How does naming his son Gershom reflect Moses' feelings in Exodus 2:22? Immediate Backstory • After slaying the Egyptian taskmaster (Exodus 2:11-15), Moses fled Egypt to Midian to escape Pharaoh’s wrath. • There he married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro. • In that season of exile their firstborn arrived: “Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, ‘I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.’” (Exodus 2:22) Layers of Meaning in the Name • Gershom blends two Hebrew roots: ger (“sojourner, alien, temporary resident”) + sham (“there”). • The name literally means “a sojourner there.” • By naming his son this way, Moses stamped his own experience onto the boy’s identity—each time he called “Gershom,” he was reminding himself, “I’m an outsider here.” What the Name Reveals About Moses’ Feelings • Sense of displacement: He no longer belonged to Egypt, yet Canaan was not yet his home. • Regret and loss: Midian provided safety, but it was not the life he once knew. • Humility: His princely status was gone; he now identified with the lowly “foreigner.” • Dependency on God: Stripped of position, he was learning to rely solely on the LORD’s leading. • Quiet hope: By admitting he was “there,” not “home,” Moses kept alive the expectation that God still had a homeland—and a mission—awaiting him. Wider Biblical Echoes • Abraham and his descendants were foretold to be “strangers in a land not their own” (Genesis 15:13). • David prayed, “I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were” (Psalm 39:12). • Hebrews 11:13 recounts the patriarchs who “confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” • Stephen reminds us, “Moses fled to Midian, where he lived as a foreigner” (Acts 7:29). • Believers are urged, “Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh” (1 Peter 2:11). Lessons for Today • Recognize your true citizenship is heavenly; earthly addresses are temporary. • Let moments of displacement drive you closer to God’s promises rather than to despair. • Names, memories, and milestones can be faith-markers—reminding us where we are and where God is taking us. • Like Moses, embrace seasons of exile as training ground for future service; God often shapes deliverers in hidden places. |
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