Moses: Day 5

Friday, September 3

A Prince in Egypt to a Shepherd in Midian

Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” Exodus 2:21

Suggested reading: Exodus 2:21-25

Moses the Hebrew, who became an Egyptian prince, was now a shepherd in Midian. My Bible commentary explains it well: “What a contrast between Moses’ life as an Egyptian prince and his life as a Midianite shepherd! As a prince he had everything done for him; he was the famous son of an Egyptian princess. As a shepherd he had to do everything for himself; he was holding the very job he had been taught to despise, and he lived as an unknown foreigner. What a humbling experience this must have been for Moses! But God was preparing him for leadership. Living the life of a shepherd and nomad, Moses learned about the ways of the people he would be leading and also about life in the desert. Moses couldn’t appreciate this lesson, but God was getting him ready to free Israel from Pharaoh’s grasp.”

While Moses was learning his trade in Midian, the Israelite slaves back in Egypt were still under much oppression. They cried to the Lord. God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them (v.24).

After 40 years of shepherding, God deemed Moses ready for his next assignment.

Thoughts:

Have you ever had a season in your life of wondering what in the world God was up to? Consider Moses’s forty years as a shepherd. God was grooming him for his “next thing.” When I think back on my college years, I can relate in a small way. To put it bluntly, I went to school to swim; academics was necessary, and I did the work, but it was very secondary at that point in my life. I majored in English and minored in History by default because math and science were NOT for me. Little did I know that 10 years later I would become a writer. But God knew that in my future, he would birth a desire in me to share His word through the avenue of writing. Learning the skill of reading, writing, and researching in my “aimless” college years contributed to what I LOVE to do today.

Be encouraged by Moses the shepherd. Your days, months, years in the Lord’s hands, even the uncertain ones, are never in vain.

Going deeper and sweeter: Isaiah 57:15; Jeremiah 29:11-13; 1 Corinthians 15:58

Dear Lord,

You know the way that I take; and when you have refined me, I will come forth as gold (Job 23:10). Thank you for this truth in every season of life. Help us to trust you with the unknown. Amen.