“And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”(Exodus 2:12)
Moses, as you can tell, had a temper. Given all of the possible ways Moses could have done things, he didn’t. And that is part of God’s plan. Moses had killed an Egyptian, he knew that he had been found out, and knew the Pharaoh would kill him. So, he did the only thing he could think of…he ran. He ran directly to where God wanted him to be.
Moses ran to the Midianites. Did Moses know of them? Probably. The Midianites are mentioned in Genesis 25:2,4. Abraham’s wife Sarah had died and he married Keturah who gave him a son named Midian. Abraham did not bless them, but he did send them off with goods. The most famous meeting of Midianites was when they took Joseph as a slave to Egypt. How well he knew them is not known. He would have known they were traders in goods and slaves.
Moses married the daughter of Reuel (means “friend of God”) . Over the next 40 years Moses is educated by God.
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.” (Ex 3:1) Note the difference in the names of his father in law. Jethro means “Excellency”, a high level official in the tribe of Midian.
God begins by speaking to Moses from a burning bush. (Exodus 3:2-22)
- The first step is to remove your shoes. God wants closeness, shoes are of the world.
- God has seen the afflictions on Israel.
- God tells Moses that God will be with him.
- Moses wants to know God’s Name. God says, “I AM”. God further states he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
- God promises his wonders to force Pharaoh to let Israel go.
God continues to teach Moses. (Exodus 4)
- He shows Moses just three of the wonders God will show.
- Moses does not see himself as worthy of public speaking. God promises to be Moses’s mouth and teach him what to say.
- God sends Aaron, Moses’s brother, to be the spokesman for Moses.
- God teaches Moses of the signs he will do.
- God reminds Moses, through his wife Zipporah, to adhere to the laws of God. In this case circumcision.
Moses and Aaron meet and then go to Egypt to meet with all the Elders in Israel.
“30And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (Exodus 4:30-31)
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