Moses learned the hard way that relying on our own understanding and strength is a mistake.
Exodus 2:11-25 (KJV)
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
Whenever challenges come into our life, there are two ways we can respond: God’s way or our way. Moses is an example of a man who, on separate occasions, tried out both options. In today’s passage, we see him taking matters into his own hands. Although his motives were pure—namely, the relief of one Hebrew man’s suffering—his method was wrong. Moses made three mistakes.
1. He focused on the difficulty. How often have you and I done the same thing? The unfairness or pain of a situation grabs our attention and in our desire for a solution, we forget our all-powerful God.
2. He relied on his own strength and understanding. When a problem arises, the most natural response is to do what we can to make it right. However, God wants us to rely on Him, not on ourselves.
3. He acted impulsively. If a situation seems urgent, fixing the problem as fast as possible becomes our top priority. In our hastiness, we forgo waiting on the Lord.
Our way can look logical at the time, but let’s consider how effective Moses was in achieving his goal. An Egyptian man was killed, and the Hebrew people didn’t react favorably. Pharaoh, learning of the event, tried to kill him, and Moses had to flee Egypt.
We’ve all followed Moses’ example at some point and suffered the consequences of self-reliance. But God didn’t reject Moses or cancel His plans for him. Instead, He refined the future leader’s character through trials and gave him another chance. The Lord will do the same for us.
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