GOOD TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

"One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." 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." Exodus 2:11-15

We fast forward from Moses being plucked from the Red Sea and adopted by Pharoah’s daughter in infancy to his being "grown up." He has witnessed the terrible oppression suffered by Israel at the hands of Pharoah and we get a sense in this part of Chapter 2 in Exodus that he has seen enough. Why else would Moses take matters into his own hands and kill an Egyptian who he witnessed beating a Hebrew. Scripture tells us that Moses then buried the Egyptian in the sand. His actions give us some indicators that he would be used by God for greater purposes than saving a single Israelite.

First, Moses showed a contempt for abuse, especially against Israel. Although he grew up with the luxuries of being part of Pharoah’s family, Moses didn’t forget his roots. His love for his fellow Hebrews was evident in his actions against the Egyptian assailant as he stepped into rescue a brother Israelite.

Second, Moses showed great courage to intervene and save the Hebrew. It couldn’t have been easy to step in. In fact, scripture tells that Moses glanced "this way and that…seeing no one." There was a lot at stake and Moses knew he would be put to death if Pharoah ever discovered that he had killed an Egyptian. And yet, the desire to save another was greater than saving himself. And so Moses took action. His courage and willingness to save would be used by God on a much bigger stage later.

So Moses had saved a brother Hebrew from the abuse of an Egyptian, killing the Egyptian and burying his body. No one had seen him and so he thought this would be the end of the issue. But we see where the matter was not over. For the Hebrew Moses saved must have went back to his fellow Hebrews and told them what Moses had done…as he was soon to discover as he once again chooses to intervene in a matter.

This time, scripture tells us that Moses sees two Hebrews fighting one another. It wasn’t bad enough that the Hebrews were being subjected to beatings from the Egyptians but now we read that they are beating on one another as well. Moses steps in and confronts the aggressor…the "one in the wrong"…saying, ""Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" I’m sure Moses was just trying to diffuse the situation peacefully but the one in the wrong verbally assaults Moses asking, ""Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" The Hebrew aggressor refused to be willing to admit he was wrong in his actions. Instead, he went after Moses and lets him know that he knows he killed an Egyptian. Moses, who stepped forward in courage to try and correct an injustice, now saw that courage replaced with fear. He knew that the word was spreading about what he had done and indeed, we read where Pharoah tried to kill Moses after he heard what had happened. But Moses, once again, escaped death at the hands of the Egyptian ruler. This time however, he wasn’t in a papyrus box. Instead, we read that he fled to Midian.

Question: Have you ever had someone turn on you when you were trying to help them? In the Hebrew aggressor, we see a distinct flaw in our human nature and we all have done it at one time or another. For, we have a hard time just admitting we are wrong. In the case of Moses and the fighting Hebrew, Moses was trying to get the Hebrew to realize his actions were wrong. All the Hebrew would have needed to do is say, "You know, you’re right. I got upset and I shouldn’t have started hitting my brother. I’m sorry." But we know that this didn’t happen. Instead, the Hebrew successfully deflected the blame off himself by placing blame on Moses. In essence, he was asking Moses…"who are you to tell us to not fight?"…"are you in charge of us?" And then he plays his moneyball…one he was sure would get Moses out of the way…as he asks him if he was going to murder him like he did the Egyptian. I can see Moses looking at the man with a shocked look in his face. And I can also see the Hebrew looking at him and saying to himself, "That’s right…I know all about it. Now go mind your own business." Do we not get equally vindictive sometimes? Do we not seek to deflect blame from ourselves vice have to admit we are wrong?

Thus our scripture gives us a look into the good and bad of humanity.

In one case, we see the courage to stand up for what is right and save another, even at the expense of oneself. And this was what Jesus did as well, except the life He sacrificed for the cause of peace and salvation was His own.

In the other case, we see the destructive nature of a vindictive, non-repentant attitude. The Hebrews caustic, hateful response to Moses was meant to hurt him just as he was hurting the Hebrew he was fighting.

Yet we see how God steps into the gap when His chosen are facing danger. For what the Hebrew intended for evil as he asked Moses if he planned to kill him as he killed the Egyptian, ended up for good as Moses was warned that the word was out. Thus he was able to flee and remain safe, despite Pharoah’s murderous intentions. God still had much for Moses to do.

Keep all this in mind as you walk this Christian walk day by day. Because you will inevitably run into others who will want to do evil unto you and feel in every way that they will succeed. The good news is, like Moses, we are servants of a God who wishes to use us for good. In shaping us in righteousness, he watches over us and protects us from sinister actions. The good news is that Satan will never get the upper hand against the Lord. Good triumphs over evil. Draw ever closer to the Lord and you will draw ever father away from the evil one. Trust in that. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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