The next day Moses went out again, and this time he saw two of his brethren quarreling. He was going to settle their quarrel, when one of them spoke up and said, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me as thou killedst the Egyptian?” (ch. 2:14). This made Moses afraid. When we are pleasing the Lord we do not need to be afraid, but Moses, even though his intentions were good, was acting in his own energy. Now he was afraid of Pharaoh, and fled into the land of Midian. But God had His eye upon Moses. He never forgets those who are His, even though we often make mistakes.
A Stranger
Moses sat down by a well in the land of Midian, and when some women came along to draw water, he saw the other shepherds driving them away. He immediately stepped up and helped them, and watered their flock. A little act of kindness goes a long way. When the women returned home and told what had happened, Jethro, their father, sent them back to invite Moses into his home. God thus rewarded Moses for his act of kindness, and he lived with Jethro. Jethro also gave him his daughter Zipporah as his wife. This reminds us of the Lord Jesus, who, while rejected by His brethren, the Jews, is taking a Gentile bride. God tells us the church, all true believers today, is to be the bride of Christ. Moses then had a son whom he named Gershom, which means “a stranger here,” which is our position now as Christians. We are strangers in this world, and our home is in heaven. May we act like it from day to day! Wherever Moses’s son went he had to give his name as “a stranger here,” (ch. 12:43) and he would always be reminded of his position.
God Hears and Blesses
God had not forgotten His people, even though Moses had fled from Egypt and left them there. God had His eye upon them and His ear was open to their cry. He did, however, allow them to feel the bitterness of serving Pharaoh, for they had forgotten the Lord. How often God has to bring sorrow into people’s lives in order to make them turn to Him, and then when they do call upon His Name, He hears them and answers in blessing. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” (Psa. 107:88Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! (Psalm 107:8)).
How could the Lord bless the children of Israel, who were idolaters like the Egyptians? They certainly did not deserve to be brought out from under the hand of Pharaoh and back to Canaan. The only way God could bless them was through sovereign grace, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He would never forget those promises, for they were founded on that which figured the death of Christ. In this way blessing was assured to the nation, because God is faithful. “How can God bless sinners today?” we may ask. They certainly do not deserve it, and God is holy; but the work of Christ on Calvary has opened up the way for lost sinners to come and receive mercy. All God’s holy claims against sin have been fully met, and the Lord Jesus is now risen and seated at the right hand of God.
Further Meditation
1. How did God provide a wife for Moses?
2. What other Jewish men had Gentile brides?
3. You can find out about other Gentile brides that are figures of the church by reading The Church Seen Under Twelve Figures in the New Testament: A Body, a House, a Temple, a Flock, a Bride, a Wife, a Treasure, a Pearl, a Husbandry, an Inn, a Candlestick, a City by B. Anstey.