Friend of StrangersНамуна

Moses begins his life as a Hebrew, grows up as an Egyptian prince, becomes a refugee in Midian, and is welcomed as a guest by Jethro, but sees himself as a stranger. He even names his firstborn son 'Gershom' meaning stranger.

Moses is eventually sent by God back to the palace from which he fled. Moses must confront Pharaoh, who wants to kill him and enslave his people. Moses is hesitant but leaves when his brother Aaron agrees to go with him.

But the Moses who returns to the palace he grew up in is a changed man. What did it do to Moses that he had to flee the palace and live as a stranger in another land? What did it do to him to leave a well-ordered life, a bright future, and endless resources and live instead as a poor shepherd in a foreign land?

One thing we can see in Moses' life is that he was a leader both before and after the escape, but something changed when he had to flee. Before the flight, he was a high representative of the authorities, sent by himself and acting on his behalf. After the flight, he was a representative of the people, sent by God and acting on the Word of God.

Before his escape, he received the best academic leadership training at the Egyptian court from the best teachers the contemporary world had to offer. After the flight, he learned leadership in the desert from the sheep that went looking for water and grass in the land of Midian. Instead of leading and commanding from above as a state authority, Moses became the one who stood on the side of the oppressed and raised his voice for those who had no say in Egyptian society. With the flight, Moses went from being a secular leader of the Egyptians to becoming a spiritual leader of God's people.