The Failed Evacuation: Moses Murders

The Failed Evacuation: Moses Murders Summary and Goal Moses, deciding to take matters into his own hands, failed his own plan at evacuating God s people. But even murder does not prevent God from using His chosen vessels. When we try to do things the way we think they should be done or assume we have the authority before earning the right, it never works. But God didn t forget Moses; rather, God allowed ensuing circumstances to prepare him for the future. Main Passages Exodus 2:11-25 Session Outline 1. The Right Thing the Wrong Way (Exodus 2:11-12) 2. When Sin Becomes Known (Exodus 2:13-20) 3. A Humble, New Beginning (Exodus 2:21-25) Theological Theme Moses tried to achieve what he thought God wanted through his own means and failed miserably in his sin. God, however, is a God of restoration who continued to use Moses for His purposes after his restoration. Christ Connection Everyone is in need of restoration and redemption. Christ not only redeems us from our sinfulness, He also makes us useful to God in the gospel. Missional Application Believers cannot allow their past failure to erase them from gospel effectiveness. A repentant heart can be restored from sin to gospel usefulness through the grace of Jesus Christ. 18 Leader Guide

Historical Context of Exodus Purpose To record the events of Israel s deliverance from Egypt and development as a nation Author Moses Date Written 1450 1410 B.C., approximately the same as Genesis Where Written In the desert during Israel s wanderings, somewhere in the Sinai peninsula Setting Egypt. God s people, once highly favored in the land, are now slaves. God is about to set them free. Key Verses 7 Then the Lord said, I have observed the misery of My people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings.... 10 Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. Exodus 3:7,10 Key People Moses, Miriam, Pharaoh, Pharaoh s daughter, Jethro, Aaron, Joshua, Bezalel Key Places Egypt, Goshen, Nile River, Midian, Red Sea, Sinai Peninsula, Mount Sinai Special Features Exodus relates more miracles than any other Old Testament book and is noted for containing the Ten Commandments. Excerpted from the Life Application Study Bible (NIV). Tyndale House Publishes, 2003. Date of My Bible Study: 19

2 Session Plan The Failed Evacuation: Moses Murders For Further Discussion Name some figures in Scripture who God used in spite of their sin and brokenness. For Further Discussion How do you process your own sin when someone asks you to be a part of ministry efforts? How would you describe a healthy, biblical view of personal sin? Introduction Describe a time in your life when you were frustrated with how slowly God seemed to be moving in regard to a particular need you had. How did you deal with the frustration? In this week s session, Scripture speaks of Moses failure in attempting to lead his people. Moses had a good thing in mind as his goal liberating the oppressed people of God and stopping their suffering. The problem was that, instead of waiting for God to move on behalf of His people in His own time, Moses rushed ahead and sought to take care of the matter in his own way. Doing so involved Moses succumbing to the sin of murder and the consequential fear. 1. The Right Thing the Wrong Way (Exodus 2:11-12) Following the narrative of Moses birth and adoption, the action of Exodus skipped ahead approximately 36 years. From the description of the events, it is clear that Moses identified strongly with the people being oppressed by the Egyptians. Moses was certainly not wrong in his desire to see an end to the oppression of his people God s people. In fact, God Himself had that same desire, as the coming verses of Exodus will reveal. However, Moses took a good and noble desire and attempted to fulfill it in an evil way. He refused to wait on God to deliver His people, and attempted to lead them himself under his own power and insight. How do you naturally respond to injustice? Does your natural, immediate response prompt you toward a sin like Moses did? If so, how do you hold those emotions in check? How have you seen God move in your life to bring resolution to unjust situations or conflicts? Did you ever try to handle it on your own? What happened? 2. When Sin Becomes Known (Exodus 2:13-20) Despite his scheming, Moses actions did not go unnoticed. Where Moses had intended to finally and officially align himself with his 20 Leader Guide

