Exodus 2:11-12

He slew the Egyptian.

The oppressor slain; or a wrong way of reproving injury

I. There are many instances of cruel oppression in the world.

1. There is oppression in the commercial life of men. The rich smite the poor--the fortunate the unfortunate--the defrauder the honest tradesman.

2. There is oppression in the social life of men. The haughty frown upon the humble.

3. There is oppression in the political life of men. There is the oppression of an unjust king--of a politic statesman--of an unruly crowd--of an unrighteous edict.

4. There is oppression in the Church life of men. The man of little religion wishes to dictate to and perplex those who are more devout than himself.

II. It is the duty of a good and patriotic man to oppose these manifestations of oppression.

1. Because he should have sympathy with the burdens of the oppressed.

2. Because he should recognize the brotherhood of men.

3. Because he should recognize the claim of nationality.

III. That a good man must be careful as to the spirit and manner in which he resents oppression, or he may be as cruel as those whom he reproves.

1. His conscience told him that he was doing wrong.

2. The spirit and manner in which the oppressor should be reproved.

(1) Boldly.

(2) Firmly.

(3) Sometimes kindly.

(4) Make him feel the wrong of his conduct. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

Retributive justice

Look at retributive justice in man in three aspects.

I. As excited. “He spied an Egyptian,” etc. It was always there, working no doubt silently, and in many ways, but now it broke into flame. The moral outrage he witnessed roused him, etc.

II. As restrained. “He looked this way,” etc. The sight of a child will so frighten the nocturnal desperado that it will paralyze his arms and drive him panic-struck from the scene. Man keeps man in check. A wise and beneficent arrangement. It is a power, however, that has its limits. It should never prevent us from doing right.

III. As free. “When he saw there was no man, he slew,” etc. Were the retributive instincts of human nature left entirely unrestrained the earth would become a pandemonium. (Homilist.)

Lessons

1. Maturity of years and parts God appoints unto the instruments of deliverance.

2. Providence orders objects to be seen to move instruments unto their work.

3. Sight of pressures and injuries upon the Church must move helpers to compassion.

4. Single injuries done to any member of the Church may occasion just revenge. (G. Hughes, B. D.)

Strife, intervention, and flight of Moses

I. Strife.

1. Between the Egyptian and Hebrew. The Egyptian was smiting the Hebrew. Whipping him to his work, or punishing him for doing less than his allotted task. Cruel, tyrannical. The strong and protected, persecuted the weak and defenceless. Pride of power. Official meanness. Domineering spirit and conduct.

2. Between Hebrew and Hebrew. This is a worse feature of strife. Fellow bondsmen increasing each other’s sufferings. Children of one family.striving.

II. Intervention.

1. The person. Moses. Adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Learned. Mighty in deeds and words. Honour, title, wealth before him.

2. His patriotic feelings. Did not abandon his nationality. “Not ashamed to call them brethren.”

3. Slays the Egyptian. Unjustifiable conduct. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” Yet it was an heroic act, under the peculiar circumstances. The first blow for freedom.

4. Concealment. Hides the body.

5. Second intervention. Not to kill, but to expostulate.

6. Repudiation of Moses by his brethren. Jesus was despised and rejected, “came to His own, and His own received Him not.”

III. Flight of Moses.

1. The reason. Pharaoh sought to slay him. Moses, dwelling in the palace, would soon hear of this design. His friends--perhaps the princess if living--would inform him.

2. The course of his flight. Over ground to be presently traversed by the Israelites. A long and solitary journey. His thoughts by the way.

3. Incidents of the end. The well’s mouth. How many incidents have occurred at the mouth of wells! The sheperdesses and the boors. Moses’ courage and politeness. The Christian should be a true gentleman. The reward of chivalry and politeness. Kind words and deeds easy. Defence of the weak a mark of true nobleness. Moses a real nobleman. Christ mighty to save the weak; and willing.

