Who Indeed?

Exodus 2:1-22

According to our Exodus account Moses once confronted two of the Hebrew people who were involved in a heated exchange. When Moses sought to pacify the situation one of the men asked him, “Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14). In hindsight it is an interesting question. At that time Moses might have had little reason to assume a place of authority. But before long he would become, if not a ruler, then certainly a judge among the Hebrew people as they made their way toward the promised land. What events does the future hold for us? What seeds has God planted in our midst? How might today’s questions find true relevance tomorrow? “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?” No one just yet, but very soon God would set Moses aside for a holy purpose.

I recently began leafing though journal entries I wrote a decade or so ago. Many of the questions I was asking then have since been answered—but seldom in ways I might have expected. Neither the Hebrew who questioned Moses’ authority, nor Moses himself could have known what lay ahead for each of them, but God was already at work, and God’s efforts would become more apparent in the near future. The season of Lent is filled with many questions: What is the true purpose of Jesus’ ministry? Where is he leading his followers? What does he mean when he speaks of his death? Other questions abound as well: What meaning does life have for me? Where am I going and what should I be doing? Is there any relief to the pain I feel? In due time—and by the grace of God––we will find answers. In the mean time we have hope.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live in the present as we look ahead to the future. In Jesus’ name. Amen.