Hebrew countrymen, his actions and their discovery had left him even more estranged from the Hebrews and as a fugitive of justice from the Egyptians. Instead of being a man choosing between two people groups, he was now a man without a country. What does it indicate that Moses checked to make sure there were not witnesses before the murder? Would his actions have been different if witnesses had been knowingly present? Why do you think sin in secret seems more acceptable? How does the resulting fear of exposure change a person s behavior? 3. A Humble, New Beginning (Exodus 2:21-25) Having fled to Midian, only to enter into another episode of ending oppression (Reuel s seven daughters attacked by shepherds), Moses found a home with Reuel, the priest of Midian. In very much a summary form, verses 20-22 move quickly from Moses rescuing Reuel s daughters, to being invited to dinner, to settling in Reuel s homestead, to marrying Reuel s daughter, Zipporah. Following his betrothal to Zipporah, she bore him a son. Moses named the child Gershom, a meaning that carried a somber recognition of his perpetual outsider status. The naming of his son, then, is a sign of his own brokenness. However, while all of these events took place, God remembered the covenant. He was never absent, negligent, or too busy. God saw the Israelites, and His taking notice strongly foreshadowed that help was on its way. How significant of a role do your hometown, family, and friends play in your understanding of your identity? Describe a time when you felt like you were starting over. Maybe it was professionally or relationally. How did it impact your view of God or His care for you? Conclusion Have you ever tried to do the right thing, the wrong way? Why is it important to consider the character of God when we act out of passion? When you think about the difficult decisions and conversations you have coming up in the next week or two, how does it strike you to read that, in the midst of their desperation, God took notice of the Israelites? When have you been tempted to think that God wasn t taking notice of you recently? How does it feel to know He absolutely does? For Further Discussion What seasons of failure or difficulty have made you search for a better understanding of who God is? What did you find out? Who do you know that needs to benefit from what you ve already learned? Session 2 21

Expanded Session Content 2 The Failed Evacuation: Moses Murders Introduction One of the great treasures of the Bible is the way in which it illustrates itself. It never strives to hide the frailty and fallenness of even its most central figures. To the contrary, the more central the character to what God is doing at that point in history, the more the person s life tends to be laid open for all to see. As a result, readers of the Bible know a great deal about the imperfections of the people who God has chosen to use in mighty ways. For all of the incredible things God did in Abraham s life, we also know that he forced his wife to lie so ruling dignitaries in foreign lands wouldn t kill him. Feeling as though God was not moving quickly enough in fulfilling the promise of a son, Abraham had a child with his wife s servant at his wife s suggestion. The big headlines of King David s life include defeating Goliath, becoming the gold standard for Israelite kings, and the adultery, deception, and murder that he initiated in regard to Bathsheba. The prophet Elijah, though doing miraculous things for God, repeatedly prayed that God would take his life so he didn t have to continue. The entire Book of Judges is one biographical look after another of fallen leaders and anti-heroes who God used to govern His people. The reason this is a treasure that the Bible gives us is because it repeatedly demonstrates that God is not limited to the abilities of a chosen leader, and neither is God hindered by the frailty of the leaders He chooses to use. The one critical component, however, in the accounts in which the frailty of the leader is redeemed, is the humility and contrition of the leader following failure. God is a God of restoration for those with a penitent heart and humble spirit. What other figures in Scripture do you know who God used in spite of their sin and brokenness? How do you process your own sin when someone asks you to be a part of ministry efforts? How would you describe a healthy, biblical view of personal sin? 22 Leader Guide

Describe a time in your life when you were frustrated with how slowly God seemed to be moving in regard to a particular need you had. How did you deal with the frustration? Session Summary In this week s session, Scripture speaks of Moses failure in attempting to lead his people. Moses had a good thing in mind as his goal liberating the oppressed people of God and stopping their suffering. The problem was that, instead of waiting for God to move on behalf of His people in His own time, Moses rushed ahead and sought to take care of the matter in his own way. Doing so involved Moses succumbing to the sin of murder and the consequential fear. While it is tempting to believe that after such atrocity, God would wash His hands of such a man, Exodus paints a completely different picture of restoration. Importantly, that picture is not one of immediate dismissal of sin based on God s plan to use someone. Rather, restoration always involves a process of repentance and spiritual growth. 1. The Right Thing the Wrong Way (Exodus 2:11-12) Following the narrative of Moses birth and adoption, the action of Exodus skipped ahead approximately 36 years. Many theatrical depictions of this scene give the impression that Moses is a young adult. Moses was, in fact, approximately 40 years old. The 120 years of his life are divided into equal thirds: 40 years in Egypt; 40 years in exile in the Sinai wilderness; 40 years leading God s people, beginning with the events leading up to the exodus. By the time the events covered by these two verses occurred, Moses had been living as an adopted foreigner in the royal estate of the King of Egypt for the last 36 years. It is not difficult to imagine, then, how aware he was that he was not an Egyptian. From the description of the events, it is clear that Moses identified strongly with the people being oppressed by the Egyptians. Verse 11 uses some variance of his own people twice to describe the Hebrews. The intent of Moses going to his people was to observe their harsh labor. Whatever the beating of the Hebrew by the Egyptian included, it was disturbingly severe enough to push Moses to the brink of murderous rage. It is difficult to imagine that, prior to the visit recorded in these verses, Moses had never seen the manner in which the Egyptians abused the Hebrews. It is likely, then, that this encounter was the match that lit the fuse that had been mounting for the last four decades. Background Read Acts 7:17-36 and Hebrews 11:23-26. What insight do these New Testament texts offer concerning Moses murder of the Egyptian? How do these insights shape perception about Moses intent and spiritual condition? How do you naturally respond to injustice? Does your natural, immediate response prompt you toward a sin like Moses did? If so, how do you hold those emotions in check? Session 2 23

