Exodus 2:11-12 -- On Killing and Commandments

"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.
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 2:11-12


It's interesting that this is one of the first things we learn about Moses. He was saved from death by Pharoah's daughter, and Moses's sister's quick thinking, but after that we don't know anything about how he grew up until this. Now, of course we can assume that Moses's later calling means that everything he did during his life was justified, that God inspired him to do that, or that the Egyptians were bad guys and worthy of death because they were slave owners or because they weren't following the true God, or we can assume that Moses was protecting a close family member, or that it happened in the heat of the moment and was an accidental death... there are many possibilites. However, I think we can agree that, whatever the reason, Moses killing someone was generally a bad thing, in that God doesn't approve of people killing each other as a good way to solve problems, no matter what group the other person belongs to.

The calling of Moses seems to me to be not only a story about saving a people from enslavement, but also a redemption story for Moses, teaching him how to overcome his past and showing that the Lord had uniquely prepared him to do a great work. I also think that something similar is true for each of us. The Lord has prepared us in unique ways, and put us into positions where we can accomplish a lot of good... if we are willing to overcome our own mistakes and history, and are willing to listen to and follow God into that better future. Moses was the perfect person to teach the commandment "thou shalt not kill" and explain to people why that was a bad thing, because he had gone through it. Similarly, the big lessons that we learn in life often provide us perspective that we can share with others.

Today, let's work on moving past our mistakes and on learning from God how to do better, and how to support the people around us... making the whole world better.