9-9-14. Exodus 2:11-22. Moses Needed 40 More Years Of Training – my devotional

Exodus 2:11-22                                                                                   Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 2:22                                                                                     9-9-14

“Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

 Lord, reveal some of your truth in my heart. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

 Part 1: It Is Never Too Late To Stand Up As One of God’s People (11-14)

Acting according to human impulse is not the answer. We need Christ to shepherd our hearts in order to make the right decisions and be a spiritual leader. Moses acted impulsively in Exodus 2:11-14, “’One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.’”

Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, but he knew that he was a Hebrew, for his own biological mother had raised him. He knew that the suffering slaves were his own people and more importantly, God’s people. He could no longer repudiate them, and turn his back on their suffering in order to enjoy princely privileges and the palace life. He realized that God had saved him and had given him the finest education in the land for a purpose. He responded in the best way that he knew how, to try to stop the slave drivers with his own human strength.

But when Moses acted out of human passion and killed an Egyptian, he found that his people resented him. They rejected his help and leadership, and he became a fugitive. The problem was that he acted out of his own, human passions and rational. He needed to pray and find God’s way. He needed God’s wisdom to find out the best possible thing to do.

How often do we just act out of our human reasoning? We are convinced that what we are saying and doing is the best possible thing to do. But later, we found out that we did, or said the wrong thing and we have burned a lot of bridges. I know I have. I have burned a lot bridges because I was convinced that what I was doing was correct. As I approach my 50^th, the years have shown me how much I need the Lord. The Lord Jesus is my Shepherd. He shows me the best possible way in every situation and I thank him for it. I am still bull headed in many ways. I am reactive before thinking and praying about something. I pray that that Holy Spirit may be my guide and help to react according to the word of God. God is there. He wants to help. We must let him.

When one acts impulsively, without prayer, then people will not follow. Look at exodus 2:13-14 again, “13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.’” In moments like Moses found himself in, we think that people will recognize our passion and follow us. But that is not the case. The sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow. (John 10) That shepherd’s voice is God and his wisdom. It is not an impulsive human being acting on impulse with no prayer. If anyone wants people to follow them it can not be because of charisma or human passion or human reasoning. They will follow a person who is following the Lord, a person that prays, a person who lives by the truth and is instep with the Spirit of God. Moses needed to grow to be such a leader.

One important thing is that Moses made a choice to be numbered among his own Hebrew people, when he stood up for the beaten slave (Exodus 2:11-12) This is important. It took him a while, until he was forty years old, but he did it. It is never too late to come out of the Christian closet. If we are Christians we can not waver between God’s family and the world. We can not be children of God and children of this world. There is no sitting on the fence. Some do sit on the fence, but this is not right. When people see us and our lives they need to see Jesus in us. They need to know the One to whom we belong, to our great God and King, Jesus Christ.

Part 2: Take Time To Learn Patience And Compassion (15-22)

Sometimes we need to embrace “quiet years” in mission in order to learn patience and compassion.  Look at Exodus 2:15-22, “15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”

When Moses fled into the wilderness of Midian, he lost everything. He had no direction in his life. He was only trying to survive. But God was leading him. There in the wilderness he met Jethro and began to build a new life. Dreams of helping his oppressed people were gone. He married a girl (of a different religion) and started to raise a family, and for the next 40 years he took care of the sheep of his father-in-law. But God who heard the groaning of his people was training one proud and able man to be a humble shepherd who can wait on God and take care of his family members with love and compassion. This is the best training to be a spiritual leader.

There are times when we feel like we want to just get things done quickly. We want God to move now. We don’t want to wait on the Lord. We become impatient. I am sure that God wants to move as quickly as possible, but he also wants to prepare, us, his people in the best possible way. For Moses it took 80 years…forty years while living in the palace of Egypt and another 40 years while living in the desert of Midian.

In regards to the Mission to the North, I just want to get things done quickly and jump into things with both feet. But a wise person once told me that anyone who wants to get involved in Native ministry must dedicate themselves to a life long trajectory of learning. Another missionary told me that it takes years to be trusted to be a minister of the Gospel in a community. I have been approaching this ministry for about two years now and it is slow going. But I can see the wisdom of moving slowly and growing in knowledge and understanding and through every “God given” experience. Even yesterday I deeply began to understand the wisdom of praying to send missionaries to the most remote and inaccessible regions. It was an epiphany. It takes time. You can not rush God. He has so many things to teach us that we can not even imagine at this time.

There was a good purpose in Moses working as a shepherd and marrying and having kids. He needed to grow in compassion and gentleness and understanding. In the past I would have thought that spending time working a menial job and raising a family was not the primary objective. I would long to get to the heart of the mission and not be side tracked. My heart was not at rest. I thought I was spiritual, but how wrong I was! There are so many spiritual things to learn, that God is using and will continue to use. Moses really needed those 40 years in the desert raising his family and taking care of sheep. There was no getting around it. He needed to embrace it all and grow through it.

Prayer: “Lord, I want to be impulsive and not pray nor follow the leading of your spirit. Forgive me for being rash and impatient. Help me to be a man of God who patiently waits on and follows you step by step.”

One Word: God is teaching us patience, faith and compassion.