Hear the word of God:
But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh
and settled in the land of Midian;
and he sat down by a well.
A prince of Egypt has become a stranger and pauper in a foreign land.
Moses is not a young man, but he is a troubled soul with family and social issues.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters;
and they came to draw water,
and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
Then the shepherds came and drove them away,
but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
When they came to Reuel their father, he said,
"Why have you come back so soon today?"
Isn’t it odd that Reuel expects this chore to take longer?
Does he expect the girls to be harassed by the other shepherds?
Does he know that they would have to try more than once
to get the job done?
Or is this just an odd way to find a husband for one of his seven girls?
So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us
from the hand of the shepherds;
and what is more, he even drew the water for us
and watered the flock."
And he said to his daughters, "Where is he then?
Why is it that you have left the man behind?
Invite him to have something to eat."
It’s not just that Moses delivers the girls from their tormentors;
he also draws the water for them.
And since he doesn’t have anything else to do,
he waters the sheep while he’s at it.
So Reuel’s question is obvious:
“If a man would do this for you, where is he?”
In other words, where are your manners?
Where is your hospitality?
And Moses was willing to dwell with the man,
and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom,
for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
What does this episode tell us about the character of Moses?
Yes, he is strong and capable of both hard work and defense.
But there is something deeper than that.
Why was Moses by the well in the first place?
Isn’t it because, in a moment of passion, he did away with the life
Of a taskmaster who would oppress his people?
He won’t sit still and watch a crew of rowdy shepherds harass
Or oppress a covey of girls, either.
Moses has a deep-seated sense of social justice.
Moses hates oppression.
The shepherds ought to be thankful to get away alive.
Others have not. Others will not.
This virtue is why, I think, God picks this sojourner in a foreign land.
Moses understands what it is like to be the stranger,
what it is like to be powerless,
what it is like to be hurting,
what it is like to be an outcast.
How can our memories of belonging, and not,
Empower our ministry with children?
Blessings,
Ron
Exodus 2:15-22 - NASB
