Wednesday Classic Service Central Baptist Church Series: The Life of

“The Prince Becomes a Shepherd” Exodus 2:11-25

We have all thought about different people, different biblical characters, that we are going to want to talk to when we get to Heaven. I can imagine there might be a long line of folks wanting to sit down with Moses. The life of this one man flows throughout the book of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. And, the life of Moses in the OT sets the stage for the life of Christ in the NT.

As this study began, we were introduced to the dawning of this deliverer for God’s people. As we are introduced to the book of Exodus, we are reminded of how the Israelites had grown in number in the land of Egypt. The reason this is the case is because God had made a promise and covenant with Abram that he would be the father of many nations. His offspring would be like the stars in the sky and the sands on the shore. And, even though the Pharaoh sought to stop the plan of God and thwart the will of God, God continued to fulfill His word and accomplish that which He desired. Remember, nothing can stop the plan and purposes of God and nothing is more certain than the word of God. God is committed to His word and He will fulfill it. But, we, also, learned that how God fulfills His word is oftentimes confusing to us. God is creative in His ways. And, much of that creativity is to teach us to put our faith and our trust in Him. God allowed the Hebrews to experience the slavery in Egypt for a reason. Unless you are enslaved, there can’t be a delivery. Unless the people were captured, they couldn’t be freed. Now, remember, God had worked the situation out in Joseph’s life as to bring about his leadership in the land of Egypt. And, because of Joseph’s position, all the children of Israel would come to Egypt to live and escape the famine. But, Egypt was not where they belonged. There was something better for them. And, it would be the man Moses that would lead God’s people to a better land that flowed with milk and honey. Through the protective and provisional hand of God, just like God put Joseph in Egypt, God put Moses in Egypt for a purpose. My friend, in the darkest of days, God can work the greatest works in our lives when we trust in Him, His word, and His plan.

So, Moses has been spared. God rescued Him. The plan and act of faith of Amram and Jochebed worked and Moses is being raised in Pharaoh’s palace. But, change is coming once again in the story.

Read Exodus 2:11-25

From the testimony of Stephen in the book of Acts chapter 7, we learn that Moses was 40 years old when he struck the Egyptian. So, between verses 24 and verse 25, 40 years had passed. The text says that Moses had “grown up.” He is an adult and is prince in the Egyptian palace. He had been raised in the house of Pharaoh. Stephen’s testimony, also, tells us that Moses was well-educated and he was a man of power in words and deeds. Moses could speak a word and things got done. He had authority. The historian, Josephus, tells us that Moses was being groomed to be the next king of Egypt because Pharaoh didn’t have a son.

But, Moses wasn’t an Egyptian. He was a Hebrew. How, Moses knew that he was a Hebrew is unclear. Some scholars believe that Moses was still allowed to interact with his mother and father and family. Upon finding Moses in the river Nile, Pharaoh’s daughter immediately knew that Moses was a Hebrew boy. And, she allowed Moses’ mother to nurse him until it was time for Moses to enter into the palace. (It’s only by the hand of God that Moses is allowed in the palace. Remember, Pharaoh was seeking to kill the Hebrew boys, not bring them home! Maybe, the Pharaoh thought he needed to keep His “friends close and His enemies closer.”) Historians suggest that the one who nursed Moses would continue to be the nanny of Moses at certain times. If this was true, then, obviously, Jochebed would teach Moses who he really was and who the one-true eternal God really was. But, we simply don’t know how Moses knew of his Hebrew heritage.

But, he did know it. As the years passed in the life of Moses, as the text says when he “had grown up” Moses identified with who he really was as a Hebrew instead of an Egyptian prince. And, as Moses identified as a Hebrew, he became more and more motivated to do something about the situation “his people” were in.

Oh, but, there were lessons to be learned before God could use Him.

The Lesson of Capability (vs. 11-15)

The first lesson that Moses learned in this passage is that if the Hebrews were going to be rescued from slavery in Egypt, it would not be through the position or power of Moses. Moses quickly learned that he was incapable.

