The School of Mistakes
Scripture Reading — Exodus 2:11-15
Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.
Poor Moses! He had thought that killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew was a good thing to do. Maybe he had thought that by killing the Egyptian he might endear himself to the Hebrews. Maybe the Hebrews would see that Moses’ loyalties were with them even though he had grown up in Pharaoh’s household.
But no. The Hebrews didn’t trust him, and Pharaoh soon found out about Moses’ murder of the Egyptian. Pharaoh then declared that he would kill Moses, and Moses found that he was not so valued a member of Pharaoh’s household as he might have thought.
Lesson learned: Taking matters into his own hands was not a good idea.
Moses had had quite an education already—both the hardship of his earliest years and the luxury of his growing-up years had shaped him. Now this mistake, the murder of the Egyptian, would become a teacher as well. It would teach Moses to wait on the Lord instead of pretending that he, Moses, was in charge.
Who is in charge of your life? Are you attempting to take control, or have you turned your life over to God?
Father in heaven, so often we want to take charge. After all, our culture often tells us to find life’s answers within ourselves. Teach us trust, humility, and obedience to you, dear Lord. Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
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