Moses was in line to be the ruler of Egypt, to reign over the most powerful kingdom in the world of his day, and maybe even have had a temple or pyramid built in his honor that we could visit today. But this was not to be. Although we know God had other plans for Moses – to lead his people out of the slavery of his own adopted father’s country – we know there was a pause of 40 years before his calling became a reality. Understanding that God orchestrates all things according to His own timeline, from a human perspective, part of that delay may have had do with one of Moses most spectacular transgressions – murder. Carefully looking both ways before striking down an Egyptian taskmaster, and later burying the evidence, Moses had seemingly devised a scheme that would keep his impulsive, violent act a secret: “One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. (Exodus 2:11-12). Looks like the perfect crime. He even had the possible recourse of begging for the mercy of his Pharaoh father if he got caught. I wonder if Moses thought he had all the bases covered, that there would be no consequences for his evil deed. But, as the story continues, it was less than 24 hours later that he discovers that he had been found out: “When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well” (Exodus 2:13-15). Now Moses was on the run, a fugitive from justice. He no longer had the privileges of royalty and the power of a high official. He was banished for the next 40 years into the desert where he became a simple shepherd exiled from the land of his youth and prominence. I suppose he wondered every day if the Egyptian army would soon appear at his tent door and extradite him to a swift execution. Moses creative cover-up had not avoided serious consequences. Sound familiar? Sobering? Frightening? Nevertheless, God called Moses to lead His children out of that awful Egyptian bondage. You can watch Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments for a summary the spectacular events that followed God’s calling and eventual freeing of the Hebrewsfrom their persecution. But despite the miracles and God’s guidance, the rebellious, disobedient Israelites consistently tried God and His anger was “kindled against them. On one such occasion, fast-forward to Numbers 32, God’s appointed leader has become the voice of reason and wisdom: “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). I guess Moses had learned his lesson and had not forgotten it. But, unfortunately, the hardhearted Hebrews didn’t listen and that wayward generation, along with Moses, was not allowed to see the Promised Land. But I don’t think that Moses was just referring to the physical consequences of our discovered disobedience. He also knew, as do we, that sometimes we do seem to “get by with it.” We have looked both ways and no one appears to be a witness. We carefully bury the evidence, slap the dirt off our hands, and never overtly pay the price for our poor choices. But we do pay a price…really. God knows and God is displeased. And we know that. Nothing escapes His notice. Yet we often forget that. But He isn’t glancing away while we hide our dirty deeds. No, His gaze is fixed on us with loving discipline, seeking to redirect and restore, beckoning us to follow after Him, and prompting us to pursue His power so desperately needed to please Him. He wants us to be likeMoses; knowing that an omniscient Father wants the best for His children and that anything, hidden or not, that separates us from Him and His best for us does not escape His notice. I’m so thankful that He continues to compassionately prick our conscious so that we will return to Him and the plan that He has so perfectly crafted for us. Let’s not find ourselves looking this way and that way, but not looking at Him. The One that sees it all and the One who knows what is best for us.
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:52:56 +0000
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