Explosive Exasperation Exposed
| One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labour. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing 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." When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian. (Exodus2:11-15) |
Moses has grown up in Pharaoh's palace - in luxury and opulence. Probably also as an oddity - a Hebrew among Egyptians. His mother, who was his wet-nurse probably sang the songs of Yahweh over him and told him stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is conflicted and confused. A festering rage is building up in him... In another movie Rocky Balboa, talking about the death of his wife, talks about the "stuff in the basement" and how it needs to be dealt with...
Now as a grown man, Moses reconnects with his people and sees the injustice of Egyptian tyranny. And it boils over in explosive exasperation!
One would expect this action would cast him in a heroic mould - that he would be recognised as an agent of justice and liberation - but the word has got out and Moses is not trusted. His explosive exasperation is seen for what it is - unpredictable and unstable. These are the actions of someone who is frustrated and lashing out - not good liberator material. He is exposed as unreliable and untrustworthy - "Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?"
And so Moses must flee. From Pharaoh, but also from his own explosive exasperation.
To be able to lead will require a quieter soul...
No matter how noble our cause is, we are no good to that cause if we come to it with "stuff in the basement".
