminished. If the legitimate leader wearies or even makes mistakes
it is the duty of those who sustain him to help and lift, and not presume to
take over or tear down.
Reference:
While they were in the wilderness
Moses' father-in-law, the priest of Midian, came unto
him and ". . . Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the
morning unto the evening.
"And when Moses' father-in-law
saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest
to the people? Why sittest
thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?
"And
Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to enquire
of God: When they have a matter, they
come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the
statutes of God, and his laws.
"And Moses' Father-in-law said
unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away,
both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for
thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
"Hearken now unto my voice, I
will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee. . . And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein
they must walk, and the work that they must do.
"Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness;
and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: "And let them judge the people at
all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring into
thee, but every small matter they shall judge:
so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with
thee.
"If thou shalt
do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt
be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.
"So Moses hearkened to the
voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said." (KJV Exodus
18:1, 5, 13-24)
Commentary:
A long line is usually a sign of
inefficiency. Unorganized leaders prolong waiting. Even though Moses was
working hard at a worthy task he was doing something bad to the people, and to
himself. His failure to delegate was tiresome and wasteful. Reserving all power
and responsibility unto oneself stifles the growth and development of others,
which is exactly the opposite of what a leader is supposed to be doing.
Jethro
identified the problem and proposed a solution. Moses did no huffing and
puffing about who he was and he made no sarcastic remarks. He just accepted
good counsel and implemented the improvement. The humility of Moses was a sharp contrast with the pride of Pharaoh.
Reference:
And it came to pass that,
“. . . the Lord spake unto Moses face to
face as a man speaketh unto his friend." (KJV
Exodus 33:11; see also JST Exodus 33:11-23) Thereafter
". . . Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord
. . . And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake
unto him, and took the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy
elders: and . . . they prophesied and did
not cease . . . And Moses said unto him [Joshua], enviest
thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets and that
the Lord would put his spirit upon them!"
(KJV Numbers 11:24-29)
And it came to pass that,
". . . Miriam and Aaron spake against
Moses. . . and they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses?
Hath he not spoken also by us? . . . and the Lord spoke suddenly unto
Moses and Aaron and Miriam . . . and he said . . . With him
[Moses] will I speak mouth to mouth . . . wherefore then were ye not
afraid to speak against my servant Moses? . . . And the anger of the
Lord was kindled against them . . . And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas,
my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done
foolishly, and wherein we have sined." (KJV
Numbers 12:1-14)
And
it came to pass that some of the people and princes of Israel,
". . . gathered themselves together against Moses and against
Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the
congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore
then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? . . .
thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?" (KJV Numbers 16:2-3)
And
the Lord was angry at those who rebelled against Moses. And he destroyed those
who would not repent, and many of those who followed after them. (KJV Numbers
16)
Commentary:
Many people attempt to elevate
themselves or protect their position by suppression. Rather than being suppressive Moses
encouraged others to advance, even in revelation and prophesy.
Righteous leaders encourage and help
everyone to attain their full potential, temporally and spiritually. They share
power and strive for maximum participation in the leadership process.
On several occasions Moses'
leadership was challenged by usurpers. They questioned his worthiness and
accused him of assuming too much power and authority. In connection with their
accusations they tried to promote themselves and flatter the people. If the
Lord would not have supported Moses, and intervened, they might have been
successful.
In order to promote progress, and
avoid confusion and oppression, most circumstances require that one righteous
leader have authority and responsibility for conclusive decisions within his
sphere.
Reference:
"And Moses come and told the
people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice,
and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote
all the words of the Lord . . . And he took the book of the covenant,
and read in the audience of the people:
and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.
And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the
blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these
words." (KJV Exodus 24:1-17)
"And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
"And these words, which I
command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt
teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt
talk of them when thou sittest in thine
house, an when thou walkest by the way, and when thou
risest up. And thou shalt
bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt
write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates . . .
"Ye shall diligently keep the
commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which
he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which
is right and good in the sight of the Lord:
that it may be well with thee . . ." (KJV Deuteronomy
6:5-9, 17-18)
Commentary:
Righteous
leaders try to get their people to make voluntary commitments. When these
commitments are reciprocal and mutually beneficial they are called covenants.
Such covenants help establish firm relationships and expectations. The making
and keeping of covenants is a fundamental development process.
Important covenants should be
solemnized by a symbol or token of agreement. If the symbolic representation is
powerful it will help recall and strengthen the commitment.
Those who really love the Lord will
remember him and keep his commandments. They will also diligently teach their
children the words of the Lord so that the truth and the covenant blessings
will be passed on from generation to generation.
Reference:
"And it shall be, when he [the
future king] sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom,
that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book . . . And it shall
be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may
learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes,
to do them:
"That his heart be not lifted
up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, [to]
the right hand, or [to] the left: to the end that he may prolong [his] days in
his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel." (KJV Deut.
17:18-20)
Commentary:
The reference above could be
referred to as, "The Devine Law of Leadership." Every leader should have a copy of the
scriptures and study them everyday. By so doing he/she can learn to uphold and
obey the laws of God, and retain humility. If a leader is faithful in following
this commandment he will bring blessings on himself and those he serves. If
this commandment is not followed most leaders will fall into prideful ways of
the world.
Reference:
"And notwithstanding they
[Israel] being led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them by
day and giving light unto them by night, and doing all things for them which
were expedient for man to receive, they hardened their hearts and blinded their
minds, and reviled against Moses and against the true and living God." (I
Nephi 17:30 [23-30])
Nevertheless, "[Moses received]
the Holy Priesthood . . under the hand of his father‑in‑law,
Jethro . . . Which priesthood continueth
in the church of God in all generations, and is without beginning of days or
end of years . . . And this greater priesthood administereth
the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of
the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the
power of godliness is manifest . . .
Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wildeness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people
that they might behold the face of God; but they hardened their hearts and
could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger
was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while
in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his
glory.
"Therefore, he took Moses out
of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also; and the lesser priesthood
continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the
ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel; which gospel is the gospel of
repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal
commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of
Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled
with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb." (D&C 84:6-27; see also
KJV Exodus 19:3-8; JST Exodus 34:1-2)
Wherefore the lesser law was given
as a schoolmaster to bring the people to Christ. (KJV Galatians 3:24)
But the prophets that continued in
Israel were ordained to the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, even though the
blessings of that priesthood were generally withheld from the people, until
the coming of Christ. (TPJS 181)
Commentary:
Because the people were not faithful
and obedient they were not worthy to receive the blessings of the Melchizedek
Priesthood. Therefore, they were given
the preparatory gospel and a host of lesser commandments which were
administered by the Levitical or Aaronic
priesthood. The fullness of the
priesthood was later restored by Jesus Christ.
God's perfection is unchanging but
his government is conducted by revelation adapted to the situation. That which is required under one circumstance
may not be under another. (TPJS 256)
Sometimes
it is necessary for leaders to lower the level of expectation and adapt
regulations and procedures according to the circumstances and capacity of the
people. This should be done in such a
way that it will eventually lead to higher laws and levels.
© 1996 by
Ancient message Keeper™. May not be used as part of any publication or
commercial product.