Depression / Discouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Patience, Help / Serve Others, Humility, Seeking God, Teachable, Tribulation, Wise, Worry/Anxiety

Learning Through Failure (Exodus 2:11-25)

Have you ever taken a step you thought was right—only to see it end in failure and hardship?

Key Verse:
“When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian…” —Exodus 2:15 NASB

Background Context:
After the remarkable rescue of Moses as an infant, the story jumps forward many years in Exodus. Moses has grown up in Pharaoh’s household, educated and raised with privilege. Yet he knows he is Hebrew and sees the harsh oppression his people endure.

One day Moses witnesses an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and intervenes. What follows changes the course of his life and begins a long season of preparation far from Egypt.

(Continued and expanded after scripture.)

Exodus 2:11-25

  11Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?” 14But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.”

Moses Escapes to Midian

      15When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.

      16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock. 18When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” 19So they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and what is more, he even drew the water for us and watered the flock.” 20He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. 22Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

23Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. 24So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

Reflection on Exodus 2:11–25:
Moses likely believed he was ready to help deliver his people. Seeing injustice, he stepped in and killed the Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Though Moses intended to defend the oppressed, his action was driven by anger and done outside of God’s timing.

When the event became known, Pharaoh sought to kill him, and Moses fled into the wilderness of Midian.

At first glance this may appear to be the end of Moses’ calling. The man raised in a palace now becomes a fugitive shepherd in a foreign land. Yet something important about Moses’ character becomes clear during this time.

Failure did not cause Moses to abandon his desire to help others.

When he arrives in Midian, Moses again encounters injustice. Shepherds attempt to drive away the daughters of Reuel as they come to water their flocks. This time Moses intervenes wisely, protecting them and helping water the animals. His willingness to help others opens the door for him to remain in Midian, eventually marrying Zipporah and beginning a family.

We are all capable of making mistakes when we attempt to act in faith or confront wrongdoing. The greater mistake is allowing those failures to discourage us from continuing to serve God. Moses learned from his experience and continued to stand up for what was right.

During these years in Midian, Moses’ life changed dramatically. The man raised in power now lived quietly as a shepherd. What may have felt like exile was actually preparation. God was shaping humility, patience, and dependence in the one who would one day lead a nation.

Meanwhile, Israel remained in Egypt under heavy oppression. The people groaned under their suffering and cried out to God. Scripture tells us that God heard their groaning and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This does not mean God had forgotten His promise. Rather, it emphasizes that the cries of His people matter to Him. He sees their suffering and responds according to His perfect timing.

Often in our own lives we may feel that God is distant when we face hardship. We may look to human solutions first and feel discouraged when they fail. Yet Scripture reminds us that God desires His people to cry out to Him. He hears the prayers of those who seek Him and trust in His ways.

While Israel cried out in Egypt and Moses lived quietly in Midian, God was preparing both the deliverer and the moment of deliverance.

What seemed like delay was actually divine preparation.

Application:

  • Do not allow past mistakes to stop you from continuing to serve God.

  • Learn from failure and grow in wisdom and humility.

  • Continue helping others and standing against injustice.

  • Cry out to God in seasons of hardship rather than relying only on human solutions.

  • Trust that God may be preparing you during seasons that feel quiet or difficult.

Closing Prayer:
Father, help me to trust You even when my plans fall apart. Teach me to learn from my mistakes rather than be discouraged by them. Strengthen my desire to stand for what is right and to help others in need. When I face hardship, remind me to cry out to You and rely on Your wisdom and timing. Prepare my heart to serve You faithfully wherever You place me. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.

John Golda

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