As the text describes, Moses goes out of the palace one day and sees the burdens of His people as they slaved in the sun. And, then Moses sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. We don’t know why this beating was taking place. But, when Moses saw it, the emotions of Moses rose up inside of him and he decided to act. He looked around to make sure no one would see what he would do and when he thought the coast was clear, Moses steps in and strikes the Egyptian dead and then buries him in the sand.

Now, we don’t have the conversation that might have taken place after this. We don’t know if the Hebrew said anything to Moses. We don’t know if Moses said anything to the Hebrew. One could conclude that Moses may have told the Hebrew to keep quiet about the matter because of what the text says in the next verse. The text doesn’t record it. But, one could imagine that something would have been said. One can imagine that the Hebrew would have been thankful. One might could imagine that Moses might have thought of himself as a sort of hero in this moment since the Egyptian would have likely killed the Hebrew in the beating. But, what is certainly known is that in this moment, Moses sought to identify with the Hebrews more than the Egyptians.

So, the next day, Moses is out with his people once again. And, this time, he sees two Hebrews fighting with one another. Moses steps in and seeks to break up the fight and asked why one was striking the other. And, the response that Moses received from one of his own was not what he thought it would be. The Hebrew asked if Moses was going to kill him like he did the Egyptian. And, at this moment, Moses knew word was out, Pharaoh knew, and his life was now in danger.

Now, there is something to see about the life of Moses that changed in this moment. No longer was Moses welcomed in the house of Pharaoh. He was being sought by Pharaoh. Here was the Prince of Egypt now betraying the Pharaoh. The one that Pharaoh though would be the next king has now abandoned him. I can imagine Pharaoh thinking, “I spared you once, but, I will not spare your life again.” Moses had lost his position and his welcome in Pharaoh’s house. But, Moses wasn’t welcomed by the Hebrew people. The Hebrews rejected him. They still saw him as an Egyptian. I can imagine there being much animosity towards Moses from the Hebrews because of the upbringing he experienced. So, Moses wasn’t welcomed as an Egyptian or Hebrew anymore. He had no power in Egypt and he was rejected as a leader from the Hebrews. Any capability that Moses thought he might have had to rescue the Hebrews was now gone.

Have you ever learned the lesson of incapability? It’s a hard lesson to learn and experience. It’s one of those lessons that usually has to be experienced in order to be learned. It can be taught. But, most often the lesson is caught. I can tell my children that picking up this heavy object in going to be impossible for them. But, my son will still try to pick it up. It’s only after he attempts to pick up the heavy object and fails that he learns the lesson. Here was Moses, the future deliverer of God’s people, the one that would accomplish great and mighty things for the glory of God, learning the lesson of incapability in a hard way.

My friend, it’s not until we realize that we are incapable of accomplishing great things for God’s Kingdom that we are then positioned to be capable of accomplishing great things for God’s Kingdom. The capability is not ours. It’s God’s.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Did you see the result of relying upon your own capability to do the work of God instead of relying upon the capability of God to do the work of God? It’s that of fear. Fear had now overtaken the heart and life of Moses because Moses had relied upon his position and power and his identity instead of the Lord.

If we are going to be the people of God and do the work of God as the church of God, then we must learn the lesson of our incapability. God’s work and the movement of God will always be accomplished by God through us. A daily prayer we ought to pray is, “God teach me to rely upon You and who You are in me and not my own capabilities to do that which you want me to do and be that which you want me to be.”

The Lesson of Humility (vs. 16-22)

So, Moses flees Egypt and heads to the land of the Midianites. Now, remember, Moses is fleeing the only home he has known. He is fleeing his Egyptian family and the family of Hebrews. And, he flees to the land of Midian. These were relatives of the Hebrews. They were step-siblings. Midian was born to ’s second wife, Keturah, after the death of Sarah. And, it was among these that Moses finds himself learning the second lesson from the Lord – the lesson of humility.

