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Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students
a shepherd. As he led his flocks through the wilds of the mountains
and into the green pastures of the valleys, the God of nature taught
him the highest wisdom. In the school of nature, with Christ as his
teacher, he learned lessons of humility, meekness, faith, and trust,
all of which bound his soul closer to God. In the solitude of the
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mountains he learned that which all his instruction in the king’s
palace was unable to impart to him—simple, unwavering faith and a
constant trust in the Lord.
Moses had supposed that his education in the wisdom of Egypt
fully qualified him to lead Israel from bondage. Was he not learned
in all those things necessary for a general of armies? Had he not had
the advantages of the best schools in the land? Yes, he felt that he
was able to deliver his people. He set about his work by trying to
gain their favor by redressing their wrongs. He killed an Egyptian
who was imposing upon one of the Israelites. In this he manifested
the spirit of him who was a murderer from the beginning, and proved
himself unfit to represent the God of mercy, love, and tenderness.
Moses made a miserable failure of his first attempt; and, like
many another, he immediately lost confidence in God and turned
his back on his appointed work. He fled from the wrath of Pharaoh.
He concluded that because of his great sin in taking the life of the
Egyptian, God would not permit him to have any part in the work of
delivering his people from their cruel bondage. But the Lord allowed
these things that He might teach Moses the gentleness, goodness,
and long-suffering that it is necessary for every laborer for the Master
to possess in order to be a successful worker in His cause....
Moses had been taught to expect flattery and praise because of
his superior abilities; now he was to learn a different lesson. As a
shepherd of sheep, Moses learned to care for the afflicted, to nurse
the sick, to seek patiently after the straying, to bear long with the
unruly, to supply with loving solicitude the wants of the young
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lambs and the necessities of the old and feeble. In this experience
he was drawn nearer to the Chief Shepherd. He became united to,
submerged in, the Holy One of Israel. He believed in the great God.
He held communion with the Father through humble prayer. He
looked to the Highest for an education in spiritual things and for a
knowledge of his duty as a faithful shepherd. His life became so