When You're A Shepherd...

Exodus 2: 11-25

So Moses grows up and witnesses a street fight. An Egyptian is brawling with a Hebrew and Moses, feeling a sense of ethnic pride decides to help the cause. He kills the Egyptian and hides him in the sand- which I guess means, he buried him. Only a day later he comes upon two Hebrews (he bruise) brawling and after determining who was to blame gave the whole "aren't we brothers?" speech hoping to end the violence.

The outcome, though, wasn't quite what Moses expected. Basically the Hebrew replies- "you're not the boss of me...and what're you gonna do about it? Kill me like you did the Egyptian?"

Suddenly Moses's heartrate increases as he realizes- I could be in trouble. The word has apparently reached the street. What was intended as a way to show support for his people has backfired badly. And now Pharoah's out for his neck too.

And how do we react when our good intentions backfire and put us in trouble? Moses runs. OK, I'm outta here. I'm done playing the hero- I'm done butting in to other people's business. It's live and let live I say...until he comes upon a well where thug shepherds are bullying the priest's daughters, not letting them water their flock.

This is a seemingly comical scenario to me. Shepherds from the hood- If West Side Story were set in Midian I could see these guys snapping their fingers and waving their staffs in the air. But Moses is there to rescue these maidens and restore justice.

As his reward, Moses is given one of these girls for a wife. Zipporah bears him a son named Gershom. During this time the king of Egypt died and the Israelites aren't too keen about their slavery. And God is concerned about his children.

Two thoughts. It strikes me that Moses has a bit of a hero's complex. Breaking up fights, killing Egyptians, scaring off shepherds and while he has varying amounts of success, it isn't until he starts working FOR God that he really makes things happen. Maybe it's the same for us- we mean well and we act, but without going through the source- trying to do it without God may make us clumsy, overbearing, or just plain wrong.

Secondly- the chapter ends expressing God's concern about his Israelites. This insight to God's personality is interesting to me. He knows the outcome- he knows what's going to happen to these people, but still he's "concerned"- a word that suggests to me tension regarding the outcome of a situation.

God's rooting for us- He feels our pains, hears our cries- and even though He knows what successes and failures lie ahead, He still feels the heartache of uncertainty right along with us. Even though He knows I'm going to face temptation and make it through (or not) He still invests Himself emotionally in the whole process.

It's like me watching the ball go through Bill Buckner's legs time after time after time and not only feeling his pain every time but rooting and caring and empathizing, even though I know the outcome.

He cares. He comforts. He cheers. He's in our corner even when we fail.