For forty years, Moses lived at the court of the Pharaoh (his Egyptian training); for the next forty years, he lived as a shepherd in [[Apophatic theology|contemplation]] of [[God]] and the world (his exile in Arabia); and for his remaining forty years, he led the people through the wilderness to the [[w:Promised Land|Promised Land]] (his government of the Israelite nation). He beheld the Promised Land, but was not allowed to enter it, for he had once [[Sin|sinned]] against God ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2020:12&version=NKJV Numbers 20:12]). Thus Moses reposed at the age of 120.<ref name=PROLOGUE>[[Nikolai Velimirovic]]. ''[[Prologue from Ohrid|Prologue from Ohrid: Lives of Saints, Hymns, Reflections and Homilies for Every Day of the Year]].'' 1928.</ref>

:"...For the Gospels tell us that Moses taught the truth when he proclaimed that God is One; and Moses by his proclamation of One God confirms the lesson of the Gospels, which tell of God and God. Thus we do not contradict our authorities, but base our teaching upon them, proving that the revelation to Israel of the unity of God gives no sanction to the refusal of Divinity to the Son of God; since he who is our authority for asserting that there is One God is our authority also for confessing the Godhead of His Son."

::([[Basil the Great]]. ''St Basil the Great on the Trinity. Book V, 1.'')

In his adulthood, [[w:Josephus|Flavius Josephus]] suggests that Moses commanded Egyptian troops and led them to victory against the forces of neighboring Ethiopia.<ref>Josephus. ''Antiquities'' 2.10.</ref> According to that account, the Ethiopians were raiding the Egyptians, and the Pharaoh ordered Moses to lead an army to stop the raiders once and for all. Moses then used a remarkable tactic to take the Ethiopians by surprise. The Ethiopians were expecting Moses to attack by marching along the river, rather than by land, because the land between the two armies was so thick with snakes that it was impassable. For that very reason, Moses was determined to march over land. He ordered his artificers to construct cages and to carry [[w:Ibis|Ibis]] birds (a sacred bird in Egypt) with them. The ibis is a natural enemy of snakes, and so they scattered the snakes, and the army was safe. Thus the army crossed the land, surprised the enemy, and defeated them.

Yet, the adult Moses did not forget his origins.<ref name=WHOSWHO/> The nurture of his mother is probably the unmentioned link which bound him to his own people, and the time had at last arrived when he was resolved to reclaim his nationality. Here again the [[New Testament]] preserves the tradition in a more distinct form than the account in the [[Pentateuch]]:

<blockquote>"Upon the [[Mount Sinai|Sinaitic mountain tops]], his home, [[w:Yahweh|Yahweh]] revealed himself to Moses. He saw his glory in the heavenly fire; he heard his voice in the thunder; the storm-clouds were his [[Cherubim|Kerubim]], the lightnings were his [[seraphim]]. At last there came to him on [[w:Mount Horeb|Horeb]], by some sacred tree, illumined strangely by the fire from heaven, a message to his inmost soul to go back into [[w:Land of Goshen|Goshen]] on the twofold errand of making Yahweh known and delivering his people. It was the [[w:Religious calling|prophet's call]]. It was a real [[w:Religious ecstasy|ecstatic experience]], like that of [[David]] under the baka-tree, [[Elijah]] on the mountain, [[Isaiah]] in the temple, [[w:Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] on the [[w:Khabur River|Khebar]], [[Jesus]] in the Jordan, [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] on the [[w:Conversion of Paul the Apostle|Damascus road]]. It was the perpetual mystery of the divine touching the human."<ref>

Rev. Professor [[w:Nathaniel Schmidt|Nathaniel Schmidt]], Ph.D.. "Moses: His Age and His Work. II." ''The Biblical World.'' Vol. 7, No. 2 (Feb., 1896), pp. 105-119. p.108.</ref></blockquote>

The location, in the desert solitude, was appropriate as a sign that the divine protection was not confined either to the sanctuaries of Egypt or to the Holy Land, but was to be found with any faithful worshiper, fugitive and solitary though he might be.<ref name="MCCLINTOCK+STRONG"/>

[[File:Moses & Bush Icon Sinai c12th century.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Moses and the Burning Bush<br>(''[[St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)|Mt. Sinai]], 12th c.'')]]

In Orthodox Christian tradition, as defined by the [[Church Fathers]] and the [[Ecumenical councils]], the flame Moses saw was in fact God's ''Uncreated Energies''/''Glory'', manifested as light, thus explaining why the bush was not consumed. It is not interpreted as a miracle in the sense of an event, which only temporarily exists, but is instead viewed as Moses being permitted to see these ''Uncreated Energies''/''Glory'', which are considered to be eternal things. The Orthodox definition of salvation is this vision of the ''Uncreated Energies''/''Glory'', and it is a recurring theme in the works of Greek Orthodox theologians such as [[John S. Romanides]]. In addition, Moses saw foreshadowed the great mystery of our [[Incarnation|Savior’s virginal Conception]] and of his coming in the flesh, which has overturned the laws of nature at the same time as preserving them.<ref name=AMBYOUNG/>

[[File:Exodus Map.jpg|left|thumb|Map showing the 3 standard alternative possible routes for the first part of the Israelite Exodus.]]