As the story goes, Moses finds himself sitting beside a well when the daughters of Jethro arrive to draw water. Shepherds in the region were giving them a hard time and Moses steps in and defends the women and even helps water the flock. Their father, Reuel or Jethro, finds out about it and calls for Moses. And, still seen as an Egyptian, Moses is welcomed into Jethro’s home and married one of his daughters, Zipporah. They have a son. And, the text says that Moses becomes content with his new situation of simply being a shepherd in Midian under the hand of Jethro.

Now, this is such a contrast to the scene of Egypt. In fact, Egyptians were taught that shepherds were the lowest of society. Now, Moses had become one and married into the shepherding family. Whereas, Moses had everything provided for him in Egypt with servants at his beckoning call, Moses was now providing for himself and his wife and helping with the duties of being a shepherd. And so, for forty years, Moses is taught the lesson of humility as a shepherd. And, he would need it in order to shepherd the people of Israel.

One might think that if the children of Israel were going to be freed by the leadership of Moses, God would have used him while he was young and in a place of power and authority in Egypt. But, it would be the direct opposite. In order for Moses to be strong, Moses needed to learn what it was like to be meek and dependent upon God.

In order to lead God’s people, Moses would need humility because humility submits to the Lord.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:10

In order to lead God’s people, Moses would need humility, because humility brings about wisdom.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

In order to lead God’s people, Moses would need humility, because humility allows for compassion and sympathy.

“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.” 1 Peter 3:8

Oh, if there is something you and I need to know and learn on a daily basis as God’s people, it’s the lesson of humility. My friend, without a spirit and attitude of humility before the Lord, you and I will not accomplish anything of value for the Kingdom.

And, the reason God wants us to learn the lesson of humility is so that we can discover His ability and His wisdom and His strength and His plan and fulfill His ways instead of our own.

The Lesson of Visibility (vs. 23-25)

Moses wasn’t the only one watching the Hebrews. God has his eye and ear on the situation. God saw and God knew. And, God remembered the word that was given to Abraham, Isaac, and . Their cries came up to God. Even though it was many days, even though the days were dark and the time was difficult, God had not forgotten His people and He had not forgotten His servant Moses.

The lesson of visibility is often a hard one to learn. The characters throughout the Bible learned this lesson. would question whether or not God saw what was taking place in his life. Job wondered the same thing. The great characters and leaders of the Kingdom all had to learn that God sees and God knows and God works in His way according to His time for His glory.

Our vision is limited to time and place. God’s vision and plan is infinite and eternal. God’s vision and plan is seen all at once by Him. And, He is putting all things in place to do that which He purposes.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer. 29:11

God saw the plans He had for Israel and for Moses. He knew what He was doing. And, the plan of God was to use a man named Moses to lead His children out of Egypt. But, before Moses was ready, the prince had to become a shepherd. He had to learn the lesson of capability and the lesson of humility and the lesson of visibility.

My friend, let’s not miss the lessons that Moses learned. We need God to great things among His people today. We need God to bring about revival among His people today. There are many who are still in the “Egypts” of today. But, if that is going to happen, it will require us to depend upon His capability and not our own. It will require us to humble ourselves before the Lord. And, it will require us to seek His vision and plan and ways and follow them as we are led by His Spirit on a daily basis.

Questions for Further Thought

1. Have you learned the lesson of capability recently? reminds us that we are capable of nothing apart from Him. Why is it so important that we depend upon the capability of the Lord in our lives instead of our own? What areas of your life do you need to rely upon His capability more than what you are currently doing?

2. Is your attitude before the Lord that of humility? The Bible says that pride goes before the fall (Prov.16:18). Are there areas of your life that you are prideful? What experiences in your life have taught you the lesson of humility before the Lord recently? Write down ways in which you can practice an humble spirit before the Lord.

3. Are you trusting that God sees what’s taking place in your life and in this world and that He is working to fulfill His perfect plan for His glory? Are you asking God on a daily basis to allow you to see with the eyes of Christ how He wants you to be used by Him?

Give me your eyes for just one second Give me your eyes so I can see, Everything that I keep missing, Give your love for humanity. Give me your arms for the broken-hearted The ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me Your eyes so I can see.

- “Give Me Your Eyes” by Brandon Heath