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Exodus 2:16–22
“Moses was content to dwell with [Reuel], and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land’ ” (vv. 21–22).
Having fled Egypt to escape the wrath of the pharaoh for killing an Egyptian, Moses came to the land of Midian, where he “sat down by a well” (Ex. 2:11–15). The Midianites were descendants of Abraham by his wife Keturah (Gen. 25:1), and they lived in scattered communities across the central and northern Sinai Peninsula, as well as in the northwest Arabian peninsula. Moses’ relation to the Midianites through his forefather Abraham and the isolation provided by the region made Midian an ideal end point for his journey away from Egypt.
Moses did not sit long at the well before the daughters of the priest of Midian came to gather water for their father’s livestock. Women were responsible for gathering water for the animals in that arid region, but these daughters encountered a problem. Some other shepherds drove them away from the water source. Happily, Moses had not left his concern for justice behind in Egypt and rose up to save the women from the bullying shepherds. Hearing about Moses’ noble deeds, the women’s father, Reuel, invited Moses to settle in Midian and even gave one of his daughters, Zipporah, to Moses as his wife (Ex. 2:16–22). Since Reuel (also called Jethro) is described as a priest and later displays faith in the God of Israel (ch. 18), we can assume that he and Moses had much in common religiously as well. Though the Midianites on the whole did not worship the one true God, apparently some truth handed down from their forefather Abraham survived among this clan. John Calvin comments, “Under the priesthood of [Reuel] the true God was worshiped, according as tradition had revealed Him, but not purely; because religion was at that time everywhere contaminated by diverse superstitions.”
The events described in today’s passage bear a striking resemblance to several events that occurred during the period of Israel’s patriarchs. Like Jacob, Moses met his wife at a well and gave water to her flock (see Gen. 29:1–29). A wife was also found for Isaac at a well (see ch. 24). This, of course, was no accident. God was arranging the events of Moses’ life to parallel the lives of the patriarchs, which would invite the Israelites to esteem him in ways that they esteemed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. One commentator also notes that Moses’ marriage to Zipporah incorporates a non-Israelite into God’s chosen people, hinting that the rescue of the Israelites is going to finally bless even non-Israelites.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
One of the perhaps underrated evidences for the comprehensive sovereignty of God is seen in how important events in the Bible often parallel one another. Only a sovereign God could direct history in such detail that later events unfold so similarly to earlier events. These similarities demonstrate that the same Lord is governing the past and the present, and that we can trust Him to govern the future as well.
For Further Study
- Genesis 14:17–24
- Exodus 4:18–31
- 1 Chronicles 1:32–33
- Hebrews 13:8