Moses’ escape

Exodus 2:11-25; 10/5/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

What happened in the forty years between Moses becoming the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and his escape?  The Bible simply mentions this with the phrase “Moses grew up,”  which seems overly brief.  Let’s look at the first point:

Moses’ flesh

Since it is describing the growth of Moses’ life, the Bible did not cover up anything for Moses, and told it directly according to the book. First of all, the motive in his heart.  The Bible does not say, and I dare not say anything.  However, under the care of his biological mother, adoptive mother and wet nurse, Moses must have been deeply shaken.  Yang Kang in The Legend of the Condor Heroes lived in Wanyan Honglie’s home, and when he grew up, he forgot his ancestors and broke his promise.  Moses could not escape the temptation and intention of the superior living conditions in the Egyptian palace and the future succession to the throne of Pharaoh.  We do not know what kind of torment Moses had suffered in his heart, and what kind of inner struggle he had to go through to make a choice in such a great temptation!  In the New Testament, Stephen said, ”When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.”  Obviously, it is because God’s time has come and people’s hearts are ready.

Secondly, it is based on core values.  What the human heart dictates will inevitably follow.  Since Moses had already recognized the Israelites as his compatriots,  he would go and look for them and care for them, don’t you agree?  As soon as he arrived, he discovered two things: First, he saw their heavy burdens; and second, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew brother.  What should he do?  He couldn’t remain indifferent, and even if he reported it to the authorities, no one would likely pay attention.  At that time, Moses seemed to have no choice but to act on impulse!  The Bible says, “He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.”  Killing is certainly wrong, but it is difficult for us to deny the fact that his core values ​​were changed by God, and he turned back!

Finally, the price of impulsiveness.  Judging from the description in the Bible, Moses was still very young, immature, and unwilling to take responsibility.  He looked around and saw no one.  Can he kill people just because there is no one around?  Hidden in the sand, who did he learn this from?  Whose genes did he inherit?  Does he look like Cain?  In other words, there is a Cain hidden in each of us, and once the conditions are met, it will fission.  Moses still thought he was loving, had good motives,  and had a healthy starting point.  He didn’t understand why these two people of the same tribe would reveal his murder of the Egyptian?  Yes, who appointed you, Moses, as the leader and judge of us Israelites?  In fact, it was God who appointed Moses, but God’s time had not yet come!  Let’s look at the second point:

Moses’ escape

What else is there to say? Run away!  The fact that these two men spoke openly about this matter shows that it could no longer be concealed!  First, Moses was afraid.   How do we know when a person has sinned?  It’s as the Bible says, fear in the heart of man.  When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and heard God’s voice, they were afraid.  Cain murdered Abel, using denial, pride, and arrogance to mask his fear and escape God’s judgment.  Moses initially murdered people, believing no one knew.  He even rebuked and taught his people that they shouldn’t kill each other.  When he realized his actions were exposed, he became afraid.  When Pharaoh knew, Moses would flee.  The same is true for us.  When we are entangled in sin, we inevitably feel fear.  When we act in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can be fearless and free from fear.

Secondly, Pharaoh heard about this.  Those in power have powerful fangs and claws, often deciding life and death.  A few days ago, Harvard University, always arrogant and self-righteous, finally conceded to Trump and settled with a $500 million settlement.  In 2013, many churches in Wenzhou were forcibly demolished by the government on the grounds that they were illegal buildings.  Those in power always find ways to exploit ordinary people.  Moses was an Egyptian prince and a potential heir to Pharaoh’s throne.  Upon hearing this news, Pharaoh would inevitably seize the opportunity to make a big fuss.  Pharaoh decided to kill Moses.  First, it would win the hearts of the people, and second, it would eliminate the risk of a throne dispute. Why not?

Finally, he fled to live in Midian.  Why did Moses go to Midian?  Frankly speaking, no one knows, but God certainly knows!  In order for Moses to escape from Egypt to Midian, he had to go around the Red Sea from the north end, pass Mount Sinai, and then go around Edian-geber at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba to enter the land of Midian.  Since it was an escape, he might not be fully prepared.  Moses may have been confused in his heart, but God was leading him in the dark.  Moses had 40 years in Midian to learn to be quiet, until he got married and had children, waiting for God’s time to be satisfied.  From a certain perspective, Moses learned about prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving during his 40 years in Midian.  He shepherded the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the Midianite priest.  Spending time with the sheep every day has given him a peaceful life.  Let’s look at the third point:

Moses’ marriage

God provided a family for Moses: Jethro, a Midianite priest, had seven daughters.  Clearly, God was kind to Moses, wasn’t He?  First, there was the romantic encounter at the well.  Moses, in his forties, arrived in Midian, unfamiliar with the land and wandering for an unknown length of time.  The Bible says: “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.” Many of life’s most significant events unfold on a single day.  Moses, on the run, lived a precarious existence.  Who could have imagined that one day, as he approached a well to drink water, he would be met by seven Midianite women.  These seven shepherdesses, like angels, had descended from heaven to lead their father’s flock to the well.  At this point, Moses could only wonder; there seemed little else he could do!

Secondly, the father-in-law had his mind fixed.  Who could have known that God would provide a golden opportunity for a hero to save the beauty?  A group of ignorant petty thieves came to compete with the “Seven Fairies” for the water source.  Moses, evidently a capable fighter, drove off the shepherd thieves.  This gave Moses’ future father-in-law, Jethro, also known as Reuel, an opportunity to admire Moses.  When he learned that a man with the courage, responsibility, and the ability to protect his daughters had appeared before him, the father also realized from his daughters’ descriptions that Zipporah was particularly interested in Moses.  The father-in-law’s view was pretty quick and sharp when it came to his son-in-law: first, he invited him home for dinner, then invited him to live with him, and finally, he offered his daughter Zipporah to Moses as his wife.

Finally, he was named Gershom.  Once he got married, he was expected to have children.  The Bible says: “ She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”  This name captures Moses’s feelings, as he was not accepted in Egypt and despised by the Hebrews.  However, he found warmth and acceptance among the Gentiles.  Even so, Moses always remembered that he was God’s chosen people.  No matter what he possessed in this world, he was still merely “a sojourner in a foreign land.”  In Midian, Moses not only married and had children, but God also sent his father-in-law, his daughter, and grandson, Gershom, to search for Moses in the wilderness.  Ultimately, they became Moses’s good helpers.

Conclusion

Thank God! During Moses’ second forty years, God enriched his life.  This wasn’t just the outward manifestation of marrying and having children; it was also the inner enrichment of Moses.  Where once he was hot-tempered, emotionally charged, and even murderous, he was now meek, patient, and prayerful.  He was now able to lead the Israelites, who had been constantly complaining, repeatedly rebellious, and ungrateful.

Dear brothers and sisters, Moses’ escape, experiencing His flesh, reaching the abundance of his life.  This is also the inevitable path for our growth in life.  Are you willing?

Let us pray together……

 

11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.

12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”

14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.”

15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and 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 saved them, and watered their flock.

18 When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?”

19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”

20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.”

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah.

22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner  in a foreign land.”

23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.

24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.