[picapp align=”left” wrap=”true” link=”term=pharoah&iid=3186557″ src=”5/a/b/5/Aerial_Of_Valley_9ed1.jpg?adImageId=9373463&imageId=3186557″ width=”234″ height=”309″ /]From the halls of Pharaoh’s palace to the sand hills of Pharaoh’s labor farms, Moses saw the best and worst the world had to offer.  The injustice and deprivation inflicted on his countryman gave Moses cause to take action.  Moses’ choice was not a consequence of unthinking passion, it was not a reaction of self-defense.  Moses committed intentional murder, believing himself protected by his self-righteousness and his subterfuge.

Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. “Why are you beating up your friend?” Moses said to the one who had started the fight. The man replied, “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Everyone knows what I did.” And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian. When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat down beside a well.
(Exodus 2:11-15, NLT)

The illusion of safety was short-lived.  A curse hurled from the lips of an angry slave gave this prince of Egypt the fright of his life: he was discovered.  Moses ran away, as far away as he could go.

How could such a story end?  Those familiar with the exodus of Israel, know quite well the man Moses’ best days were yet to come.  But why?  Was Moses the only man in Israel God could use?  Why would God use a murderer and a fugitive?  Why didn’t the will of God die in the desert and be buried in the sand?
We do not know the mind of God on the matter.  We do know is that God allowed Moses to spend the next forty years separated from his privileged upbringing and apart from his people.  We do know that when the time for God to exercise his will had come, there would be no avoiding it and it would not be dispatched.

So it is to this day.  We would do well to remember it.