*Exodus 2:11-25
Saved from the Pharaoh’s decree, Moses flees Egypt after killing an Egyptian and finds refuge in Midian, where he helps seven sisters water their flock.
- Moses’ Encounter with an Egyptian Oppressor:
- Moses, having grown up in the household of Pharaoh, witnesses an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave.
- Moved by a sense of justice, Moses intervenes and strikes down the Egyptian, killing him.
- He looks around and, seeing no one, buries the Egyptian in the sand.
- Moses’ Conflict with Hebrews:
- The next day, Moses encounters two Hebrew men fighting and attempts to reconcile them.
- One of the men questions Moses’ authority to intervene, asking if he intends to kill him as he did the Egyptian.
- Moses’ Flight to Midian:
- Realizing that news of his actions has spread, Moses becomes afraid and flees from Egypt to the land of Midian.
- He settles by a well, where he comes to the aid of seven sisters who are being harassed by shepherds.
- Moses’ Marriage to Zipporah:
- The sisters return home early, and their father, Reuel (also known as Jethro), invites Moses to their home.
- Moses stays with them and eventually marries one of Reuel’s daughters, Zipporah.
- Birth of Moses’ Son:
- Zipporah gives birth to a son, whom Moses names Gershom, meaning “I have been a stranger in a foreign land,” reflecting Moses’ sense of displacement.
- God’s Response to Israel’s Suffering:
- Meanwhile, in Egypt, the Israelites continue to suffer under oppression, and their cry for deliverance reaches God’s ears.
- Divine Providence:
- Though Moses has fled from Egypt, God has not forgotten his people or his plan to rescue them from bondage.
- This sets the stage for the next chapter in Moses’ life, where he will be called by God to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites to freedom.
Exodus 2:11-25 teaches us about patience, growth, and trusting God’s timing. Moses wanted to help his people, but he acted in anger and had to flee. Even though he spent years in the desert, God was still preparing him for a greater purpose. This reminds us that sometimes we may feel stuck or uncertain about our future, but God is always at work in our lives. It encourages us to learn from our mistakes, be patient in seasons of waiting, and trust that God’s plan will unfold at the right time.
Exodus 2:11-25 (WEB)
2:11 In those days, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers and saw their burdens. He saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers. 12 He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one, he killed the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.13 He went out the second day, and behold, two men of the Hebrews were fighting with each other. He said to him who did the wrong, “Why do you strike your fellow?”14 He said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you plan to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian?”Moses was afraid, and said, “Surely this thing is known.” 15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came to Reuel, their father, he said, “How is it that you have returned so early today?”19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and moreover he drew water for us, and watered the flock.”20 He said to his daughters, “Where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”21 Moses was content to dwell with the man. He gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter. 22 She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land.”23 In the course of those many days, the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the children of Israel, and God understood.