Moses’ Character Study – Weaknesses, Strengths, and Life Lessons

The following is a character study of Moses, one of the great leaders in all of history. We will look at weaknesses, strengths, and lessons from his life. We will see that Moses was a human like we are. Yet God used him and can use you as well. This study seeks to be practical as we consider how the same God who transformed Moses can transform us today as well. For chapter by chapter studies, you can check out our fully study guides on Deuteronomy and Exodus.

Name: Moses

Meaning of name: Moses means “drawn out of the water,” a name given by Pharaoh’s daughter when she drew him from the Nile.

When and where he lived: Moses lived approximately 1526-1406 BC. He was born in Egypt during the Israelites’ period of slavery, grew up in Pharaoh’s royal palace, fled to Midian at the age of forty, and was called by God at the burning bush at the age of eighty. He then led the Israelites out of Egypt, through the wilderness for forty years, and died on Mount Nebo at the age of 120, within sight of the Promised Land but unable to enter it because of his disobedience at the waters of Meribah.

Training and occupation: Moses’ life can be divided into three sections: forty years in Egypt as a noble, forty years in Midian as a shepherd of sheep, and forty years in the wilderness as a shepherd of God’s people. God providentially worked things out so that Moses would grow up as a noble with a high level of education and experience. That gave him many skills which would be helpful for a leader. But it didn’t give him much humility. He learned that character quality as a shepherd in Midian. Moses was also a scribe, writing down God’s words and commands, making him a perfect candidate for writing part of the Scripture. He is widely recognized as the author of the Pentateuch.

Place in history: Moses was perhaps the most respected of all the leaders of Israel. He was God’s chosen instrument to deliver the Israelites from four hundred years of Egyptian slavery, receive the Law at Sinai, and lead the nation through forty years in the wilderness. He was the one who met with God face to face, who interceded for the people again and again, and who faithfully passed the Law on to the next generation. There has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10).

Weaknesses:

1. Rash act in his own strength — At forty years old, Moses had a heart for his brothers. He defended one of his Israelite brethren and killed an Egyptian. In his mind, he was ready to do something to deliver them. But it wasn’t the right method. He was not yet ready.

Moses was attempting to use his own human power to save his people, but God was going to use supernatural power, which would glorify Him much more. While Moses had perhaps learned about power, prestige, and academics in the Egyptian court, he hadn’t yet learned about humility and dependence on God, all vital lessons for leading God’s people well. A good leader must be a good man first and Moses needed to grow. He was doing things in his own strength instead of by God’s power. (Exodus 2:11-12)

God would send him to the wilderness to teach him some of these lessons.

2. Resisted God’s call with five excuses — Moses finally, as politely as he could, refused to go on the mission and requested that God choose somebody else. After hearing what God had to say, as well as seeing the miracles vindicate it, Moses was still unwilling to go. He made excuse after excuse: “Who am I?” “What is your name?” “What if they do not believe me?” “I am not eloquent.” And finally, “Please send someone else.” God did finally get angry with Moses. The fact that He didn’t get angry sooner shows His great patience. Moses displayed a lack of faith and a not-so-tactful criticism of God’s plan. He should have replied like Isaiah, “Here I am Lord, send me.” (Exodus 3-4)

3. Failed to circumcise his own son — God was going to use Moses to lead His people, but Moses hadn’t followed the Abrahamic covenant with his own sons. He hadn’t had one or both of them circumcised, in direct violation of God’s command in Genesis 17:12. God also likely wanted to purify Moses and his family before this great task. Moses would not be equipped to be a leader of this great movement unless his own house was in order. This should be a reminder to all teachers that we should continually examine our own lives and make sure that we are faithfully applying God’s Word and living for Him. (Exodus 4:24-26)

4. Struck the rock in anger —

Numbers 20:10-12 ESV – Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

Moses was not allowed into the Promised Land because of this disobedience. God told Moses to speak to the rock so that water would come out of it. However, in his anger at the people, Moses hit the rock. Having been the channel for so many miracles, it seems he forgot it was God doing it and said, “Shall we bring water out of this rock?” Therefore, God taught him a lesson. It is a clear reminder that no one is above God’s law. No leader, no matter how spiritual, powerful, or important, is immune to the consequences of sin. Leaders should not expect that they will avoid discipline because they are leaders. God is the one on the throne. He is the one who sets the standards. No one is above Him. (Numbers 20:10-12)

