Exodus 2:11

The Bible says in Exodus 2:11-14, “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.” In the providence of God Moses was brought up by his own mother even though he lived in Pharaoh’s household. In addition to receiving the education that was giving to Egyptian nobility, Moses’ mother obviously taught Moses that he really was an Israelite. As in Moses’ case, once a person becomes a Christian and is rightly related to Christ, that person will know how to combine what they have learned from a secular education or skill with what they have learned about serving the Lord. That is the difference that having a spiritual relationship with God can make. You become more of a complete person: both in tune with your own unique human attributes, and in tune with God’s will for you and God’s calling for you.

Moses was well-trained and well-educated to become a leader. Somehow Moses knew that he would use his leadership knowledge and ability in connection with the children of Israel. That may be why it says in Exodus 2:11 that Moses “went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens.” Moses knew that the children of Israel needed help and he felt that he was in a position to help them. But in this initial contact with the children of Israel, things did not work out very well. Moses defended one of the Hebrews, and in doing so, he killed the Egyptian who was attacking the Hebrew. Once that happened both the Hebrews and the Egyptians turned against him. It is important to remember that God not only has something for us to do, but He also has a right time for us to do it. God wants us to learn to wait upon His time to do something. In Exodus 2:11 it was not yet God’s time for Moses to lead the Israelites.

Moses would eventually lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, but before that time came, Moses himself left Egypt. The Bible says in Exodus 2:15-22, “Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

Moses had to flee Egypt because Pharaoh wanted to kill him. Of course, Pharaoh as well as other monarchs in human history have been known to kill anyone whom they considered to be a rival to their throne. Perhaps because Moses was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses was a true potential rival to eventually become Pharaoh himself. But that was not God’s will for Moses. When God closes one door, He eventually opens another. Even if that other door seems to be of little importance, be assured that when God opens a door He has a purpose and He knows what is best. Instead of becoming Pharaoh or some other leader in Egypt, Moses ended up in the “backside” of the desert. But if it is God’s will for you, the “backside” of the desert is better than a palace.

By being in the desert, God brought Moses into contact with the woman who would become his wife. By being in the desert, Moses got away from the hustle and bustle of life in Egypt, and Moses was placed in a situation that gave him the opportunity to grow spiritually and to learn more about God. Moses was in the “backside” of the desert for forty years. That was a time that God used to prepare Moses for the future when Moses would be asked to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Once again while in the desert Moses feels compelled to be a protector and a deliverer of those who need his help. It says in Exodus 2:16-17, “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them.” One of the women that he helped became his wife.

It is interesting that it says in Exodus 2:22 concerning Moses giving a name to his son, “he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.” There are several meanings that we can find to this description. It certainly applied to Moses as he lived there on the “backside” of the desert. But it also applied to the children of Israel while they were staying in Egypt. Egypt was not the land that God had promised to give to the children of Israel. That was not their permanent dwelling place. They did not belong there. It was always just a matter of time, and they would be leaving Egypt. The spiritual symbolism of this truth is the fact that every believer is a stranger in this world. It says in Hebrews 11:13, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” We do not belong here. We belong in heaven with our Savior. We are strangers in a strange land. Some day we will leave this strange earth and go home.

The Bible says in Exodus 2:23-25, “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.” These last three verses of Exodus chapter two are actually an introduction to Exodus chapter 3 where Jesus reveals Himself to Moses by means of the burning bush. Why did God reveal Himself at that time and in that way to Moses? Jesus revealed Himself to Moses as part of the spiritual preparation for Moses. Events had been put into motion by the prayers of God’s people. God answers prayer. He may not always bring an answer as soon as we would like to see one in our small world and our limited view of all that is happening. Not only did God hear the prayers of His believers, but He also “remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” God always answers prayer, and He always keeps His promises. Keep praying to Jesus, and keep trusting in the promises that God has made in His Word. If you do these things, then in just the right way and at just the right time, circumstances will begin to move and to change in your life according to His will, and in answer to your prayers. And then when God decides to do something, no one and nothing will stop Him.

God decided to deliver Israel from Egypt, and in order to do so, the first thing to do was to move in Moses’ heart and life. The Bible says in Exodus 3:1, “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.” There are several good spiritual lessons that can be learned from this verse. The first is the fact that Moses “kept the flock.” In other words Moses was a shepherd. Keeping the flock was an important part of Moses’ preparation to lead the children of Israel. There are many interesting parallels between a flock of sheep and a group of believers. David was a shepherd as a boy and a young man, and God used this to prepare David to become King of Israel. David wrote in Psalms 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Jesus used the symbolism of a shepherd to describe His own work. Jesus said in John 10:14-15, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

Moses’ father in law, Jethro, is called “the priest of Midian.” Jethro was not an Israelite, and therefore he was not of the tribe of Levi. The Midianites were not believers in the one true God. Therefore, if Jethro was like other Midianites, he would not have known the truth nor taught the truth about God. Of course, there is the possibility that Jethro was more like Melchizedec than other Midianites and that he had somehow come into contact with the truth about the Lord. In any case Moses himself needed to learn more about the Lord in order to be prepared to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. In some ways it does not matter what you hear or what you do not hear from other people. You need to have your own personal contact with the Lord. True Christianity is not a religion: it is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus rose from the dead and He is alive.

It was time for Jesus to reveal Himself to Moses. The Bible says in Exodus 3:2-4, “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” The individual who revealed Himself to Moses is called “the angel of the Lord” in verse 2, “the Lord” in verse 4, and “God” in verse 4. The word “angel” does not always mean “angel” as in “one of the angels.” The word “angel” means literally “one who is sent.” Therefore, we see that we have here an individual who is sent from the Lord, who is Himself the Lord. That is the same type of language that is used concerning Jesus Christ in the New Testament. For example, it says about Jesus in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Jesus used the burning bush in order to get Moses’ attention. God always has a way of getting our attention, so that we will turn aside from our normal path in life, and turn to Him. That is one of the reasons that there can be a blessing in a great sorrow or a great loss. Such a circumstance might have been allowed by God so that you would turn to Him. The Bible says in Genesis 3:4 that “God called Moses.” Somehow and in some way Jesus calls everyone to believe in Him. When He calls you, you will have a decision to make. Jesus said in Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Moses responded in the right way when he was called. Moses did not turn away. Moses did not close his mind and his heart to God. Moses turned to the Lord and said, “Here am I.” How about you? Will you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and say to Him, “Here am I.”

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