Year 7, Day 51: Exodus 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Once more we see that God uses people with flaws.  That’s a really nice way of saying that none of us are perfect.  That’s also a really nice way of saying that each of us have things about us where we are prone – if not automatic – to doing wrong.

Moses is raised up in the house of Pharaoh.  There can be no doubt about his heritage, though.  Egyptians don’t look much like Hebrew people.  I can’t think of any reason why his Egyptian mother would have hidden his identity from him, especially as he grew older.  When Moses is a young adult, he sees one of his Hebrew people getting beaten up by one of his Egyptian people.  Moses clearly chooses to stick up for his Hebrew brethren.  He kills the Egyptian.  The Pharaoh is not pleased, and he seeks to kill Moses.  There can be no doubt.  Moses’ first claim to fame is that he murdered someone in a crime of passionate anger.

But look at the very next story.  God doesn’t abandon Moses.  God doesn’t say to Moses, “I have no use for you since you killed someone.”  No.  God uses that which is within Moses in a way to suit his purposes.  Moses clearly has a well-defined sense of justice versus injustice.  God plans to use it.  God may not approve of the murder of the Egyptian, but that doesn’t mean Moses gets kicked to the curb.

Moses sees the women of a priest being mistreated by some shepherds.  They are unable to water their flocks.  Moses comes in, sees the injustice, and sets the record straight.  Notice that nobody dies in this story.  God’s been working on Moses’ heart.  Moses still has passion about the injustice that he sees being done, but he is able to reign it in and give a more productive outcome.

As a result, Moses is accepted.  Moses finds a home.  Moses even finds a wife.  Moses develops a meaningful life, even though he is a murderer at the beginning of this story.  God can always use us if we are willing to work on our sinful desires and learn to tame them.

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