Contemplative Bible Reading

Exodus 2:11-12 (New Living Translation)

11 Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.

Here we have Moses, the man God chose to speak to Pharaoh and bring the people out of slavery, murdering someone. Slavery was horrible. The people were reduced to work as slaves. Anything that would end slavery would be justified. Why hold Moses…

Let’s pause a moment in our justification of the situation: Moses killed this unnamed Egyptian. Moses saw an Egyptian beating a fellow Hebrew. That was cruel. Was it unjustified? Was it illegal? We don’t know those things. What the text tells us is that Moses saw this, paused, looked in all directions to make sure no one was watching, killed the Egyptian, and hid the body.

Doesn’t sound like an act of righteous indignation. Sounds like someone trying to hide what they are doing. Perhaps hiding an act can be righteous. Perhaps not.

We later read than when the act of Moses was revealed (Moses wasn’t too good at ensuring that no one was watching), he fled and stayed away for decades.

Again, doesn’t sound like an act of righteous indignation.

Moses had flaws, plenty of flaws. Sounds like Moses was like me. Murder? This reads like Moses was a murderer. I don’t like that as it goes against the narrative of Moses being a humble and God-following man. Still, that’s how the text reads.