What is the meaning of Exodus 2:12? After looking this way and that Exodus 2:12 begins: “After looking this way and that….” Moses pauses and surveys his surroundings. •This deliberate glance shows conscious awareness, not a rash outburst. Acts 7:24 recounts the same scene, noting Moses “saw one of them being mistreated” and “came to his defense.” •His heart for justice is already forming; Hebrews 11:24-25 points out that Moses “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,” choosing identification with God’s oppressed people. •Still, the careful looking signals he knew what he was about to do carried consequences. and seeing no one “…and seeing no one….” Moses confirms the absence of witnesses. •The privacy search underscores human fear; wrongdoing prefers secrecy (John 3:20). •Contrast with God’s omniscience—nothing is hidden from Him (Psalm 139:11-12). •Even heroes of faith wrestle with the tension between righteous indignation and human caution. he struck down the Egyptian “…he struck down the Egyptian….” Moses intervenes decisively. •He acts against oppression: an Egyptian taskmaster is beating a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:11). •The action aligns with Moses’ emerging sense of deliverer, yet it is not a commanded act of God at this point. The Lord later makes clear that vengeance belongs to Him (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). •Moses’ zeal foreshadows the plagues and the Exodus, where God Himself will judge Egypt with perfect justice. and hid his body in the sand “…and hid his body in the sand.” Concealment follows confrontation. •Hiding the corpse shows Moses recognizes the deed will be judged; conscience immediately stirs. Proverbs 28:13 observes, “He who conceals his sins will not prosper.” •This burial in desert sand mirrors the temporary cover-ups we attempt; soon the wind—or, in Moses’ case, witnesses—expose what is hidden (Exodus 2:13-14). •The episode becomes a turning point, driving Moses into Midian where God will shape him for forty years (Exodus 2:15; Acts 7:29-30). summary Exodus 2:12 records Moses’ first recorded act of deliverance, marked by human zeal, secrecy, and immediate consequence. His careful glance, the absence of observers, the lethal blow, and the hurried burial all reveal a man stirred by justice yet still relying on his own strength. God will redeem this imperfect beginning, molding Moses into the humble leader who will later confront Pharaoh under divine command. |
    |