How does Exodus 2:17 fit into the larger narrative of Moses' life? Text Of Exodus 2:17 “Then some shepherds came along and drove them away; but Moses stood up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.” Immediate Literary Context (Exodus 2:11-22) After forty years in Pharaoh’s court (Acts 7:23), Moses kills an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew (Exodus 2:11-12) and flees to Midian (v. 15). Sitting beside a well—an archetypal meeting place in Genesis—he encounters seven daughters of the priest of Midian. Exodus 2:17 captures Moses’ first recorded act in exile: defending the powerless and serving them with water. The episode leads directly to his marriage to Zipporah (v. 21) and residence with Jethro, positioning Midian as the crucible in which God refines Israel’s future deliverer. Historical And Cultural Backdrop Ancient Near-Eastern texts attest to violent disputes over wells. Papyrus Anastasi VI (lines 51-54, 13th century BC) describes Egyptian guards fending off nomadic shepherds at a desert cistern—mirroring the scenario in Exodus 2:17. Such congruence supports the narrative’s authenticity. Midian itself is archaeologically attested: copper-smelting sites at Timna (14th–12th centuries BC) contain Midianite pottery (“Qurayya ware”) and a tent-shrine with bovine imagery strikingly similar to the later golden calf episode (Exodus 32), underscoring the text’s rootedness in real peoples and places. Character Formation: A Pattern Of Righteous Intervention Exodus presents three consecutive rescues by Moses: • A Hebrew slave (2:11-12) • Midianite women (2:17) • The nation of Israel (chs 3-14) The middle event is pivotal. Unlike the murder in Egypt, Moses here shows controlled courage—no weapon, no excess violence, only protective action followed by humble service (“watered their flock”). The text thus charts moral growth, preparing him to confront Pharaoh with measured firmness. Foreshadowing Of His Deliverer Role The Hebrew verb for “rescue” ( יֹשִׁעָן , yoshiʿān) shares the root with “salvation.” Moses’ deed previews his God-commissioned deliverance (Exodus 3:8). Later Scripture sees the same pattern in Christ, the greater Deliverer (Acts 7:35-37), who protects the weak and offers “living water” (John 4:10). Wilderness Preparation And The 40-Year Training Cycle Acts 7:30 marks another forty years between Midian and the burning bush, yielding an 80-year-old shepherd ready for leadership (Psalm 90:10). Shepherding builds endurance, navigation skills, and sacrificial vigilance—traits essential for guiding Israel through a wilderness roughly equivalent to the Midianite terrain. Marriage Alliance And Covenant Connections Exodus 2:21-22 ties Moses to Jethro (Reuel), “priest of Midian,” whose name for God, YHWH (Exodus 18:11-12), precedes Sinai. Inscriptions from Soleb and Amarah-West in Nubia (c. 1400 BC) mention “Yhw in the land of the Shasu,” aligning with Midian’s geography and suggesting Yahwistic worship pre-dating Moses—illuminating how Moses could later ask, “What is His name?” (Exodus 3:13) while still valuing Jethro’s priestly insights. Shepherd Imagery And Biblical Theology Genesis frequently frames pivotal betrothals at wells—Isaac/Rebekah (Genesis 24), Jacob/Rachel (Genesis 29)—portraying God’s providence in family formation. Moses’ well episode continues the motif but adds deliverance, weaving justice into the shepherd theme later applied to Israel’s kings (2 Samuel 5:2) and ultimately to Christ, the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:11). Justice, Compassion, And The Law He Will Mediate By defending foreign women, Moses models the concern for sojourners later enshrined in the Law he delivers (Exodus 22:21). His empathy for outsiders derives from personal exile, reinforcing behavioral science observations that suffering can heighten altruistic sensitivity—an experiential basis for divine commandments promoting social equity. Typology And Christological Echoes • Rescuer at a well → Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, breaking social taboos to offer salvation. • Water provision → Christ proclaims Himself living water; Moses strikes the rock (Exodus 17) prefiguring Christ struck for sin (1 Colossians 10:4). • Defends the oppressed → Jesus champions the marginalized (Luke 4:18-19). Chronological Placement In A Young-Earth Framework Using Ussher’s date for Creation (4004 BC) and 1 Kings 6:1’s 480-year interval from the Exodus to Solomon’s temple (c. 966 BC), Moses’ birth falls c. 1571 BC, the Midian episode c. 1531 BC. This synchronizes with Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, when Hatshepsut’s trade with Punt (possible coastal Midian) is documented—supporting plausibility of Egyptian-Midianite interaction. Archaeological Corroboration Of Water Rights Conflicts Rock-cut reliefs near Serabit el-Khadim depict Semitic laborers with water jars; Bedouin oral tradition around Wadi Feiran recounts ancestral skirmishes at springs. These provide analogues to Exodus 2:17 and bolster the claim that the Pentateuch reflects authentic desert lifeways, not later fiction. Practical Application For Readers Exodus 2:17 challenges believers to intervene for the powerless with both courage and service. It warns that mere outrage (Egyptian killed) must mature into principled protection (Midianite daughters aided) and, ultimately, into God-commissioned deliverance undertaken in dependence on divine power (Red Sea crossing). Conclusion Exodus 2:17 is far more than an isolated anecdote. It advances the plot of redemption history, evidences the text’s historical reliability, reveals God’s method of shaping leaders, foreshadows the gospel, and anchors Moses’ identity as deliverer, intercessor, and shepherd of Israel. |
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