learn--

1. The meanness of taking a base advantage.

2. The strong should be helpers of the weak.

3. Jesus, a prophet like unto Moses, raised up to be our peacemaker and deliverer. (J. C. Gray.)

Moses’ sympathy with his brethren

Strong was the temptation that beset Moses. He had a fair opportunity (as we say) to make his fortune, and to have been serviceable to Israel too, with his interest at court, and yet he obtained a glorious victory by faith. He esteemed it greater honour and advantage to be a son of Abraham than an adopted child of the royal family. He had a tender concern for his poor brethren in bondage, with whom (though he might easily have avoided it) he chose to suffer affliction; he looked on their burdens as one that not only pitied them, but was resolved to venture with them, and, if necessary, to venture for them. We must not be satisfied with wishing well to, doing service for, or speaking kindly on behalf of the people of God. We ought to be fully identified with them, no matter how despised or reproached they may be. It is, in a measure, an agreeable thing to a benevolent and generous spirit to patronize Christianity, but it is a wholly different thing to be identified with Christians, or to suffer with Christ. A patron is one thing, a martyr is quite another. This distinction is apparent throughout the entire book of God. Obadiah took care of God’s witnesses, but Elijah was a witness for God. Darius was so attached to Daniel that he lost a night’s rest on his account, but Daniel spent that selfsame night in the lion’s den, as a witness for the truth of God. Nicodemus ventured to speak a word for Christ, but a more matured discipleship would have led him to identify himself with Christ. (A. Nevin, D. D.)

Brotherly sympathy

Prior to the return of Mr. Henson, the original of “Uncle Tom,” to America in 1851, he was invited to a dinner party in the lordly mansion of one of our city merchants; and when seated at a table covered with the most tempting viands, and surrounded with every comfort and luxury which affluence could provide, he was so overpowered with the remembrance of his former misery and degradation that he rose from the table, feeling that he could not partake of a single morsel of the sumptuous banquet. His generous host went after him, and asked whether he was taken unwell, or whether he would like some other kind of dishes. “Oh no,” was the touching and pathetic response of this good old man, “I am well enough; but, oh I how could I sit down to such a luxurious feast as this when I think of my poor brother at this moment a wretched, miserable, outcast slave, with perhaps scarcely a crust of bread or a glass of water to appease the cravings of nature?” (John Lobb.)

Blood thicker than water

Commodore Tatnall was in command of the United States squadron in the East Indies, and, as a neutral, witnessed the desperate fight near Pekin between the English and Chinese fleets. Seeing his old friend, Sir James Hope, hard pressed and in need of help, he manned his barge, and went through a tremendous fire to the flag-ship. Offering his services, surprise was expressed at his action. His reply was, “Blood is thicker than water.” (H. O. Mackey.)

Sympathy with burden bearers

Napoleon, at St. Helena, was once walking with a lady, when a man came up with a load on his back. The lady kept her side of the path, and was ready to assert her precedence of sex; but Napoleon gently waved her on one side, saying, “Respect the burden, madam.” You constantly see men and women behave to each other in a way which shows that they do not “respect the burden,” whatever the burden is. Sometimes the burden is an actual visible load; sometimes it is cold and raggedness; sometimes it is hunger; sometimes it is grief, or illness. And how far, pray, are we to push the kind of chivalry which “respects the burden”? As far as the love of God will go with us. A great distance; it is a long way to the foot of the rainbow. (Good Words.)

Some people will never look on the burdens of their brethren

1. They pretend not to see them.

2. They have no sympathy with them.

3. They fear lest their purse, or energy should be taxed.

4. They miss the luxury of relieving them. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

The inquiring look of conscience

1. It was anxious.

2. It was suspicious.

3. It was troubled.

4. It was perplexed.

5. It was mistaken. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

The inquiring look of conscience

1. Gives a moment for reflection.

2. Indicates the moral evil of the deed.

3. Suspects an unhappy issue from the deed. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

Hidden sin

“He slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”

I. Hidden by fallacy. “The Egyptian.” He was cruel--unjust; had I not a right to kill him? Moses might reason thus to convince himself. A man must bury sin out of the sight of his own conscience, before he can be happy--by false argument or true.

II. Hidden by folly. “In the sand.”

1. Would leave traces of his deed.

2. The dead body would be easily discovered.

So all our efforts to bury sin are equally futile. God sees it. He can lead men to its grave. Sin leaves traces. It is better not to be under the necessity of making the soul into a grave, or any spot of life into a tomb. If we do, there will sure to come a resurrection. A man who is going to commit sin, requires to have all his wits about him. (J. S. Exell, M. A.)

