When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’ “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.

Have you ever tried to help someone, and it didn’t work out very well — they rejected your help?
The Jews were in slavery, and being brutally oppressed. Moses, as Stephen proclaims, tried to help them, and they rejected his help.

My wife and I tried for a time to help a mentally ill lady. She and her daughter attended our church. She was making poor decisions, and it was impacting her daughter. We worked with her to try to find a new place to live, to try and change her behavior to act more like a mother, many different things. In the end, she slept with a young migrant man half her age, became pregnant, and left our church.

Sometimes we wonder why people, when they are clearly in a very tough situation, will not receive help?
Maybe Moses wondered this too. He was playing “Mr. Fix It” for his countryman in a problem that he never had to deal with himself. And instead of saying thank you, his people told him to basically “get lost”.

It never feels good when we are rejected for coming to the aid of another. Sometimes, however, God wants to teach us something very important, if our bruised egos can get out of the way. Moses fled and stayed away for another 40 years. Maybe God was working on him, refining him for his purposes?

At times, I have tried to fix other people’s problems without getting to know them better, listening, and trying to become a friend first. I get the impression that this is possibly what happened to Moses. Here was a Jew who lived the life of luxury while the rest of his countrymen worked as slaves. Now he wants to settle their disputes and come to their aid. Maybe his Jewish contemporaries were angry and jealous of his being blessed while they suffered?

Two things I take away from this story:
1) I need to get to know people and listen to them and empathize with them in their plight first. Then I can ask them how I can help.
2) Just like Moses, I have been rejected when offering help to those who needed it. I need to understand that God has a plan and it involves his timing. I must be patient with God to operate in his timing and be patient with others to see my hand of help. And when I offer help, it is to honor God, regardless of the response.

Thank you Lord, for being willing to work on Moses and me. You never give up on us, but continue to work out your refining process, however long it takes. Then, when we are surrendered, you move mightily!