Word for Wednesday
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. Exodus 2:12
Why would a future Pharaoh get involved in a squabble between a master and a slave? As the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses should have confined himself to the palace or to the public arena or to the administration halls of Egypt. Instead, we find him out in the field, where the Egyptian taskmasters were treating the Israelites cruelly. Outwardly, Moses was of Egypt’s royalty. But in his heart and soul, he was an Israelite. Even more than his duty to Egypt, he felt his duty to God’s people. He obviously didn’t want to get involved, as we see by his careful noting that nobody was watching. But when he acted, it was with no reservation. He killed the tormentor. He had to act. And although he tried to avoid it, he eventually paid the price. Christians are like that… some things come along that force us to take a stand, and our lives are never the same.
Moses thought nobody saw what he had done, although he found out the next day his act was public knowledge. Many of the things you and I do as Christians, acting honestly in our dealings with people and with the government, we assume we are not seen, and that our integrity is known only to the Lord. But other people do see; other people are aware; other people spread the word about us, and we are marked as different. Just as Moses didn’t want anybody to know what he had done, because it would affect his position in the court, so we often shrink from letting our Christianity be on display, because it might affect our lives, our job, our relationship with others in the community. But sometimes, we just have to accept the consequenses of standing up for the Lord Jesus.
Looking back many years later, I am sure Moses had no regrets. But standing over the pile of sand where he buried the dead Egyptian, he was probably feeling appreheisive and remorseful. He had acted impulsively. But he had acted according to his conscience and his love for his own people. And he placed himself in a position where God could direct him into a career that would exceed his greatest imaginations. Acting instinctively for God and the Lord’s people may well cost us some of this world, but it will never cost us with God.
Looking from Mount Nebo just before he died, Moses looked, not back to Egypt, but onward to the promised land. We will act for God, too, if we keep our Heavenly destination in view. -Jim MacIntosh