The Prince, The Shepherd, and The Deliverer: When the Desert Is the Only School

Índice/Index

By The Hearing Him Team

The biography of Moses is, at first glance, the script of an epic Hollywood movie. A baby condemned to death, saved by the waters of the Nile, adopted by the daughter of the most powerful man on earth, raised among Egypt’s intellectual and military elite, who ends up becoming a fugitive, a shepherd, and finally, the deliverer of an entire nation.

But if we look through the lens of the Spirit, Moses’ story is not about adventure; it is about Identity and Dependence.

Many of us live Moses’ dilemma: we know we have a calling, we feel the weight of a promise, but our current circumstances seem to contradict our destiny. Perhaps you feel you are “wasting time” in a professional or emotional desert. Perhaps you feel you have the calling but lack the “speech” (the competence).

Today, we will deconstruct the life of this giant of faith to understand why God often takes us out of the palace to enroll us in the “University of the Desert.” And how, in the end, no one fulfills their purpose alone.

1. The Conflict of Identity: The Hebrew at Pharaoh’s Table

Moses grew up in luxury. Acts 7:22 tells us that “Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.” He had access to the best libraries, the best military instructors, and the best food. He was, for all intents and purposes, a prince.

However, the Bible gives us a crucial piece of information in Hebrews 11:24-25:

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.”

Here is the first great revelation: Kingdom Identity is stronger than World Culture. Even surrounded by Egyptian gods and idolatry, Moses knew who he was. He knew he did not belong to that system. He knew that the blood running in his veins was the blood of the Covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The Temptation of “Arm’s Strength” Knowing he was the deliverer, Moses tried to fulfill the calling the wrong way. At 40, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. What did he do? He used his strength, killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:12). Moses had the right purpose (to liberate), but the wrong method (human force) and the wrong time (it was not yet the hour).

How often do we try to “help God”? We try to make the promise happen by the strength of our arm, by manipulation, by forced networking. Moses’ result was disastrous: rejection by his own people and flight into the desert. He learned the hard way that in the Kingdom of God, the ends do not justify the means.

If you are struggling to understand who you are in God versus who the world says you should be, I recommend starting with our Phase 1 and reading the materials on Identity on our Recommended Books page.

2. The University of the Desert: The 40-Year “Non-Place”

Moses flees from Egypt (the center of the world) to Midian (the middle of nowhere). From powerful prince to shepherd—a detestable profession to the Egyptians.

Why did God allow this? And why so long? It wasn’t 40 days. It was 40 years. Moses spent the same amount of time in the desert as he spent in the palace.

The Revelation of Emptying (Kenosis) Theologian F.B. Meyer once said: “God took 40 years to get Israel out of Egypt, but He needed 40 years to get Egypt out of Moses.”

In the desert, Moses needed to unlearn:

Unlearn Self-Sufficiency: In the palace, he had servants. In the desert, he served stubborn sheep.
Unlearn Arrogance: He was no longer “somebody”; he was a nobody in the middle of the desert.
Learn Silence: In Egypt, there was noise, music, construction. In the desert, there was silence. And it was only in the silence that he could finally hear God.

It was in this scenario of apparent failure that Moses encountered the Burning Bush. God did not speak to him on Pharaoh’s throne; God spoke to him on Mount Horeb while he was working. God’s call often comes when we think our career is over. The bush that burned but was not consumed was an image of Moses himself: a clay vessel containing the devouring fire of God, yet not destroyed by grace.

This waiting period is what we call “The Winter of the Soul” (Phase 2). If you are in this phase, do not despair. Visit our Blog to read articles on how to keep faith when nothing seems to be happening.

3. “I Can’t Speak”: Human Limitation and Divine Partnership

Before the bush, when God says “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh,” Moses’ response is not one of faith, but of fear. He makes excuses. The main one:

“Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent… but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (Exodus 4:10)

Moses, whom Acts said was “mighty in words,” now, after 40 years of silence in the desert, feels unable to articulate a sentence. The desert broke his confidence in his own oratory. And that was good! God didn’t need Moses’ Egyptian oratory; He needed Moses’ dependence.

