The story of Moses is an integral part of YHWH’s bringing Israel out of bondage. The Book of Exodus begins with “And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt,” locking into Genesis’s Abraham narrative. We read that the Israelites were indeed fulfilling YHWH’s words to the patriarch, “Look now toward the heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be” (Gen. 15:5, Exo. 1:7). On the Night-To-Be-Much Observed, YHWH told Abram that he would die at a good old age but his children would return to the land promised with great possessions in the fourth generation.

After listing Israel’s eleven sons and the total number of persons in his household, very quickly, Exodus’ plot line grows dark with a nameless pharaoh who did not know the wisdom of Joseph and enslaved the children of Israel to reduce their number. But YHWH’s blessing of multiplication was not thwarted and the dread of Israel permeated the Egyptians lives. The king hired two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill Israel’s male babies at birth, but when that failed, he ordered every newborn son cast into the river. The life-giving river became his instrument of destruction. Onto the stage, a third child, a second son, was born to a man and his wife of the house of Levi. Moses’ mother saw that he was good (tov), surrounding the house with beauty. This unnamed son was destined to become Israel’s most significant historical figure, the only man with whom YHWH had a face-to-face relationship (Exo. 33:11). Controlling time and history, the God of the Exodus would fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Moses. From Abraham to Moses are seven generations, and from Levi to Moses are four generations.

The daughter of Pharaoh lifted the threatened babe out of an ark afloat on the river of destruction and gave him the name Moses because she drew him out of death. Everything in Moses’ life prepared him for his remarkable role in uniquely reversing the status of Israel and Egypt. Numerous Hebrew vocabulary wordplays make this point evident. Moses’s significance is highlighted when the narrative does not name the actors except the two midwives and Moses. Moses grew up as a son in Pharaoh’s house, trained in logistics and managing resources to lead troops, and, according to Josephus, conducted impressive military campaigns in the Ethiopian wilderness. Yet, the Israelites and Egyptians rejected his authority. In his second forty years, Moses shepherded sheep until YHWH told Moses who He was and who Moses was, commissioning him to free the children of Israel from Egypt. Moses led Israel through the sea of destruction, Yam Suph, while Pharaoh and his armies, attempting to do likewise, were drowned. Everything that happened to Moses in his early years had trained him for Israel’s exodus, mustering the fleeing Israelite armies through the wilderness and shepherding them to the mountain of the burning bush and the land promised to them.

The number of Moses’s roles also suggests his greatness. Most prominently, Moses was Israel’s deliverer and lawgiver. In all he did, Moses was YHWH’s faithful servant for the house of God, yet he was rejected many times by his fellow Israelites, who even threatened to stone him. He taught the Torah, prophesied of another greater to come, and mediated as a priest YHWH’s covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai and in numerous rebellions of the people. YHWH revealed not just His name to Moses but also the knowledge of who He was when Moses asked to see His glory on the holy mountain of God. Moses built the Tabernacle as YHWH’s traveling dwelling place in the midst of Israel so that they might have access to Him by way of sacrifice, celebrating the Sabbath and Festival rests. All Israel was baptized into Moses in the cloud and the Sea (1 Cor. 10:2). Through Moses, the Spirit fell upon seventy elders to teach Israel (Num. 11:17, 25), and bread fell from heaven (Exo. 16:31-35). Moses acted like a king and savior as he shepherded Israel to the Promised Land. He wrote songs and lived the wisdom of YHWH, his face radiating light, the glory of YHWH. Yet he was human and failed, but even this worked to provide a vision of a greater Moses to come.

