The Life of Moses

Overview

This book is a printed version of a series of messages preached by James Montgomery Boice at the Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia between January 1993 and early February 1994.

Boice is practical in his approach to teaching the Bible. He saw it as not just teaching facts about the scriptures, but also how to make practical application in our lives. The study of Moses is really a study about the character of God. We cannot read through the books of Moses in the Old Testament without seeing and experiencing who God really is. And once we ‘see’ God, we’re not the same: we live in a different way.

He instructs the reader from the outset that we must pray and ask God’s Spirit to guide us in our reading and studying. To have a proper understanding of scripture, we must ask the Holy Spirit for it. Also, Boice is very deliberate throughout the book to point his readers to the scriptures themselves for meaning. Any of his conjecture or opinion is stated as such as he encourages everyone to be careful in drawing conclusions based on subjective arguments.

The book is broken up into logic sections of Moses’ life:

1). The Battle of Egypt – The early life of Moses from Exodus 1-15 (Moses’ birth, the burning bush, the plagues, the departure from Egypt, the Red Sea).

2). Moses’ Finest Hour – The leadership of Moses from Exodus 15-40 (delegating authority, the Ten Commandments, the civil and ceremonial law, ‘show me Your glory’).

3). Worshiping in the Wilderness – An overview of Leviticus (various laws, the ministry of the priests, the Day of Atonement and Jubilee).

4). The Long Hot Desert – Events of the book of Numbers (the spies, Korah’s rebellion, the serpent in the wilderness, final preparation for entering Canaan).

5). A Covenant to Keep – A high level explanation of Deuteronomy.

The Complete Package

Readability is always a requirement and theological concepts must be absolutely clear. If not, then spending time in the book an exercise in futility. Boice does an excellent job in explaining the biblical text without getting overly technical. His historical and cultural references bring distant events to life and his knowledge of the original biblical languages is very helpful in gaining a solid understanding of the passages being covered. Each chapter ends with a summary reflection on what we learned from the chapter, which is very useful in meditating on the information and taking up a challenge where they are issued.
The physical book itself is of supreme quality. The dust jacket is artfully composed, featuring a golden swath of color that presumably represents the staff of Moses. The hard cover is made of fine cloth that is really nice to hold. It’s like the publishers knew that there is something special about a beautiful book in your hands. The pages are thicker and of much nicer stock than an average page in an average book. The font is not too small, but it is also not large print.

Summary

To gain a better understanding of who Moses really was, this book is a fantastic resource. If you’re looking for something extremely detailed, then this is not the book. But for a general study of the life of Israel’s most influential figure and to get a better grasp on the character of God, The Life of Moses is a most excellent addition to your reading/study list.

Title: The Life of Moses
Subtitle: God’s First Deliverer of Israel
Copyright: 2018 by Linda M. Boice
Author: James Montgomery Boice
Publisher: P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, New Jersey
Pages: 456