That Man Moses

Exodus 2:11‑15  •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 5
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There wasn’t very much about Egypt that Moses didn’t know. Not only was he very smart, he was a good speaker too. He was also in a very important position as the adopted son of the king’s daughter. It was enough to make any man proud of himself and sure of his future.
But there was something inside Moses’ heart that made him unhappy. There were people in Egypt who were having a rough time. They were working very hard as slaves and getting scoldings and beatings instead of pay. This specially bothered him because he knew who his real parents were - he knew that by birth he really was one of those slaves. It was as if they were his own brothers, and his good life in the palace could not make him forget that those slaves were really his people.
One day Moses went by himself to watch them working, but he saw more than that. He saw an Egyptian beating one of his own hard-working people, and that was not fair. Moses was a strong man himself, so he looked this way and that way to make sure no one was watching. Then he killed that Egyptian and buried him in the sand.
But you can never be sure. If you want to hide what you are doing, you had better not do it.
Moses went out again another day and saw a fight, but this time it was two of his own people who were fighting each other. This time he wanted to be a peacemaker so that they would be friends again. But the attacker was angry at Moses for breaking up the fight. Who made you a prince and a judge over us? he asked. Will you kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
Now Moses knew that someone had seen what he had done to that Egyptian and that the king would hear about it. When Moses saw that he was in trouble, he quickly left Egypt and the good life that he had in the palace and went away to Midian to live. But his people were still slaves in Egypt, working under hard conditions as brick builders for the king.
God had a great work for Moses to do, but he was not ready for it yet. And God had a great surprise for those poor, hard-working slaves, but they were not ready for it either.
Don’t be angry if God keeps you waiting. He wants you to be ready for His blessing. You may ask, “Ready? How can I be ready?” You are ready when you will let God have His way. He loves you and wants to save you from your sins right now, through the precious blood of His dear Son. Are you ready to let Him save you? or do you want to argue with Him first?
Moses was already a saved man, but his riches and education and strength did not make him ready to be used by God to save his people from slavery. It is God who is wise and strong and loving, not Moses or you or me. Are you ready to be used by Him to help others?
While Moses was living elsewhere, he learned what God wanted him to know. After many years, God sent him back again to Egypt, and he did deliver his people from slavery. Have you and I learned that God is always right?
“As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried [proven]” (Psalm 18:30).