Several lessons can be learned from Moses’ life. First, is how to be an effective leader of people and the Bible tells us that Moses didn’t do it alone; God was with him. God guided Moses and helped him to establish order during a very chaotic time in history. God gave Moses and the Israelite’s detailed instructions on forming a “holy nation.”
Establishing order
Moses followed God’s instructions and led the people out of Egypt and became the law-giving mediator between God and Israel (Acts 7:31,38,53; Galatians 3:19,20; Deuteronomy 5:22-27).
Moses quickly learned that leading the slaves out of bondage would not be an easy task. There was grumbling and complaining among the group and they looked to Moses for advice and for help in settling disputes. In turn, Moses looked to God.
Moses saw first hand that leadership was not an easy role, yet his love for God and for the Israelites gave him the tenacity to continue to lead with grace, mercy, and patience.
God’s desire was to make Israel a “holy nation”, meaning he would unite them and make them honorable and sanctified people (Exodus 19:5,6).
God gave them fundamental laws of moral and physical conduct. He gave them general and particular laws, including the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20).
These laws included everything from health and safety to conservation matters. Deuteronomy 20:19–20; 22:6–7).
The laws introduced to them governed every area of their life; civilly, economically, socially personally and legally. These laws were designed to make the nation of Israel stand out. God wanted to bless the Israelites. And, leaders were instructed to make a personal copy of the law of God and to study it daily so their nation would flourish.
God even implemented judicial law. He was establishing His model nation, a government structured and organized according to levels of responsibility (Exodus 18:21–26; Deuteronomy 1:15).
To carry this out, leaders were placed over entire tribes, and over groups of thousands, hundreds, the fifties and tens. It was a government with the best interest of its people at heart.
And, yes people retained their freedom of choice. The rules were not set up to stifle them, on the contrary, they were set up to add order and structure and to bring them closer to their creator.
Nothing was overlooked, the Israelites were even taught Biblical prosperity and instead of a fixed tax, God instructed them to give 10 percent to the Church and retain 10 percent for observing the Holy Days. They were instructed to give an additional 10% to the poor, every third and sixth year in a seven-year cycle.
Education was vital to this society and God encourages His people to grow and to learn (Proverbs 4:7).
God made both promises of blessing and cursing to the nation of Israel. He promised that if Israel obeyed the Mosaic Law, He would bless the nation abundantly and make it the head nation of the world. But, God warned that if Israel disobeyed the Mosaic Law, He would curse the nation with such things as drought, famine, pestilence, foreign oppression, captivity, and worldwide dispersion (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).
Moses led the people under the guidance of God Almighty
Moses did not become a leader because he was great, but because he was willing to serve. It wasn’t easy for the Israelites to work together harmoniously, but the covenants and laws handed down to them were put in place to bring them closer to God and to bless them.
It is important to note that the Israelites were not required to obey the Law in order for the Lord to save them. God rescued His people from slavery before He ever revealed the Law (Ex. 20:1–17). God was not a dictator and the laws of you reap what you sow were definitely in place.
Laws, guidelines, covenants, commandments, and rules are extremely necessary for a society. This is because laws and rules define what is right and what is wrong. These rules and laws protect and also endorse the rights of individuals. The laws passed down by Moses covered all the basic, the nation of Israel under God’s leadership was ahead of their time.
