“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. Looking 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.”
We would all like to take something back. The ugly retort, the poor decision, or even the nasty behavior we displayed at a party or get together. Or how about the words that caused a 4 day fight with your boyfriend or your spouse? All of us can look back at those times and wish we could of done something differently.
As I was reading Exodus, these verses jumped off the page. To put things in context, Moses knew he was Hebrew from birth, yet he was the adopted son of Pharoah’s daughter living in the palace of Egypt. Have you ever felt out of place? Where your current surroundings, no matter how lavish they might be, made you feel like you don’t belong? The people, your everyday comings and goings from your current place are still not enough to make you feel at home? This was Moses, a man trapped in the palace of Egypt watching his people get beat and overworked everyday while he enjoys the passing pleasures of Egypt. Also, Moses was not a nobody. It seems as if he was very recognizable. The overworked slave nation of Israel knew of him and most likely everyone knew he was Hebrew. You can almost taste the distain in their heart for him in these verses.
Moses, no doubt felt overwhelmed in his heart from feeling out of place and privileged when he should be a slave. So in the passage, he sees some Egyptian beating a fellow Hebrew and kills him. If you are not careful you read right past the most important part of this story. Moses, before he killed the Egyptian, looked around to see if no one was looking before he killed this man. And quickly afterwards he buries him in the sand and hides the dead body. No one saw, no harm no foul, no cop no stop right? No, this little action was not so secret. By the time Moses goes to break up a fight the very next day the word has already gotten out and Moses is a marked man.
Proverbs 24:6 says, “For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.” The first thing Moses was guilty of was not understanding and using this very verse. He acted alone, by himself, no counselor, no one to bounce the idea off. He was impulsive and fool hearty and it cost him dearly. If we read on, it tells us that Moses was a marked man and Pharaoh wanted him dead. He had to flee Egypt in order to save his life. To make matters worse, he is now estranged from his own people. All of this because he reacted with anger and neglected to get some wise counsel first.
You may be in the middle of you own estranged and angry moment. Wanting to act out and take matters into your own hands so to speak. I can say that taking matters into your own hands may sometimes be the right move, but first you must get some wise counsel. Your current state of mind might be crowded by anger and resentment and you need someone on the outside. Moses, after he kills the Egyptian, buries the man in sand to cover it all up. The sand of life cannot cover up or erase your sins and bad judgment. We all have to reap what we sow. The Bible is clear. It tells us to hold our anger, keep our mouths shut and our ears open first. Get some wise counsel before declaring war.
If you have already killed the Egyptian like Moses and have fled from the scene, well, God is able to redeem you and His plan for your life can still be set in motion. We all know that Moses goes on to lead his own people out of Egypt. God has some huge plans for you. Don’t let anger and bad judgment delay what God has for you.
Be blessed.
Let It Go 
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