A Lesson in Humility

This past year I had the opportunity to read my Bible all the way through. It's amazing the things you notice that really stick out to you. Take for instance, the story of Moses. In Bible stories Moses is always depicted as the reluctant leader. He had a moment of bravery, killing the Egyptian man, then his life was thrown into horror as he ran from the consequences of his actions.

It may be true that Moses was running from the consequences of his actions but, He was also running from pride. Acts 7 reveals an entirely different side of Moses. It is not Moses the reluctant leader but Moses the prideful leader. Moses had his own agenda.

Acts 7:17-43 Put a very interesting light on Moses especially verses 23-29:

"Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?' Then, at this saying, Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Midian, where he had two sons (NKJV)."

When I was in Sunday school I never knew that Moses thought he would deliver the Israelites. Moses had to learn that God was the one who would deliver the Israelites in His own way in His own timing. I also think it is interesting that Moses was willing and ready to rescue the Israelites but He needed to wait on God. So many times I am ready and willing to do something and I jump in. Usually things work out but it's usually as messy as Moses hanging out in Midian. I need to learn how to be patient.