Strengths

1. Extraordinary humility —

Numbers 12:3 ESV – Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

Moses’ response when God called him indicates submissiveness. He seemed to understand that it was God, the Authority, talking to him. His response showed a healthy respect for God and a willingness to listen instead of taking the leadership or starting to make demands. Moses was extremely humble, so this attitude is not surprising. His humility was very important as it helped him be teachable, listen to God’s voice, and submit to Him. Although Moses was certainly more faithful than the others around him, he was still a sinner. Yet God forgave him. Certainly, Moses made mistakes, but he was faithful to God even when others weren’t. We must strive to be faithful to God as Moses was so that we can have an even deeper and more intimate relationship with Him.

2. Intimate relationship with God —

Exodus 33:11 ESV – Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.

We see the extremely close and privileged relationship Moses had with God. He met with YHWH face to face just as one man speaks with another. This was an amazing blessing God gave to Moses. It shows us the great love God had for Moses and His great patience and grace. Moses is using the relationship he has with God not for himself but for others. He could have used it for himself when God offered to make a new nation with him as the patriarch. God listened to Moses’ bold prayers because they weren’t for himself. They were for others. Many times, when people demand things of God, they do so selfishly. God is not likely to listen to these types of prayers. But if we use the relationship we have with God for others, God will hear us.

3. Bold and selfless intercession —

Exodus 32:11-13 ESV – But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self…”

God offered to destroy the people and make Moses into a great nation. Moses passed the test with flying colors. He didn’t celebrate getting rid of them. He didn’t sit back passively. He aggressively interceded for them. He correctly assigned to God the credit for bringing them out of Egypt. This is a reminder that we should be bold in our prayers, with the condition that we have the right motivation. Persisting in prayer means unselfishly bringing others’ needs before God in faith. This is classic intercession. Do you regularly intercede for others, or do you focus on your own needs? Moses interceded for the people at least four times in Exodus 32-34 alone. (Exodus 32:11-14, 32:31-32, 33:12-16)

4. Turned to prayer in every crisis –

Moses had a completely different response to every difficulty than the people around him. He didn’t find a person to blame or complain against. He cried out to the Lord. This is an excellent response. It should always be our number one choice when we face a trial, difficulty, or temptation. When the people were ready to stone him, when there was no water, when enemies attacked — Moses cried out to the Lord. From Moses we learn that God is the one we should turn to. We learn that many times reasoning with people or trying to convince them might be pointless. Pray to God for help. We also learn that being a leader might not always be easy. Fair or not, all problems will come back to you. This should remind us that if we ever lead, we need to be extra dependent on God. (Exodus 17:4, 32:11, 33:12)

5. Meticulous obedience once committed –

Once Moses committed to the mission, he obeyed metriculously. He left his speechlessness and excuses behind and embarked on a mission that would change his life and eventually accomplish God’s plan for a nation. Throughout the book of Exodus, the refrain is repeated again and again: “just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” He didn’t add his own ideas or designs. He didn’t use loose interpretation. He didn’t add or subtract from what God had said to do. The people had obeyed God to the letter. They didn’t add in their own ideas or designs. Moses examined all the work and found it to be “just as the Lord had commanded.” This is a model of exact and faithful obedience to God’s Word. (Exodus 40:16, 40:19, 40:21)

6. Taught and prepared the next generation –

Moses had a clear succession plan in place. He had trained Joshua as his replacement. If Moses had neglected this task, Israel would have been far less prepared for the mission ahead. Moses was to encourage and strengthen Joshua. There was no sign of jealousy or infighting. Moses did not begrudge Joshua. He graciously equipped, trained, and appointed him as the next leader. No position of leadership in this world is permanent and no leader is bigger than the office he holds. The job of the leader is to be a good steward for God and to prepare the next leader to take his place one day. Moses also devoted his final days to teaching all the people — not just Joshua — to obey the Lord through the sermons in Deuteronomy. (Deuteronomy 31:1-8, 34:9)

