Welcome back to Time in the Word. Not only is Moses on a journey, but we are too! Maybe, like a little kid, you’ve asked yourself, “Are we there yet?”. The Making of Moses: The Desert Years will give us some great insight into how God prepares us to do the tasks he has before us.
As we age, we become more and more aware that God never sends us to do His work without proper preparation. I can testify to His prep work. Some of which were years back to prepare me for some things right now. You often don’t realize it till something jogs your memory, and then you have an “Aha!” moment. God showing up in tangible things makes my heart skip a beat.
Turn in your Bible to Exodus 2:15-25. I have also linked the scripture digitally right here.
Run Forest! Run!
Not to make light of Moses’ bad judgment, by using a line from the movie “Forest Gump” but running is indeed what Moses needed to do. Last week’s devotional focus had us watching Moses growing up Egyptian but with knowledge of his Hebrew heritage. Then we witnessed him commit murder as he felt there would be no one who would fairly judge what went on between the task-master and the slave.
For murdering an Egyptian, Pharaoh tried to kill Moses and Moses ran for his life. This run led him into the desert country of Midian, which is south of Judah. Here, he wanders to a well (wells seem to be a great place to find a wife for Bible folks) and meets his future wife, Zipporah. Zipporah is the daughter of Jethro, a Priest of Midian. Jethro is chief of a large tribe of people, which incidentally is a distant cousin of Moses.
Moses saves the day for Jethro’s seven daughters, who have taken on the tending of Jethro’s flock. Sounds like the girls had trouble with certain other shepherds who brought their flocks to the same well. These shepherds like to take advantage of the girls by letting them draw water for Jethro’s sheep and then push out Jethro’s sheep, and bring in their own sheep to drink from the troughs. What’s a girl to do? Go home and cry to your dad about it?
Family Man
Moses hit it off with Jethro and lived with Jethro’s family for a period of time before being given Zipporah as his wife. So began Moses’ new life with a wife, soon to follow- two boys, his own tent, and a flock of sheep. All the while Mt. Sinai (Horeb), the mount of God, surrounded him.
For forty years Moses learned the ways of a shepherd tending sheep. Moses had no idea God was developing shepherding skills that soon would transfer over to the shepherding of the Israelites out of Egypt. Can you find a desert in your life where God developed skills to prepare you for something else?
God never sends us out without giving us the proper training! Till next week, when Moses encounters the burning bush and God asks Moses to return to Egypt to lead his people out of bondage. Thanks for joining me here in Time in the Word.
Michele Bruxvoort is sure to draw you in with her delightful sense of humor and love for living life. She enjoys reading, repurposing, as well as remodeling the family home with her husband. Drawing from her life experience as wife, mom, and follower of Jesus, Michele brings you a very honest and real perspective on life. When you don’t find her writing, you can find her mowing lawns, stocking shelves, taking care of her grandbaby and tackling her latest life adventure.
Wisconsin native and empty-nester, she now makes her home with her husband of 27 years in the South West Prairie plains of Minnesota.