EXODUS 2
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. – Exodus 2:11-15
EXODUS 2 MOSES’ COMPASSION FOR HIS PEOPLE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Pharaoh’s daughter adopted Moses in their household
Moses was raised and educated in the Egyptian ways and culture
But he had so much compassion for these oppressed Hebrews
When he witnessed them being beaten up, he defended them.
In this account, we witness God’s work in Moses’ heart. Even though he must have been raised in the household of Pharaoh as an Egyptian, he still belonged to God. According to Brittanica.com, Moses must have been twenty-five when this event happened. He took the inspection tour of his oppressed people at the height of his youth. That is probably why he was strong enough to strike the abusive Egyptian and bury him himself. Some commentaries say he was forty when he left Egypt. According to bibleref.com, the mother of Moses cared for him until the time he was weaned and could eat solid food. This would have been at least a year. Many children in ancient cultures were nursed until two or even three years old. The most formative time of Moses’ early life remained in the arms of his own mother during a time when baby boys his age were killed. Naturally, when he saw the hardship of his own people, he had that compassion for them.
God led Moses into the land of Midian to flee so he can be prepared for the deliverance of God’s people. He was humbled to tend to his father-in-law’s sheep in the land of Midian, where God showed himself in the burning bush to him.
REFLECTION
- Why do you think it was necessary for Moses to flee to go to Midian?
