Among all the deliverance miracles within the Exodus story of Israel, perhaps none is more astonishing than the fact that the Hebrews never developed a Moses-centered religion.

As the one who repeatedly confronted and bested Pharaoh, the one who led the procession out of Egypt, the one who found his people dry pathways, drinking water, a constant food source, the one who generally seemed to be in direct contact with God every step of the way - how is it that Moses himself escaped virtual deification? While one could view this added deliverance as further evidence of the self-centered stubbornness of the fleeing Israelites, a careful overview of the Exodus story suggests that there were thoughtful, crucial developments along their wilderness path that kept Moses from reaching divine height…