God gets angry at the reluctance but provides a solution: Aaron.

“Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well… He shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.” (Exodus 4:14,16)

The Revelation of Interdependence Here is a vital lesson for modern Christianity, often so individualistic. Not even the greatest prophet of the Old Testament was called to work alone.

Moses had the revelation (heard God).
Aaron had the communication (spoke to the people).

Moses needed Aaron. Aaron needed Moses. God designed the Kingdom to function as a Body. Perhaps you have the vision but need someone with the technique. Perhaps you have the resource but need someone with the prophetic anointing. Don’t try to be the “Super-Christian.” Recognize your limitations and accept the “Aarons” God places in your path. The humility to accept help is part of the preparation for leadership.

4. The Return: A Simple Instrument in God’s Hands

When Moses returns to Egypt, he is a different man. He doesn’t carry a sword (like when he killed the Egyptian at 40). He carries a piece of wood: The Staff of God.

“So Moses took his wife and his sons… and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.” (Exodus 4:20)

That staff was a shepherd’s tool. Dead wood. But in the hand of a man surrendered to God, that wood parted the Red Sea, brought water from the rock, and brought judgment upon the gods of Egypt.

Pharaoh asked, “Who is the Lord?” Moses, now, did not answer with Egyptian philosophy, but with a demonstration of power. The 10 plagues were not just natural disasters; they were a direct attack on every Egyptian deity (the Nile, the Sun, frogs, cattle). God was showing that He is the only “I AM.”

Moses learned that liberation does not come from political strength, but from spiritual obedience. He became the meekest man on earth (Numbers 12:3) because he knew the power was not his.

5. Moses and Jesus: The Greater Prophet

Why do we study Moses? Because he is the shadow. Jesus is the reality. In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses himself prophesies: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”

See the perfect connections:

The Dangerous Birth: Pharaoh tried to kill the Hebrew babies; Herod tried to kill the babies in Bethlehem. Both were divinely preserved.
Leaving the Court: Moses left the palace of Egypt to suffer with his people. Jesus left the glory of Heaven, emptied Himself (Philippians 2) to dwell among us and suffer for us.
The Deliverer: Moses freed the people from the physical slavery of Egypt. Jesus frees us from the spiritual slavery of sin and death.
The Mediator of the Covenant: Moses went up the mountain and brought the Law (Old Covenant). Jesus went up Calvary and sealed Grace (New Covenant) with His own blood.
The Rejection: Moses was rejected in the first attempt (“Who made you a judge over us?”). Jesus was rejected by His own (“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him”).
Bread and Water: Moses prayed, and God gave manna and water from the rock. Jesus declared: “I am the Bread of Life” and “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”

But there is a crucial difference: Moses was a faithful servant in God’s house; Jesus is the faithful Son over the house (Hebrews 3:5-6). Moses failed (struck the rock and didn’t enter the promised land); Jesus obeyed perfectly and introduces us into the Celestial Canaan.

Conclusion: What Is Your “Staff”?

Moses’ story teaches us that God does not look for ability; He looks for availability and firm identity. God asked Moses at the bush: “What is that in your hand?” It was just a staff. God said: “Throw it on the ground.”

God is asking you today: What do you have? It may seem like little. It may be just a simple skill, a small resource, a timid voice. But if you give it to God—if you throw your human identity on the ground and assume your Kingdom identity—God can use it to liberate your family, transform your work, and impact your generation.

You don’t need to be perfect. Moses was a stutterer, a fugitive murderer, and insecure. But he was a Listener. He learned to hear the voice of the “I AM.”

Take the Next Step

Do you feel like you are in the desert? Do you feel you have a calling but don’t know how to execute it?

Learn to Listen: Moses’ secret was the Burning Bush. At the Christian Portal, we have a learning track focused on “The Frequency” (Phase 1), teaching you to discern God’s voice.
Identity and Purpose: If you struggle with imposter syndrome like Moses did, dive into our studies on the Blog.
Deep Reading: Check out our selection of Books dealing with the Christian hero’s journey: from the death of “self” to resurrection in purpose.

Don’t give up in the desert. That is where the Deliverer is forged.