In our passage yesterday Moses killed an Egyptian for mistreating a Hebrew. Pharaoh found out and intended to execute Moses but Moses managed to flee to the land of Midian instead. We find him today resting by a well, tired and dusty and dejected.
"Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs for their father's flock." (Exodus 2:16) Scholars believe this priest is a descendant of Abraham through Abraham's second wife, Keturah. Midian was the name of one of Keturah's sons and it's likely that the area of Midian was named after him. If this is the case, then the priest of Midian is a priest of the one true God. Moses fled Egypt after a failed attempt to deliver his people who worship the God of Abraham, but in Midian he's about to meet up with others who worship the God of Abraham. If Moses had remained in Egypt he would have ended up in an arranged marriage with the daughter of an idolatrous high-ranking official or the daughter of a pagan priest, but in Midian he will meet and marry a godly woman.
Moses doesn't allow what happened to him in Egypt to keep him from maintaining a spirit of helpfulness. Something in him just naturally gravitates to those who are being oppressed. The daughters of the priest are trying to water their father's flock but a group of male shepherds rudely shoos the ladies away so the men can water their flocks first. Moses comes to these ladies' aid. "Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock." (Exodus 2:17) As a ex-crown prince of Egypt, Moses would have been an army general for the king of Egypt. He would have bravely led soldiers into battle. He's not afraid of a few shepherds and he strides forward to teach the rude shepherds some manners. I can't help picturing the seven young ladies giggling and glancing at each other because they think he's an impressive figure of a man, strong and muscular and brave with a commanding and courageous air about him. He singlehandedly keeps the shepherds at bay while he fills the troughs for the ladies and makes certain their sheep have plenty of time to drink their fill of water.
"When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, 'Why have you returned so early today?'" (Exodus 2:18) He fears something has gone wrong and that they weren't able to water the flock. I think, based on the reply these girls give their father below, the harassment from the shepherds was a regular occurrence and that this man's daughters usually had to take their turn at the well last. Their sudden appearance back home makes him think this time the shepherds chased them completely away from the well.
"They answered, 'An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.'" (Exodus 2:19) Moses does not look like a Hebrew or a Canaanite or a Midianite. He wears the hairstyle and the clean shaven face of an Egyptian. He wears the clothing of an Egyptian. Although he can understand and speak the language of the Hebrews, I think he does it with an Egyptian accent. Soon, though, he'll wear the robes of a shepherd. He'll look just like the family into which he is going to marry. Though there are some Scriptural and historical errors in the movie "The Ten Commandments", I think by the time Moses goes back to Egypt he looks very much like Charleton Heston did when he said to Yul Brynner, "Let my people go!"
Reuel scolds his daughters for their lack of hospitality toward the man who helped them. "'And where is he?' Reuel asked his daughters. 'Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.'" (Exodus 2:20) He says, "Girls, where are your manners? Why didn't you invite him for a good meal in return for his assistance? Go at once and ask him to our house for dinner!"
I want to stop here to point out that Reuel will later be called Jethro in the book of Exodus. In fact, he'll be referred to as Jethro far more than he's ever called Reuel. Scholars believe these two names represent the same man and that this is not a contradiction of any kind. (Other men of the Bible use more than one name; Jacob, for example, also went by Israel.) "Reuel" means "friend of God" and this was probably his given name at birth. "Jethro" means something like "excellency" and this could be a reference to his status as priest. I refer to the man who leads my church by his given name sometimes and at other times I refer to him simply as "pastor". No matter which of these names I use, my fellow church members know exactly who I mean. The people of Midian may have called Moses' father something like "His Excellency, Reuel, Priest Of Midian", but if they simply called him either "Reuel" or "Jethro" everyone would have known who they meant. We'll find Moses calling his father-in-law Jethro from here on out and I think he does it as a sign of respect---calling him "Your Excellency" or "His Excellency" instead of calling him by his given name.
Reuel and Moses hit it off right away. I am sure Moses sat at the dinner table and told the story of his life and explained why he's living in exile from Egypt. Impressed by Moses' compassion for the Hebrew people who are---through Abraham---related to Reuel, this man invites Moses to work for him. Reuel apparently has no sons and he can clearly see how the addition of Moses to his family would be a blessing, so in time he arranges the marriage of Moses to one of his daughters. "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 a foreigner in a foreign land.'" (Exodus 2:21-22) "Gershom" means "banishment". Moses feels he's been banished to Egypt. He's given up on his ambitious plan to deliver the Hebrews from oppression in Egypt. He thinks God has cast him aside and plans to use someone else to deliver the people instead. But God has not given up on Moses. God has not revoked his calling upon Moses' life. At the right time and in the right way, Moses is going to return to Egypt in the name and in the power of the living God.
No comments:
Post a Comment