Êxodo 2

Êxodo 2

Barber writes... In Hebrews 11:24, 25, 26 the writer gives us a very clear picture of temptation. Temptation can only come to a believer through three channels. These channels are (1) the lust of the flesh—what I want to do, (2) the lust of the eyes—what I want to have, and (3) the pride of life—what I want to be.15 When Moses chose to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, he faced and overcame the “lusts of the flesh”—what he wanted to do. He did this with the clear realization that he was choosing the eternal rather than the temporal and committing himself to the path of duty rather than to all the pleasures which may have been his in the palace of the king. Secondly, when Moses reckoned the reproach of the Messiah a greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, he overcame “the lust of the eyes”—what he wanted to have. Archaeologists have given us some idea of the wealth and treasure of Egypt. Moses was perfectly conscious of what he was doing. He was turning his back on the “Fort Knox” of his day, and spurning all the influence and power which money could have obtained for him. Lastly, his faith and foresight helped him to set his mind upon future rewards and rise above any personal desires which he may have had for his own temporal advancement. In so doing he overcame the pride of life”—what he wanted to be. What reason is given for these actions? The inspired writer attributes it solely to faith. By faith, Moses could see that the temporal things were going to pass away and that only that which was eternal would last. He overcame the temptation of selfish ambition, worldly pleasure and carnal possession because he did everything in life with a view to receiving God’s approval. (Moses A Study of Hebrews 1123–29a -- By Cyril J. Barber) Exodus 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. the priest - or, prince, Ex 3:1 Ge 14:18 41:45 they came - Ge 24:11,14-20 29:6-10 1Sa 9:11 A WELL SCENE Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock - The priest of Midian was named Reul or Jethro. Clearly God led Moses to this specific family at this specific time. Constable on priest of Midian - He appears to have been a worshipper of the true God (cf. Ex 18:12–23). At this time he may simply have been a God-fearing Semite. Exodus 2:17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. shepherds - Ge 21:25 26:15-22 watered - Ex 2:12 Ge 29:10 MOSES REHEARSES HIS ROLE AS A DELIVERER Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. - When did the shepherds come? After the women did the difficult task of drawing water and then were driven off. Moses shows himself to be a successful "deliverer" of Jethro's daughters. Even here he was being prepared to deliver Israel. He had failed in his attempt to deliver the sons of Israel (Ex 2) but was successful in delivering the daughters of Reuel (Jethro). God was teaching him step by step. We also see Moses begin to function as a servant (after surely being served day and night in Pharaoh's court!) which was good preparation for the name God later bestowed on him "My servant Moses" (Nu 12:7, 8, Ps 105:26) Helped is the verb (yasha') and is used one other time in Exodus speaking of God's saving Israel - "Thus the LORD saved (yasha'; Lxx = rhuomai) Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore." (Ex 14:30). Here in Ex 2:17 the verb yasha' is translated in the Septuagint with rhuomai (from rhúo = to draw, drag along the ground) means to draw or snatch to oneself and invariably refers to a snatching from danger, evil or an enemy. This basic idea is that of bringing someone out of severe and acute danger, and so to save, rescue, deliver, preserve. Rhuomai emphasizes greatness of peril from which deliverance is given by a mighty act of power. In the NT rhuomai is always associated with God as the Deliverer and with a person as the object of His deliverance as when God "delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col 1:13+). Here in Exodus 2:17 rhuomai is used to describe Moses as the one who rescued Reuel's (Jethro's) daughters out of danger. Helped (delivered, saved) (03467)(yasha' See also yeshua from which we get our word "Jesus") is an important Hebrew verb which means to help, to save, to deliver. The root in Arabic is "make wide" which underscores the main thought of yasha' as to bring to a place of safety or broad pasture in contrast to a narrow strait which symbolizes distress or danger. Moses stood up - This means he "sprang to his feet" when he saw the injustice and intervened. NET Note on drove away (garash)....helped - Some shepherds came and drove the daughters away. The choice of this verb (garash) in the narrative has a tie with the name of Moses' first son, Gershom. Moses senses very clearly that he is a sojourner in a strange land – he has been driven away. The verb used here is וַיּוֹשִׁעָן (vayyoshi’an, “and he saved them”). The word (for helped) means that he came to their rescue and delivered them. By the choice of words the narrator is portraying Moses as the deliverer—he is just not yet ready to deliver Israel from its