Moses was the first great preacher of the word of God of whom we have any detailed knowledge.

Moses speaks the words of God

Moses’ call is recorded in Ex 4:10-16.  When Moses protests his inability to speak for God, the reply he receives is that God will teach what to say and how to say it.  He is to be God’s mouthpiece.  He is to act as intermediary between God and the people.  He spoke on God’s behalf to the people, and the people accepted his words as the Lord’s, Ex 24:3.  We read that the Lord used to speak to Moses ‘face to face, as one speaks to a friend’, Ex 33:11.

Moses writes down the words of God

Early on, writing became a ministry of the word, with Moses becoming the first of the writing prophets, Ex 24:4; 34:27f.  The fact that the written ‘testimony’ was placed in the ark in the tabernacle indicates its importance, Ex 40:20f.  Later, on the verge of entering the Promised Land, Moses had the people inscribe the words of the law on large plaster-covered stones, Deut 27:2,8.  Deut 31:9,24-26 records further writing of the law.

Moses reads the words of God

When the Sinai covenant was first drawn up, Moses read it aloud before the people, Ex 24:7.

Moses preaches the words of God

This included exposition of the law, Deut, Deut 1:5, of the Ten Commandments, Deut 5:1-21, and of the covenant, Deut 29.  Moses also applied his text to his congregation: forty years after giving of the covenant, when the peple were about to enter the Promised Land and Moses was an old man, he explains what it will mean for them to keep God’s covenant in their new land.  Moses also exhorted the people to obey the Lord, Deut 4:1; 6:13; 8:1; 10:12f.

So we see in Moses ‘the main ingredients of the ministry of the Word – the servant who hears God’s words, the writing down and reading out aloud of God’s wrods, and the preaching of God’s words by means of exposition, application, and exhortation.’

Based on Peter Adam, Speaking God’s Words, 37-40.