Evening star., 1923-04-21
BY REV. HUGH r. STEVENSON.

/
| Moses ranks as one of the worlds
greatest personalities. 1t was not
until he had reached his eightieth
year that the slumbering genius OF
this great soul was aroused by the
call of God to become the liberator
Of his enslaved countrymen and
founder of q nation. The child of a
| despised foreigner had been provi-
Dental preserved and prepared for
his task.
! Four hundred years after the days
of Joseph, there ruled over Egypt a
a pharaoh whose attitude toward the
Hebrews proved that he knew not
the preserver of Egypt from the
! perils of famine. His policy toward
the compact community of Hebrews
was like that of Ferdinand and Isa-
bella toward the Jews, and of the
Grand Duke Constantine of Russia
howard the Poles. Pharaoh consid-
| cred that these foreigners, who kept
their fathers speech and religious faith
| that gave them hopes of some day
becoming a free and mighty nation
would be dangerous element In
| case of war with either Syria or
L
| spirit Of the industrious and frugal
Jews. whose prosperity had filled
others with envy, by drafting them
as field laborers under harsh task
| masters. limiting their offsprings by
/! destroying all males and through
| intermarriage remove the source OF
It was the son of these despised
Foreigners, whom God providentially
saved and had trained in all the
| Learned in all the wisdom of the
| Egyptians" and mighty In words and
deeds. that He called to be the liberia
| tor of his people" Forty years before
God called him. Moses had deliberate
| ly refused the opportunities presented
| to him by his court connections so
| that he could free the oppressed OF
| his own race. He had sought to as
I sumo the leadership before God
time. He needed the experience of
| the desert and solitude before he
| would be fitted for his life work.
! His impetuousity of will and forward
ness of self assertion had to be tanned
in fellowship with God. which he
| found during his forty years as a
shepherd in the desert after he fed
from Egypt when he feared the wrath
)of paraoh. because he had championed
the oppressed and defended them in
a contest with an evil taskmaster.
There is no discipline for soul that
can equal the schooling OF solitude.
! The worlds greatest men have oeen
filled with power and spirit in their
! solitary communion with God.
Many men would be expecting a
call to their heavenly home at the
age when Moses was summoned by
| the Lord to become the liberator or
the Hebrew slaves. 1t takes a dl-
vine call to arouse men to undertake
a service of mercy for the oppressed.
Our Lord usually calls men when they
are alone SO that He can enow them
with power and send them forth full
! of faith to do His work for the down.
| trodden and needy. Moses argued
/ that he was not qualified as an orator
or soldier. Many, who have been
called of God into His service have
will and work.
The lonely shepherd during the
/ solitary hours that he spent watching
the fiocks had reviewed his training
in Egyptian political principles ana
! life. He needed only the revelation
| of Jehovah's character to go forth
on his mission. God revealed Himself
/ to Moses so that he realized that the
simplicity, unity and self-eXlstence
of Jehovah were exactly opposite the
| idolatry of Egypt that was Leading
his countrymen astray. Filled with
the significance Of the divine revela-
ton given to him and of how the
Almighty and everything God could
Iuse the most commonplace In His
service; the foremost prophet started
on his matchless career that revealed
j his unique power as thinker In
religious and political lines.
He had to arouse the spirit of the
Ionpressed slaves and filled them with
confidence in his leadership and faith
! in the Lord, whose servant Moses
professed to be. In that endeavor, he
| had the assistance of his brother
4 InI q n g
appointment. and his sister Miriam
who appears to have been the first
| woman to take ali active part ir
public affairs. When the slaves had
| been filled with the courage born OF
religious conviction. Moses had to
secure the permission of the govern
nent for their departure. In this GOD
gave him power so that through the
plaques that afflicted the Egyptians
but from which the Jews were I'M
mune that he forced Pharaoh to con-
sent for them to depart. The pass
over sacrifice. which is still com.
memorated by the children of IsraeI
throughout the world, recalls how
their freedom was secured by z
providence never to be forgotten.
| Bunsen has pointed out that his
tory was born in that night wher
Moses. with the law of God-moral
and spiritual---in his heart, led the
people of Israel out Of Egypt
Stanley tells US that "the birthday
of Israel-the birthday of religion, OF
the liberty, of the nation of Israel
was the passage of the Red sea, the
likeness in this. as in so many other
| respects. of the yet greater events In
the beginnings of the Christian
| church. of which 1t has been long
considered the anticipation and the
/ emblem"
During the next forty years Moses
becomes the dominant figure, both
| according to the traditions of the
desert and the record of their wan
| derings. 1t was no easy task for
Moses to unity all the various tribes
| and elements into united nation