Eye for Eye? The Hebrew terminology that describes the conflict between the two Hebrew slaves makes it clear that the severity of the attack was every bit as harsh as the attack the Egyptian taskmaster had inflicted on the slave a day earlier. This makes the second question of how Moses would treat the attacker all the more poignant. Leader The Hebrew in this passage uses two different words in the Hebrew slave s rebuke of Moses. The two words, which literally meant official/man in charge and judge/leader over us, emphasizes the biting sarcasm with which the question was asked: Who made you a leader and judge over us? The harsh tone was likely due to the knowledge of Moses murder and the anticipation of an even harsher treatment from the Egyptians when they discovered that an overseer was killed by a Hebrew. How have you seen God move in your life to bring resolution to unjust situations or conflicts? Did you ever try to handle it on your own? What happened? The description of Moses actions after witnessing the beating of the Hebrew indicate that Moses retaliation was premeditated. He carefully scanned the area immediately before the event to make sure there were no witnesses. Stating that he struck the Egyptian dead, instead of a description of an altercation, infers that his attack on the Egyptian was a surprise. Immediately after killing the Egyptian, Moses hid him in the sand. This was the easiest most certain way to conceal his crime, as there was an abundance of sand that drifted to mounds with the changing winds. Moses was certainly not wrong in his desire to see an end to the oppression of his people God s people. In fact, God Himself had that same desire, as the coming verses of Exodus will reveal. However, Moses took a good and noble desire and attempted to fulfill it in an evil way. He refused to wait on God to deliver His people, and attempted to lead them himself under his own power and insight. When decisions of such a magnitude are made in the flesh, sin is the logical, yet disastrous, result. 2. When Sin Becomes Known (Exodus 2:13-20) Despite his scheming, Moses actions did not go unnoticed. The following day, he encountered more conflict this time it was a fight between two Hebrews. Moses apparently considered himself a mediator of sorts among the Hebrews, now that he had killed one of their oppressors. Moses had, after all, volitionally forsaken the splendor of royalty, choosing to identify with his oppressed countrymen. Whatever reaction Moses was expecting from the Hebrews, the one he received must have been shocking to say the least. Even bearing in mind their own affliction, the Israelites still rejected Moses presence, much less a presence of assumed authority. As he sought to break up the fight between the two Hebrews, his peacemaking efforts were met with only resentment and bitterness. What does it indicate that Moses checked to make sure there were not witnesses before the murder? Would his actions have been different if witnesses had been knowingly present? Why do you think sin in secret seems more acceptable? How does the resulting fear of exposure change a person s behavior? 24 Leader Guide

