MOSES. Hebrew leader and legislator, the story of whose life and work is given with such singular clearness and strength in the Pentateuch, is one of those rare names that have stamped themselves permanently on the world's history, so that we turn again and again to the simple record of his career and achievements with an interest that never lags. With all his Oriental background and the fact that his concern was primarily with his own race to lead them from bondage to freedom, there is so much breadth and suggestiveness in the laws that bear his name, his moral statutes being at the basis of modern civilization, al though promulgated 3,600 years ago, that he continues a familiar and fascinating figure to all eyes.
Traditiona. The Biblical account, with its rapid, stirring recital, which attains at times a kind of dramatic effectiveness, tells of his birth, how his mother, in dread of Pharoah's mandate which consigned all Hebrew children to be thrown into the Nile, concealed him for three months, then set him in an ark of bul rushes on the river's banks, where Pharoah's daughter discovered him and had him reared as her son (Ex. xi, 1-10). His days of ease were not to last. Not all of Egypt's luxurious life and his own hopes of future power as possible occupant of the throne could dull his innate racial sense of duty. Seeing an Egyp tian attacking a Hebrew, he interferes and slays the aggressor, hiding the body in the sand. Then the next day he sees two Hebrews quarreling, and when he tries to separate them, one taunts him with slaying the Egyptian. In fear of further discovery and of death by Pharoah, he escapes to the peninsula of Sinai, dwelling with the priest of Midian, whose daughter he marries. Then follow 40 years as a shepherd, when occurred the episode of the burning bush on Mount Horeb. Now began his mission — it was his task, divinely appointed, to return to Egypt and redeem his brethren from slavery (Ex. iv, 1-9, 20). How he was met and aided by his brother Aaron, how he gained a hearing with his brethren, how Pharoah's heart was hardened against the de parture of the Hebrews, until, after a series of successive plagues, the Egyptians in their terror bade the Israelites make every haste to leave, are steps in a thrilling drama that has served as material for preacher, poet and play wright, with its incidents to-day as fresh as when first read or narrated. Now began the
long 40 years' march, hut the Israelites had not advanced very far, they moved slowly, being accompanied by their wives and children, their flocks and herds, when Pharoah and his army started in pursuit (Ex. xiv, 8-9). How the panic and despair of the people are changed to exultation as the waters recede and Pharoah's hosts are drowned in the Red Sea, while the wanderers are saved, is another of those thrilling episodes immortalized in Miriam's Song of Triumph, that belongs to the highest strains of Hebrew poetry. Then the people are led by Moses through the wilderness to Sinai or Horeb, where he received the Ten Com mandments and the Law and God enters into a covenant with Israel (Ex. xix et seq.). After this culminating incident, so vividly re lated, Moses continues his leadership and am plifies his message from Sinai with many de tails as to the tabernacle, the priests, the en campments. Cautiously now he marches for ward to Kadesh, from which place the spies or scouts were sent to Canaan, the ultima thule of the people'sjourneyings. How charac teristic — they refuse to advance in their alarm at the report of the spies, and were con demned to remain in the desert until that gen eration had passed away (Num. xiii-xiv). Nothing is extenuated in the flaming record— every act of weakness, of rebellion, of dis obedience with its invariable penalty, all are frankly and unflatteringly told. Moses re sumes the march eastward, making friends and foes on the journey, but receives warning that he will not be allowed to lead the people across the Jordan as he would die on the eastern side (Num. xii). He gathers the tribes in conse quence and gives them a farewell address, which is embodied in the hook of Deuteronomy. He repeats the Law, adds his wise counsel, warns of the consequences of disloyalty and adjures the people to be faithful with an elo quence and persuasiveness that give his words perennial force. Then after a final blessing of the multitude, he ascends Mount Nebo to the summit of Pisgah, and dies in his 120th year. The place of his sepulchre is unknown (Deut. xxxiv), doubtless for good reasons as one familiar with the history of similar founders of religions can readily understand.