Lessons from his life

1. God uses unlikely and reluctant people –

The lesson is not that Moses was great. Moses was a flawed human being like you and me. By his own admission, he was not a good speaker. He murdered someone. Then he became a shepherd for forty years. The lesson is that God is great. He uses weak and flawed people like you and me. God chooses people and then prepares and strengthens them to fulfill His calling. If God gives you a task to do, He will give you every support and resource you need to do it. Moses was just the man for the job. He was the vessel God had been preparing his whole life for just this moment. This reminds us again that God puts people in the right place at the right time to accomplish His plans. (Exodus 3:11, Deuteronomy 34:10-12)

2. God prepares leaders through wilderness seasons –

Moses had been serving as a shepherd for Jethro for about forty years at this point. Unlike men, God is very patient. He did not save the Israelites immediately, but waited for the right time and prepared the right person. God used these forty years to teach Moses valuable lessons about leadership and the Lord. In Exodus 2, Moses was still a headstrong young man. He lost his temper and behaved rashly. Forty years in the wilderness can create a calm, quiet, and careful spirit. Many believers in Scripture spent extended time in the wilderness, including David, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Moses. The wilderness can train us to be satisfied in the Lord. Too often, the world satisfies us. It could be that if we keep doing that, God will lead us through the wilderness to train us to thirst for Him. (Exodus 3:1, Deuteronomy 2:7)

Sin always has consequences, even for great leaders –

Moses was not allowed into the Promised Land because of his disobedience. God does not show favoritism. Moses did not escape God’s judgment just because of his status as leader. Sin is sin, no matter who commits it. Accounts like this remind us that even Bible “all-stars” sinned. Not one of Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Joshua, David, or Elijah was perfect. Their sins remind us of God’s grace.

He used imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. These accounts also provide strong evidence that the Bible is credible. Authors with an agenda will gloss over their own faults. When the writers include the ugly details of their own sin, it shows that they are writing objective truth. (Deuteronomy 3:23-27, 32:51-52)

4. True intercession is selfless and bold –

Throughout Scripture, we do see the greatest men of faith boldly coming before God with their requests and claiming God’s promises. Based on the fact that God did not punish Moses, but listened to him, it is safe to say that God considered Moses’ response the right one. Moses is using the relationship he has with God not for himself but for others. Many times, when people demand things of God, they do so selfishly.

God is not likely to listen to these types of prayers. But if we use the relationship we have with God for others, God will hear us. This is a reminder that we should be bold in our prayers with the right motivation. If you tell others you will pray for them, do you? Do you pray for them once and then stop? Do you care enough for them to pray bold prayers to the Father? (Exodus 32:11-14, 33:12-16)

5. God’s calling requires a personal relationship with Him –

If we want to accomplish anything for God, we must have a personal relationship with Him. Moses did and that is why he was successful. Moses had a close, personal relationship with the Lord. He talked with God intimately as a person talked with a friend. It was this relationship that strengthened him for the work he had to do. Moses was faithful to God even when others weren’t.

Although Moses was certainly more faithful than the others around him, he was still a sinner. Yet God forgave him. God answers prayer and works in this world through people as He did with Moses. He will always raise someone up at the right time to accomplish His perfect purposes. We must also have a personal relationship with God to be used by Him. (Exodus 33:11, Deuteronomy 34:10)

6. Obedience to God must be taught to the next generation –

Moses devoted his final months to teaching the new generation before entering the Promised Land. He reviewed the history of the nation post-Exodus, their failings to fulfill their side of the covenant, and God’s faithfulness throughout. He reminded them to “listen” and then to “do.” The goal of Biblical instruction is not head knowledge. God wants us to obey Him. Many churchgoers know the Bible.

They complain about their troubles. But they don’t obey the principles. Going to church a thousand times will not help if they don’t obey the Word. Your life will never be transformed if you don’t decide to obey. No other person can make you do what God says. It is your own decision. (Deuteronomy 4:1-9, 6:1-9)