oppressors. Exodus 2:18 When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "Why have you come back so soon today?" Ex 3:1 4:18 18:1-12, Jethro, or, Jether, Nu 19:20, Raguel WE HAD A MEETING AT THE WELL When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "Why have you come back so soon today?" - NET Note - Two observations should be made at this point. First, it seems that the oppression at the well was a regular part of their routine because their father was surprised at their early return, and their answer alluded to the shepherds rather automatically. Secondly, the story is another meeting-at-the-well account. Continuity with the patriarchs is thereby kept in the mind of the reader (cf. Isaac's future wife Rebekah = Gen 24:11, 20; Jacob and Rachel = Ge 29:1–12). Question: "Who was Jethro (Ex 3:1) (Reuel) in the Bible?" Answer: Jethro was the father-in-law of Moses and father of Zipporah. Jethro is first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 2:16 where he is described as “a priest of Midian.” He is also referred to as Reuel (verse 18), which could indicate the equivalent of a last name. The name Reuel means “friend of God,” so the fact that the Bible calls him first by this name may mean that he was a priest of the Most High God, rather than a pagan deity as some have suggested. Many people in the Bible were called by two names such as Jacob (Israel, Genesis 35:10), Simon (Peter, Luke 6:14), Matthew (Levi, Mark 2:14; Matthew 9:9), and Paul (Saul, Acts 13:9). Sometimes the name change was due to an encounter with God. Other times it may have simply been a second name, in the way that a man named Ben Jones may be called both “Ben” and “Jones.” Exodus 2 details the account of Moses’ first encounter with Jethro. When Moses was on the run from Pharaoh, after having killed an Egyptian, he found himself in Midian by a well. Jethro’s seven daughters were shepherdesses who came to the well to water their sheep. However, some men chased the women away, and Moses came to their defense. In gratitude for Moses’ care of his daughters, Jethro invited him for dinner. Over the course of time, Jethro gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses for a wife, and they had two sons (Exodus 2:21; 4:20). Moses stayed with the Midianites for forty years until God called to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3). Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave him his blessing to return to his people in obedience to God (Exodus 4:18). Jethro is highlighted again in Exodus chapter 18. Moses had sent Zipporah and their sons back to Midian, rather than take them to Egypt, perhaps due to the dangers he would face in leading an entire nation out of slavery. Moses clearly trusted Jethro to take good care of his family and use wisdom in knowing when to reunite them. In Exodus 18, Jethro brings Zipporah and the children to Moses at Sinai. The relationship between Moses and Jethro was always cordial (verses 7–8), and Jethro offers some fatherly advice when he sees the overwhelming responsibility facing his son-in-law (verses 13–27). Moses takes Jethro’s advice on how to delegate authority: “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said” (verse 24). Moses then sends Jethro back to Midian with his blessing (verse 27). From all we can tell in the Bible, Jethro was a godly man of integrity who played a small part in God’s great story of deliverance for the Israelites. He is a good role model for in-laws. He offered wise counsel, stepped in to help when needed, and then got out of the way. (Got Questions) Exodus 2:19 So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock." an Egyptian - Ge 50:11 and also - Ge 29:10 AN EGYPTIAN "DELIVERER" So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds - Delivered is the same verb used to describe God's deliverance of Israel from the power of Egypt using the man Moses as His "deliverer." It is as if Moses was already demonstrating a trait which would be fully utilized when empowered by Jehovah, he delivered Israel from the power of Egypt. This is in a sense Moses second deliverance, the first being when he killed the Egyptian who was mistreating one of his brothers. In that episode he was relying on his human strength, but in the final deliverance of the sons of Israel we see that he learns to rely on the power of God to bring about the deliverance. In God's "eulogy" for Moses in Joshua 1:2 He says "Moses My servant is dead." What greater name could be given to a man in this short sojourn on earth than the servant of Jehovah? (See "My servant Moses" - Nu 12:7-8) The hand of the shepherds does not suggest necessarily that they grasped the daughters with their hands (this is unlikely), but speaks of the exertion of strength or power of the shepherds which caused the daughters to back off. The word hand (yad) is feminine noun meaning hand and figuratively as in this context meaning strength or power in Ex 4:21+ speaking of the wonders (miracles) that God put in Moses' power (hand-yad). Notice they called Moses an Egyptian possibly because he was dressed in clothing typical of Egypt.