The upward look best

This action teaches a deep practical lesson to all the servants of God. There are two things by which it is superinduced: namely, the fear of man’s wrath, and the hope of man’s favour. The servant of the living God should neither regard the one nor the ether. What avails the wrath or favour of a poor mortal, to one who holds the Divine commission, and enjoys the Divine presence? It is, in the judgment of such an one, less than the small dust of the balance. Divine intelligence will ever lead us to look upward and onward. Whenever we look around to shun a mortal’s frown or catch his smile, we may rest assured there is something wrong; we are off the proper ground of Divine service. (C. H. Mackintosh.)

The chivalry of Moses

This is one of the first recorded acts of the meekest of men! Do not let us be hard upon him! The impulse was right. There must be men in society who can strike, and who need to strike but once. Let it be understood that this, after all, was but the lowest form of heroism--it was a boy’s resentment--it was a youth’s untempered chivalry. One can imagine a boy reading this story, and feeling himself called upon to strike everybody who is doing something which displeases him. There is a raw heroism; an animal courage; a rude, barbaric idea of righteousness. We applaud Moses, but it is his impulse rather than his method which is approved. Every man should burn with indignation when he sees oppression. In this instance it must be clearly understood that the case was one of oppressive strength as against downtrodden weakness. This was not a fight between one man and another; the Egyptian and the Hebrew were not fairly pitted in battle: the Egyptian was smiting the Hebrew--the Hebrew in all probability bending over his labour, doing the best in his power, and yet suffering the lash of the tyrant. It was under such circumstances as these that Moses struck in the cause of human justice. In this fiery protest against wrong, in this blow of ungoverned temper against a hoary and pitiless despotism, see somewhat of the tender sympathy that was in Jochebed embodied in a form natural to the impetuosity of youth. Little did Moses know what he did when he smote the nameless Egyptian. In smiting that one man, in reality he struck Pharaoh himself, and every succeeding tyrant! (J. Parker, D. D.)

Moses’ rash haste

We may not shut our eyes to the fact that but for his lack of selfrestraint Moses might have become an earlier benefactor to the people whom he desired to liberate. He was running before he had been sent; and he discovered by the result that neither was he as yet competent to be the leader of the people, nor were the people ready to rise at his call. There is a long distance often between the formation of a purpose and the right opportunity for its execution; and we should not always regard promptitude as wise. The providential indicators of duty are the call within us, and the willingness of those whom we would benefit, to receive our blessing; and if either of these is absent, we should pause. Above all, we should not allow the passion of a moment to throw us off our guard and lead us into sin, for we may be sure that in the end it will only retard our enterprise and remove us from the sphere of our activities. The ripening of a purpose is not always the mark of the presence of an opportunity. “Raw-haste” is always “half-sister to delay”; and wrong-doing can never help forward, directly at least (however God may afterward overrule it), a good cause. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)

The prince and the serfs

Many years ago, there was a little boy named Alexander. He was the son of Nicholas, Emperor of Russia, in whose empire there were many millions of poor people, called serfs. These were kept in a state much resembling slavery, and were sold with the lands on which they lived. Many of them were poor and wretched; some few were prosperous and wealthy; but all were under the control of the lords on whose territories they dwelt. One day, Nicholas noticed that little Alexander looked very sad and thoughtful, and asked him of what he was thinking. “Of the poor serfs,” replied the little boy; “and, when I become emperor, I will emancipate them.” This reply startled the emperor and his courtiers; for they were very much opposed to all such plans for improvement of the condition of the poor. They asked little Alexander how he came to think of doing this, and what led him to feel so interested for the serfs. He replied, “From reading the Scriptures, and hearing them enforced, which teach that all men are brothers.” The emperor said very little to his boy on the subject, and it was hoped that the influences and opinions which prevailed in the royal court would gradually correct the boyish notions of the young prince; but this expectation was vain. The early impressions of the little boy grew deeper and stronger; and when at last the great Nicholas died, and Alexander was placed upon his father’s throne, he called the wise statesmen of the land to his councils, and a plan of emancipation was formed; and the imperial decree went forth, which abolished serfdom throughout all the Russian empire. It is in this way that God works wonders by the power of His Word. The great fact, that God has “made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth,” lodged like an incorruptible seed in the heart of the young prince, and growing with his growth, and strengthening with his strength, at last budded and blossomed, and brought forth the fruit or blessing for millions of the human race.