When the Egyptians attempted to follow, God permitted the waters to return upon them and drown them ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2014:10-31&version=NKJV Exodus 14:10-31]). The charioteers, horses, and foot soldiers of the king were drowned beneath the surging waves.<ref name=WHOSWHO/> <ref group="note">[[Clement of Alexandria]] in his ''Stromata'' makes reference to how Moses discharged the part of a military leader in this instance:

The people then continued to [[w:Marah (Bible)|Marah]] marching for three days along the wilderness of the [[w:Shur (Bible)|Shur]], without finding water; Moses cast a tree into the water, and the water became sweet ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2015:23-25;&version=KJV Exodus 15:23-25]). Later in the journey the people began running low on supplies and again murmured against Moses and Aaron and said they would have preferred to die in Egypt, but God's provision of [[w:Manna|manna]] from the sky in the morning and quail in the evening took care of the situation ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2016;&version=KJV Exodus 16]). Then they came to [[w:Elim (Bible)|Elim]] where twelve water springs and 70 Palm trees greeted them.<ref group="note">Elim and Elat are plurals of the word El in Phoenician and again associated with [[w:Asherah|Asherah]] worship. The words [[w:Elim (Bible)|Elim]] and Elat refer to the power of the high and mighty [[w:Terebinth|terebinth]] trees that the Phoenicians used for masts and [[w:Asherah pole|Asherah poles]]. [[w:William F. Albright|William Albright]] has associated Asherah groves with the incense trade spices and perfumes such as frankincense and [[myrrh]].</ref>

Furthermore, it has been considered that Moses will be one of the [[w:Two witnesses|Two Witnesses]], together with [[Elijah]], who will appear during the ''Second woe'' in the Book of [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation%2011:1-14&version=NKJV Revelation 11:1-14]. In a homily given by Protopresbyter [[Thomas Hopko]] on the ''[http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Revelation-Christian-Tradition-Recording/dp/0881413054 Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation Within Orthodox Christian Tradition],'' in discussing the mystagogical and liturgical character of the [[Book of Revelation]], he posits that the two witnesses will be Moses and [[Elijah]] because they represent or symbolize the whole of the Hebrew religion; Moses symbolizes the Law and Elijah the Prophets; Moses represents the earth because he is buried and Elijah the heavens because He is taken-up; Moses represents the dead because he died and Elijah represents the living because he did not die; they represent the totality / [[Oikonomia|economia]] / plan of God; and at the Transfiguration, Moses and [[Elijah]] appeared with [[Jesus]] to show that He is the fulfillment of the whole history of [[Israel]].<ref group="note"> On the other hand, most modern scholars would say that the two witnesses represent Enoch and [[Elijah]] because they were the two taken up into heaven.</ref>

<br>

==Theological considerations==

===Prefiguring Jesus===

<blockquote>"During his whole life and ministry [[Jesus]] showed a becoming respect for the rites of the [[w:Mosaic covenant|Mosaic law]]. He himself was "born under the law" (Gal. 4:4), and after [[Circumcision of our Lord|having been circumcised]] he was formally presented at the temple with the appropriate offerings required by the law (Luke 2:21-24). He submitted to [[Theophany|John's baptism]], declaring that thus it became him "to fulfil all righteousness." When he cleansed a [[w:Leprosy|leper]], he bade him go to the priest and "offer the gift that Moses commanded" (Matt. 8:4). He admonished his [[Apostles|disciples]] that "the scribes and the [[Pharisee]]s sit on Moses' seat," and their teachings were therefore to be duly observed. He even represented father [[w:Abraham|Abraham]] as speaking to the rich man in [[w:Hades|Hades]] about "Moses and the prophets" (Luke 16: 29). He enjoined upon those who asked him what they must do to inherit eternal life, to keep the commandments of the [[w:Decalogue|Decalogue]]; and he condensed them into the [[w:Great Commandment|two great commandments]] of love (Matt. 19:16-19; Luke 10:26-28). These two commandments are found in Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18; but the superior wisdom of our [[Lord]] is seen in the discrimination which assigns to these two the substance of "the whole law and the prophets." The [[Lord's Prayer]] is made up of petitions which had probably been uttered in substance and in separate parts a thousand times before, but only the wisdom of Jesus was sufficient to collect and combine them into one short universal prayer."<ref>Professor Milton S. Terry, D.D., LL.D.. "The Old Testament and the Christ." ''The American Journal of Theology.'' Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr., 1906), pp.233-250. (pp.236-237).</ref></blockquote>