Upon realizing his secret sin was not so much a secret, Moses dreaded the worst. In fact, the worst became reality as Pharaoh attempted to kill Moses. This scenario could not have gone more unexpectedly. Where Moses had intended to finally and officially align himself with his Hebrew countrymen, his actions and their discovery had left him even more estranged from the Hebrews and as a fugitive of justice from the Egyptians. Instead of being a man choosing between two people groups, he was now a man without a country. 3. A Humble, New Beginning (Exodus 2:21-25) Having fled to Midian, only to enter into another episode of ending oppression (Reuel s seven daughters attacked by shepherds), Moses found a home with Reuel, the priest of Midian. In very much a summary form, verses 20-22 move quickly from Moses rescuing Reuel s daughters, to being invited to dinner, to settling in Reuel s homestead, to marrying Reuel s daughter, Zipporah. Following his betrothal to Zipporah, she bore him a son. Moses named the child Gershom, a meaning that carried a somber recognition of his perpetual outsider status. At this point, Moses was a man twice removed from any sense of home. He was outside what he would have considered his homeland, Egypt. In addition, he was badly estranged from the people he identified as his own people, the Israelites. Douglas Stuart explains, He was a failure as a deliverer of his people, a failure as a citizen of Egypt, unwelcome among either of the nations he might have called his own, a wanted man, a now-permanent resident of an obscure place, alone and far from his origins, and among people of a different religion. The naming of his son, then, is a sign of his own brokenness. How significant of a role do your hometown, family, and friends play in your understanding of your identity? Describe a time when you felt like you were starting over. Maybe it was professionally or relationally. How did it impact your view of God or His care for you? Following Moses somber naming of Gershom, the chapter concludes with an overview of the greater plight of Israel. While Moses was figuring out who he was, literally, in the self-imposed exile in Midian, Israel continued to suffer under the tyrannical rule of Pharaoh. However, after a long time, Pharaoh died. This was the Pharaoh that wanted to kill Moses; in this fact alone, there was a glimmer of hope. The Israelites saw no relief in the change of power, though. The one benefit of the misery of Israel was that they began to pray. It is important to note that Israel did not have a formalized theology at this point. It is difficult to know what they understood about the one true God Midian The Midianites were actually descendants of Abraham, but through his wife Keturah (Genesis 25:2), not Sarah. Because of their distant relationship, Moses could flee to Midian already speaking a similar language and able to hide within a people group of similar genetics. While the Midianites were frequently enemies of Israel, Moses would have found commonality with them as one on the run from Egyptian powers. Egypt had oppressed Midian for years. Reuel In other places in Exodus, Reuel is known by the name Jethro (3:1, 4:1, and 18:1). In fact, Jethro seems to be the prominent name by which he was known. Scholarly belief is that Reuel was his tribe s name and, therefore, the equivalent of what our society would call a last name. Understanding the relationship between the two names is important to avoid confusion in future narratives involving Jethro most notably when coaching Moses on setting up a system of judges in Exodus 18. Session 2 25

at this point in their history. This is particularly true given that their 430- year slavery was in the most polytheistic culture in the world, worshiping hundreds of gods. Clearly, the only thing Israel did know was to cry out to God. The Hebrew language describing their prayers communicates misery and desperation. The second chapter closes, then, as the first chapter opened with God remembering His covenant. This bookend effect is not to communicate that God temporarily lost sight of the covenant. Rather, the bookend draws a figurative circle around the contents of the first two chapters with the idea being that, while all of these events took place, God remembered the covenant. He was never absent, negligent, or too busy. His plan was being executed just as He desired. God saw the Israelites, and His taking notice strongly foreshadowed that help was on its way. Conclusion It s difficult to read the accounts of Moses life and not have empathy for him. All of us have failed like he did maybe we have not murdered, but certainly we have fallen victim to our sin. Certainly, at some point in the journey through life, everyone will battle the type of loneliness, dejection, and ostracism that Moses felt. In moments when we are keenly aware of how sinful or broken we are, it can be awfully tempting to believe that God doesn t know us, doesn t see us, or doesn t want us. But in those moments of weakness, it s vitally important to remember the close of chapter two. God knows. He sees. He takes notice. He always remembers His covenant. Pain, brokenness, loneliness, and estrangement do not exclude or disqualify us from God s service. On the contrary, many times God will use our brokenness and pain to prepare us for future ministry. He often will use us as dispensers of hope and joy to those who are walking a similar path and need to know the power of Christ in that journey. What seasons of failure or difficulty have made you search for a better understanding of who God is? What did you find out? Who do you know that needs to benefit from what you ve already learned? Have you ever tried to do the right thing, the wrong way? Why is it important to consider the character of God when we act out of passion? When you think about the difficult decisions and conversations you have coming up in the next week or two, how does it strike you to read that, in the midst of their desperation, God took notice of the Israelites? When have you been tempted to think that God wasn t taking notice of you recently? How does it feel to know He absolutely does? 26 Leader Guide

