What do you think of when you think about Moses? Some common thoughts may be …
- He led the Israelites out of Egypt.
- He parted the Red Sea.
- He wrote the first five books of the Bible.
- The Lord gave him the Ten Commandments.
Yes, we remember Moses for the great things he accomplished in his life. Moses is recognized as a man of great faith (Hebrews 11:23-29).
Moses’ testimony is so powerful, especially when you know all of it. That’s why it is so important to study the Word of God.
Before his birth, the enemy wanted to take his life. Moses was born a Hebrew slave in Egypt. The Pharaoh ordered the midwives to throw all male Hebrew babies into the Nile River to die. He did not want to Hebrews rising up against him and take over Egypt.
But the midwives did not throw Moses into the Nile River. And Moses’ mother hid him for three months. By an act of faith and trusting in the Lord, she placed Moses in a basket in the crocodile invested Nile.
The daughter of Pharaoh happened to be bathing in the river when her attendant found the basket, and she summoned a woman to nurse the baby. Guess who got to nurse him? His mother!
So Pharaoh’s daughter adopted Moses and Moses’ birth mother became his nurse. Amazing!
Though Moses was raised as an Egyptian prince, he grieved over the way his own people were treated by the Egyptians. Indignation rose up in him.
But then, “after looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand” (Exodus 2:12 NLT).
What?!? In our present-day terms that would be considered premeditated murder.
After hiding the body, Moses thought he got away with murder. But the next day, a Hebrew man confronted Moses about it.
Secrets are not really secret. News like that traveled fast. And it spread like wildfire throughout Egypt even without cell phones, text messages, and email.
Once Moses knew there was a witness, paranoia came over him. Word reached his grandfather, the king of Egypt, and Pharaoh wanted to put Moses to death.
So Moses fled, becoming a fugitive.
Imagine it … in today’s times he would have been featured on America’s Most Wanted. I wonder if they had a sketch artist draw his face on papyrus and if they plastered his photo around Egypt?
Moses cast off his prince identity and became a shepherd in Midian where married and started his family. I imagine he wanted to just put his past behind him.
But God! The Lord called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and this one wrong act did not disqualify him from fulfilling his God-ordained purpose.
Moses went from being a prince, to a murderer, to a fugitive, to a leader of a nation. And the best part is that the Lord spoke “to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” (Exodus 33:11).
Moses is recognized for the all of the good things he did AFTER the infraction that took place on that one day. I have heard many references to Moses, but I have not ever heard anyone call him a murderer.
When I received the revelation of this truth, hope for my son’s future filled my heart.
With God, we have hope that our lives and the lives of our loved ones will be recognized for all the GOOD that follows the offense.
There’s hope for our future!
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Other biblical examples of people who committed offenses but are recognized for the good that came after the trespass are shared in Appeal to the Courtroom of Heaven.
In Appeal to the Courtroom of Heaven: Petitions for Prisoners and Prison Families I share my unexpected prison family journey testimony. I also point out how the Lord redeemed the worst-of-the-worst offenders found in the pages of the Bible and explain an effective prayer strategy I learned from this experience.
I pray my transparency and vulnerability points to the source of HOPE for those who lost hope in the midst of despair.
Click here to learn how to order this book.
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