Moses foreshadowed a new Moses, prophesying of a prophet like him from among Israel’s brethren to whom they must listen to His voice (Deu. 18:15). Israel was to expect a coming One, who knew YHWH face-to-face, sent to work signs and wonders to humanity in exile. With the might of His outstretched arm, He would overthrow evil powers and lead a cosmic second exodus, shepherding us to Himself, the new Temple. Yeshua was the Bread from heaven and the conduit of the Spirit. Like Moses, He taught a new Torah and was faithful in all of God’s house. Yeshua was the perfect Savior and Mediator, Israel’s king and high priest, Lawgiver and Intercessor. Like Moses, His life was threatened as a babe, prompting His parents to flee to Egypt. YHWH drew Him out of Egypt and, after baptism, into the wilderness of testing for forty days, where He hungered and thirsted. Yeshua was Isaac’s life-saving substitute sacrifice, the Lamb of God. And as a wave sheaf offering, He ascended into the heavens and returned, establishing a new plane relationship mediated through a new covenant. Mainly, the focus of Matthew’s Gospel, Yeshua was a flawless Israel and the new Moses, King-High Priest, commissioning His people to go into all the nations with His light.

Takeaway:
Moses’ birth story continues Genesis’ narrative of YHWH’s redemption through Abraham’s generations. Like YHWH seeing that the light was good, the mother of Moses saw that he was good and hid him. Only three people are named in Moses’s birth story (see Fun Factors below), revealing YHWH keeping His promises through one man. Through Moses, Israel had tabernacle access to the Tree of Life (Torah) and YHWH’s dwelling place (a garden mountain). No one was as great as Moses until Yeshua.

Fun Factors:
I AM YHWH occurs 161 times in the Tanakh.

Why are only three people named in Moses’ birth deliverance story?

Midwife Puah, פּוּעָה, letter sum 161, 7 × 23, means glittery, brilliancy. Greek `elephym (to increase by thousands) and erga kala (good, beautiful works) have letter sums of 161; Exo. 25:35-37 of the menorah construction has 161 letters. Puah’s name portrays living in completeness and light, giving increase.

Midwife Shiphrah, שִׁפְרָה, letter sum 585, 3 × 15 × 13, 12² + 21², means brightness, beauty. The 12^th prime is 37 and the 21^st prime is 73, the same footprint as Genesis 1:1’s letter sum, 37 × 73, creation light.

Moses, מֹשֶׁה, letter sum 345, 15 × 23; Moses 345 + YHWH 26 = 371, the same value as YHWH-Shammah (meaning YHWH dwells there) and the number of days Israel dwelt with YHWH at Mount Sinai. The factors 15 and 23 of Moses’s name indicate a restoration to godly living, the shining face of Moses.

The sum of Puah and Shiphrah’s names equals 746, 2 × 373, 25² + 11², or 2(18² + 7²); 373 is John 1:1’s Logos, humanity’s walking in the light and life of the fourth Gospel.

The sum of all three names equals 1091, the 182^nd P; 182 = 7 × 26; 1091 is the sum of six triangular numbers, T₁₆ + T₁₇ + … T₂₁, whereas Puah’s 161 is the sum of seven triangular numbers: T₃ + T₄ + …T₉.

The sum of 1091 + YHWH 26 = 1117, 187^th P (11 × 17), 91^st PP (7 × 13); 1117 = 26² + 21². The product of 1117’s digits is 7, while the sum is 10; 7 + 10 = 17. And 7 × 111 = 777, the sum of Lamech’s name, which means powerful, the 9^th person of Adam’s ten generations (See Blog 10).

The sum of the three names plus YHWH point to the name I AM (21) YHWH (26), the God of the Exodus, and His work and power to control time and history, bringing all humanity into His Presence and rest. John’s Gospel marks the appointed Feasts of Light using “hour” and “feast” 21 times. And three lines of seven words (21) conclude the Genesis creation (Gen. 2:2–3a), the Sabbath signature of “I AM” (21).

Shiphrah, a noun meaning bright/beautiful, is solely found in Job 26:13, “By His Spirit, He makes bright the heavens” in the context of YHWH’s great power and wisdom in crushing/piercing the crooked serpent. In Israel’s exodus story, the same power of YHWH frees Israel by overthrowing Egypt’s pharaoh. Fast forwarding to the Gospel of John, the Logos (373) is the power that brings God’s children home by disarming sin and death. The three names plus YHWH signify YHWH’s power, His Spirit, to return all humanity to dwell with him through the ultimate deliverer, Yeshua, the Word of God, who framed the heavens and earth with light.