Prayer of Response Pray that God will use the experiences in our group as a launching pad for personal ministry throughout our community. Pray that the Holy Spirit would protect our group from the lie that our past failures make us useless to God. Especially pray that God will gently remind us throughout the week that He notices us and moves on our behalf. Additional Resources What Can I Do with My Guilt? by R. C. Sproul The Gift of Forgiveness by Charles Stanley What s so Amazing about Grace? by Philip Yancey For Next Week Session Title --The Evacuation Initiated: Moses Called Main Passages --Exodus 3 Session Outline 1. God Interrupts the Ordinary for the Extraordinary (Exodus 3:1-10) 2. Moses Questions, God s Answers (Exodus 3:11-15) 3. God Explains His Plan (Exodus 3:16-22) Memorize 24 So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the Israelites, and He took notice. Exodus 2:24-25, HCSB Session 2 27

Extended Commentary Exodus 2:11-25 2:11-14. Moses developed a close relationship and identification with his own people, even though he was raised and educated as an Egyptian. Year after year Moses witnessed untold instances of his adopted nation cruelly oppressing his people. These experiences had a cumulative effect on Moses psyche. Soon his allegiance to his God-given heritage would find dramatic and life-altering expression. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were, and watched them laboring. But this day was no ordinary day. Events unfolded quickly. Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. This angered Moses and prompted him to take justice into his own hands and kill the Egyptian. Although he thought his actions went undetected, he soon discovered his deed was known by at least one man. When he tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews, one of the men protested his intervention by pointing to Moses own guilt in killing the Egyptian the previous day. 2:15-25. When Pharaoh learned of this deed, he tried to kill Moses, who escaped by fleeing to the desert of Midian. Moses, in whose life we see the close care and guidance of God, found his first refuge by a well. Here he met the daughters of a certain Midian priest named Reuel (see Jethro at 18:1), who came to water their father s flock. Some shepherds, who must have recognized only the nomadic adage rule of the strong, tried to scatter the flock away from the well, but Moses came to the aid of these women. These grateful daughters reported Moses good deeds to their father, who in turn invited Moses to stay with them. The stay lasted quite some time, and Moses married one of Reuel s daughters named Zipporah. They soon gave birth to a son whom Moses named Gershom, a name that summarized the history, call, and destiny of Moses himself. Gershom means banishment, signifying one who was driven out or thrust forth (Durham, 23). Moses seemed quite fortunate in his present circumstances, far removed from the Egyptian threat now endured by his people. But he was a stranger in a foreign land, estranged from the people of his birth. Certainly these feelings began to awaken a sense of calling and divine purpose in the inner recesses of his soul. At the same time, the Hebrews cries for deliverance from their 12 slavery went up to God, who loved these people and who had made an irrevocable covenant with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God heard their cries and would soon act on their behalf. 28 Leader Guide

But how would all this come about, and who would God use to achieve this purpose, and what if that person was reluctant to obey? From the Holman Old Testament Commentary: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. 2002 Broadman & Holman Publishers. Exodus 2:16-25 The fifth element (2:16-22) is the story of Moses own exodus/exile from Egypt, in which he was forced to flee for his life as a criminal sought for murder because he sided with his people over against his office as an Egyptian princeling. This covers a forty-year period, during which Moses got married, settled in Midianite territory in the Sinai wilderness, and assumed the life of a shepherd within the overall estate of his father-inlaw. By this turn of events, Moses was allowed to understand both the experience of fleeing Egypt and a great deal about survival in the Sinai wilderness, knowledge that constituted part of God s preparation of him to assume the position of leader of God s deliverance. A brief summative reminder (2:23-25) then draws the first two chapters to a close. These concluding three verses remind the reader of two things especially: the severity of the oppression the Israelites endured for many decades and the fact that in spite of their long sojourn in foreign territory and their long period of suffering, God had not forgotten them but was indeed deeply concerned for the plight of his people. In all of this portion of the book (1:1-2:25), Moses carefully avoided mention of the divine name Yahweh (the Lord) which he does not reintroduce until 3:2, even though he used it 175 times throughout Genesis. His purpose for this is almost certainly a desire to heighten for the reader the significance of the rerevelation of the divine name to the people of God (the centerpiece of chap. 3) and the focus of the covenantal theology that dominates the rest of the Pentateuch. From the New American Commentary: Exodus. Copyright 2006 Broadman & Holman Publishers. All rights reserved. Session 2 29