Preparing Moses

You’ve probably heard of the burning bush.

And the 10 plagues of Egypt (frogs, river of blood, locusts, etc.).

And I am sure you’ve heard of the parting of the Red Sea.

All of these impressive biblical events were linked to Moses, but those aren’t the stories we will be discussing today. There is a period in Moses’ life that most people overlook. Without it, none of the events listed above would have happened (at least not in the same way).

Let’s start with a few quick facts about Moses that we learn in chapter 2 of Exodus.

First, he was a Hebrew, raised by Egyptians (and miraculously, partially by his real mother, but that’s a whole other post).

Secondly, he was born during a time when the Pharaoh had commanded that all Hebrew baby boys be killed (another miracle that he survived this).

Thirdly, he was a murderer.

Let me take that back.

Instead, I will say that he killed a man. I don’t believe that our actions and life choices should define who we are. I don’t go around calling people by the names of their sins, and I shouldn’t have done it in Moses’ case either. Was it wrong that he killed a man because that man was striking another? Absolutely! We all know murder is wrong, so we won’t dwell on that moment of weakness other than to say that God uses imperfect people to complete His perfect will. If He only chose perfect people to do His work, He wouldn’t have anyone to choose from, now would He?

Moses knew what he had done was wrong, and to avoid capital punishment, he fled to Midian. There, he met the daughters of the priest of Midian. He helped them by driving away some annoying shepherds and watering the girls' flock.

Of course, the girls were overjoyed and ran to tell their father about this Egyptian who had rescued them [insert some blushing and “oohs” and “ahhs”]. Their father shared their gratitude and wanted to thank Moses for his heroism, so Jethro gave his daughter, Zipporah, to Moses as his wife. What a thank you gift!

Now, we are finally at the part of the story that I want to share with you today. Verse 1 of the third chapter of Exodus says, “Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.

The Israelites (aka Hebrews, Moses’ people) were suffering under Egyptian rule in Egypt. They were crying out to God, and meanwhile, Moses was shepherding sheep. Of course, no one knew at the time that he was going to rescue them from their slavery, but such an odd task for a soon-to-be rescuer of a whole nation, don’t you think?

Not really.

As he was shepherding the sheep, God was preparing Moses to be a shepherd of people. He would soon be called by God, via that burning bush I mentioned at the beginning of this post, to go to Egypt and set the Israelites free. Free to then wander in the desert for 40 years. There, he would lead them and continually remind them of God’s presence and promise. As humans do, even with the reminders, they continued to forget about how God had been faithful. They existed in a continual cycle of thinking they knew best, struggling, repenting, and then going back to that narcissistic stage. Without Moses’ time as a shepherd of sheep, he would not have been equipped to lead God’s people through their turmoil and strife.

We don’t know much about Moses’ time as a shepherd of sheep, but we do know that he had been gone from Egypt for 40 years. The number 40 in the bible is associated with testing, which is intended to help the person become more spiritually aware (other examples: Elijah, Jesus, the Israelites, etc.). God had taken Moses away from what he knew and the land he grew up in and brought him into the wilderness. Not only did God separate Moses from people, influence, affluence, education, and creature comforts, He employed him as a simple shepherd and prepared him for major impact.

Have you experienced a time when it felt like God took you from what you knew and brought you somewhere new and unknown? Maybe it was graduating college and joining the workforce, or becoming a new mother, or moving to a different city. It could be that you’re serving in a place you least expected to find yourself, or stuck in a situation that doesn’t seem to be leading anywhere. God often changes our circumstances so that He can prepare us for what’s coming next. If you are feeling lonely or secluded, find refuge in the Father. Lean into Him and ask Him what He is trying to teach you.

When you are in these moments, seasons, years of transition, God will challenge you, pursue you, and mold you into who He needs you to be for whatever is coming next. It can certainly feel scary or stressful, but choose to focus on how to impact others while in your own Midian.

On a grand scale, I think about the disruption that we have all experienced for the past (almost) two years as we have endured so many unknowns. It has certainly felt overwhelming at times, confusing at others, but refreshing in the moments when I was able to be still in His presence and realize that He has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, in a pandemic, facing identity crises, and forever. We serve a God who is mightily aware of what is happening in our world, but who has seen it all. He is in control. God wins. He knows our human hearts, and He loves us despite the condition of them.

Through this disruption, have you taken the opportunity to be a light, share your hope, and live for the kingdom, or have you hunkered down or squirreled away praying to have your “normalcy” back?

Let God use your moments of waiting to prepare you for what He will soon set before you.