A glimmer of light. Exodus 2:15-25 Over 400 years is a long time to wait. God has His plans, and He has His way of bringing things to pass. The second son of a slave family was taken out of the Nile River where he was hidden in a basket - what person could ever have crafted such a story! Not only was he brought into the highest family of the nation to be the son of Pharaoh's daughter, but he was also educated in all the ways of Egypt and aware of all the pleasures awaiting him. Yet, deep inside his soul was the childhood training that reminded him to think of the future. Do not live just for the present. A decision had to be made in his mature years: "Should I live for the present or prepare for the future?" Wise people still face these choices and prepare for what’s ahead.
The way the decision actually unfolded was probably not how we would have written the story if we were creating it as a novel. An unplanned murder, criticism from those you tried to help, an angry Pharaoh, a desert journey—what a captivating story! Truth is often more fascinating than fiction. God orchestrated, many generations earlier, for a God-fearing family descendant living in a distant land to be in the right place to provide for a coming deliverer.
A social conscience must be guided by the Lord, or it will become involved in the wrong things for the wrong reasons. When Moses arrived in Midian on the far side of the Gulf of Aqaba, he saw shepherds driving the seven daughters of Reuel away from the water source. As a strong man trained in Egypt’s military, he would have no trouble dealing with those men who were bothering the young women.
There are times when we must stand against those who exploit women, children, the weak, and the sick. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, which is why killing the Egyptian was wrong, but the Lord cares for widows, the fatherless, the weak, and the needy, and may use one of His willing and ready servants to carry out His will among the people. Moses needed to learn this, understanding when to act and what action to take. That is a lesson all of us need to learn and hold close so we can do the right thing in the right way when called upon to defend or support those in need.
The forty years Moses spent living worldly in Egypt ended and were replaced by forty years of quiet life in a pastoral setting. The Midianites were descendants of one of Abraham’s younger sons, so Reuel would have belonged to a line that believed in the one true God. A priest would have lived with an awareness of God and would have taught his family about the living God.
That God-fearing man became Moses' father-in-law. God has His people in places we may never have heard of. They, too, are waiting and wanting to do His will. A temporary act led to a permanent relationship with Zipporah and then a family. We may not realize the importance of some choices we make more or less on the spur of the moment. God guides us even when we are not aware of the full effect of His guidance at first.
When two believers marry and have children, it is essential that they share the same faith in God and demonstrate this through their behavior before their children. Kids observe examples of faith and hear about God's truth when a husband and wife serve God together in everyday life. Moses likely watched his two sons grow up, and they probably would have been in their thirties before he learned the lessons God had to teach him in Midian.
Moses had to learn the value of quiet fellowship with God and His people, contrasted with the noise and clamor of the world in Egypt. Pleasure and business always seem to create turmoil, unrestrained ambition, and ungodliness. God had put His future leader in a place of silence and reflection and then took him through a time of depression and despair when he named his firstborn son, Gershom ("a stranger here").
Gradually, that gave way to growing faith and the ability to take responsibility in small matters like caring for sheep in a wilderness. He would have learned a lot about shepherding sheep that would serve him well when shepherding God's people. It is always beneficial to apply ourselves diligently to small tasks with little consequence. In this way, we learn how to handle larger issues that influence the eternal destinies of many people. Moses must have grown significantly by the time Eliezer, his second son, was born because his name means, "God is my help."
Being a foreigner who moves to a different country is not easy. Learning a new language and adapting to a new way of life takes time. People are often skeptical about you and your intentions when you first arrive, and you will always be aware that it takes a while for people to consider you “one of them.” God explicitly said that foreigners should not be exploited or oppressed but to “love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” [Deu.10:19]. We are responsible for showing kindness and helping those who come from foreign lands, and we should “do good unto all men, especially those of the household of faith.”
Before Moses could return to Egypt, two things had to happen: the Pharaoh who wanted to kill him had to die, and the children of Israel had to abandon their idols and turn to the living God. It was in their desperation that their groans and cries reached God. When we are aware of a need we cannot meet or a relief we cannot find, we call upon God from that place of guilt and need. One long time ago wrote: “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.”
God captures our full attention when we realize we have no one to turn to but Him. That is when sinners come before God so He can save them. He meets the needs of the helplessly lost and is willing to call on the name of the Lord. Then He says, “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.” God always cares, but He waits until we care. Believers also experience times when we are brought to a standstill and openly admit our need for God’s guidance. He knows the perfect moment to act.
No doubt Moses had to unlearn many things before he could be trusted with leading millions of people. An inexperienced person leading many can be a danger to themselves and even more so to others. For 67 years, Ramses II achieved great things at the expense of thousands of lives. Whether in battles across Mesopotamia, in building cities, or constructing huge monuments, the slave labor of Israel was vital to his plans. Despite his greatness, he died. "It is appointed unto man once to die."
The fleeting nature of time reminds us all that what we do for God is urgent. Our lives will soon be over. And still, the people of God "sighed." The sighing and hopelessness of a nation are grievous to behold. But God allows sin to run its course through man’s free will. Ultimately, that same free will leads to repentance, and He can guide them into the promised happiness. When the Lord Jesus was here, He sighed because of human suffering and unbelief. Amidst all these activities of men and women, God watches and waits until the right time comes.
"God heard," and the great sigh of a nation in bondage reached the ears of the only One who can give abundant life. "God remembered" the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He had promised to keep it to its fullness. "God saw," and everything He observed about human suffering was allowed by Him, bringing idol-worshipping people to a place where they might turn to repentance and faith in Him. "God knew," and everything happening to His people was directed to create a desired nation of God-fearing, God-worshipping individuals, to be what He intended them to be. He remains the same with us as He was with those people of ancient times. In the church today, He has made us a kingdom of priests so that we might worship and serve Him with reverence and godly fear.
EXODUS 3.