Charles R. Swindoll - Great Lives: Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication

T he mere mention of the name Moses arouses different images in the minds of various folks. For example, my thoughts go back to the award-winning film, The Ten Commandments, directed by the late Cecil B. DeMille, in which the famous actor, Charlton Heston, played the leading role. In that role, he was handsome, strong-hearted, and confident; therefore, my earliest ideas about Moses were formed by that classic Hollywood image. Moses, being Gods man of the hour, must have been all the above and so much more.

Todays generation would place that production among the archives of the film industry. The Ten Commandments has now been eclipsed by The Prince of Egypt, an entertaining, animated film that presents another image of Moses. He is sleek and trim, quick-witted, fun-loving, and virtually ageless. Whether in a chariot race with Ramses, blowing up swirling clouds of dust all around Pharaohs Egyptian palace, or leading the people through the walled-up Red Sea, the tanned superstar is everybodys hero. Kids and adults alike find delight in the fantasy portrayal of a man who looks the same in his teenage years as he does in his eighties. I mean, who wouldnt want to drink from the same Fountain of Youth as the debonair Prince of Egypt?

But wait. There is something conspicuous by its absence in both those characters. They got the name right, and the original country is correct, but something of much greater importance is missing. Its called reality.

When you turn to the most reliable source document on Moses life (the Bible) from which youre able to form an accurate opinion of the man God used in such remarkable ways, you come away with an understanding that is both realistic and believable. And when you mix those two ingredients together, an accurate image of the man emerges, which is what this book is all about.

Throughout my ministry of thirty-five-plus years and for as long as I have been writing, more than twenty of those years, I have pursued the twin goals of biblical accuracy and practical realism with a passion. For this reason, Ive never been all that interested in fantasy portrayals or imaginative characterizations of real people who lived in a real world. I realize by my making that admission, some of my readers immediately feel pity for me and would consider my approach much too rigid and confining. There is so much creativity I am missing, they would claim. So be it. In my world of inescapable, face-to-face, gut-level reality, theres not a lot of room left for daydreaming, certainly not if you hope to help real people get on with real life. And that is exactly what I desire to do. To make matters worse, Im not all that crazy about novels, either. So, while youre feeling sorry for me, that ought to give you sufficient grounds to question my whole philosophy of communication.

On the other hand, if youre the type who is looking for straightfrom-the-shoulder, hard-hitting facts, based squarely on the truth revealed in Gods Word, without much time or space reserved for unrealistic concepts floating in and out of a field of dreams, then this down-to-earth study is for you. Like my other three biographical works, David, Esther, and Joseph, this volume on Moses will bring you back again and again to reality. Furthermore, it will help you relate to a man who lived in your kind of world, faced your kinds of struggles and didnt always handle them correctly, but who, in spite of his sins and shortcomings, became useful in Gods hands for Gods sovereign purposes, in keeping with Gods perfect timing and plan.

Over and over you will find yourself nodding with understanding and compassion, thinking, Been there, done that. Time and again you will smile as you find yourself portrayed in the life of a very ordinary human being who, by Gods matchless grace, was able to accomplish some pretty remarkable things. So then, if its a boost of hope you need these days when your energy is drying up and your money is running short, this is a book for you.