By Kenneth O. Gangel
But human criticism forms part of the package for all of us. And not just criticism following an improper action, as in the case of Moses. They criticized Jesus too, and the Apostle Paul. Christians who are not prepared for a certain amount of complaining will find great difficulty in ministry. These few words Moses heard from one man were nothing compared to what he would hear from an entire nation during forty years in the desert.
PERSONAL FRUSTRATION
When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock (Exod. 2:15-17).
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Imagine the scene: Moses, the prince of Egypt, bedraggled, tired, sweaty, and dirty as he sat by a well in the desert. Probably his head fell between his hands as he muttered to himself, “I have really made a mess of everything. What do I do now?” Moses had tried his way to help the children of Israel, and it had been a disaster. Exodus 2:11-15 never mentions God once. Trying to go it alone, Moses experienced nothing but failure. Time to quit.
What a common experience for contemporary Christians! Trying to serve Christ in the flesh rather than the power of the Holy Spirit can never bring happiness and joy in ministry. Instead we find discouragement, failure, and the temptation to bail out as soon as possible.
But God had a plan for Moses. The home of Reuel provided the first stop in a long training program before Moses could really be useful to redeem His people out of Egypt. Moses settled down with his new wife, and even after the birth of his first son, he still muttered in frustration, “I have been a stranger in a strange land” (Exod. 2:22).
DIVINE INTERVENTION
During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them (Exod. 2:23-25).
“During that long period” (Exod. 2:23) refers to the oppression under which the Lord’s people labored. All this time God had been aware of their situation. The omniscience of God should comfort those who trust Him. God knows our frustrations; He’s in control.