5-10minute reads

Those of us who know the story of Moses immediately go to stories we have heard: “Moses in the Bullrushes”; ‘Moses with the Burning Bush’ or ‘Moses and the Parting of the Red Sea’.

How about ‘Moses and the Semi-Colon”?

Exodus 2: 11–16

11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?”

14 Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from [b]the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

What happened to this ‘beautiful boy’ Jochebed had treasured so! Ceaselessly and passionately prayed for, this baby kept ‘against the odds’, this baby with a purpose? Was this not you? Oh, Moses!

Moses runs away — he is running away from his life, and he believes, for his life. He is running away from his family, from expectations, from guilt, from shame, from who he saw he was and didn’t like.

Where does he end up?

“In the land of Midian”, the Bible says.

The Midianites at times were allies to the Israelites and at other times, enemies. Here is a place that can feel like both a good and a bad place at the same time. I know that feeling!

At times, when in the land of the Midian I feel it is helpful with what is around me because it is now different surroundings. Other times, I want to keep running to find somewhere else; this Midian land is foreign and uncomfortable and I’m no better off.

Or am I?

Is not our land of Midian the desert where our thirst is most intense?

So wait — read the smallprint, there is a semi colon! A semi colon is an indication the sentence is not over yet!

“….; where he sat down by a well”

This is my favourite bit!

.What does John 4: 10–14 say:

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Moses ends up sitting down by a well!

Have you ever sat beside a well? Sat there, not working the well, not drawing the water. Just sit there. In the presence of the well. When you are there, you may still be thirsty, and that’s ok, that time will come.

Just rest, listen and watch from that position.

Hear the gurgling water, watch others as they come thirsty and leave satisfied. Take in what you can. For in staying there, with even just the tiniest bit of faith God asks from you, you will eventually get the strength to stand up again. From there, sitting beside the well you will learn how to best draw water for yourself.

And in time, when you don’t even expect it to happen at all, you will find yourself drawing water from the same source, for others.

Does this not sound like David in Psalm 23, CEV

“You lead me to streams of peaceful water, 3 and you refresh my life.”

I wonder, how long did Moses need to sit there beside the well to watch life go by, to think, to cry, to grieve, to pray, to find an approach to how to go forward? I am guessing he didn’t just sit there for a quick bite to eat and then carry on. We know that every word is placed intentionally in the Bible, so the emphasis is there for us to take notice:

Did he not need to stay there, sitting by the well until..

“Yes, Moses you have a tendency to do harm to yourself and to others but that doesn’t mean you are a failure. I gave you your unique personality, I made you for great things. Your love for people has not gone unnoticed. Nor has your drive, your passion and even what you call, your social awkwardness — I see you. Trust me in this, Moses, through this too you will be led. You have absolutely no idea of what I have in store for You but it is good, so very good!” (oh yes, what a future!)

Jehovah Jireh, His provider, Jehovah God had been there with Moses through his whole life and He wasn’t going to fail him now.

The only place this story is documented is in Exodus 2, six short verses. Then we read for chapters and chapters of amazing experiences with God using Moses — all through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. We talk about the stories still often today with awe and wonder and praise to God.

The life Moses lived ahead of dwelling in the land of the Midian; sitting by the well,- this is the Moses we remember.

The semi colon in this passage is worth noting. Like the meaning of a semi colon in a grammatical sense that the sentence is not over yet, in the same way and so beautifully illustrated here in scripture, Moses’ life was not over.

In fact this was literally just the beginning.

“Moses dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.”