Exodus 2:17

A Knight Of Old

And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. Exodus 2:17.

I wonder how many of you like to hear stories about the brave knights of old. I think most of us do. When we visit old castles we picture some brave warrior fighting for the right or defend the honor of a fair lady. We can see his armor glistening and hear his sword clanking by his side as he rides under the castle portcullis, and over the drawbridge, and away into the great world. And we know he will not return until he can bring back the record of some glorious deed to lay at the feet of the lady who waves a last farewell from the turret window.

Do you know that in the Bible there is the story of a brave knight? Certainly he wore no shining armor, but nevertheless he was a very true and perfect knight. It is such a little story, and it comes in between such important big ones, that perhaps you never noticed it.

The knight had been brought up in a king's palace.

The king's daughter had found him a tiny baby who seemed to belong to nobody and as she had a kind and loving heart, she had taken him home and brought him up as her son. Now although the king was a very wicked man, his daughter was a good woman; and when the baby grew into a boy one of the first lessons she taught him was to be courteous, to be considerate of others.

Years passed, and the boy became a man brave, warm-hearted, and chivalrous. One day he did something which made the king very angry. He was so angry that he sought to kill the young knight, and our hero left the palace and go far away into a strange land.

For long he travelled until, one day towards evening, he came to a place where there was a well. There he sat down to rest. The day had been very hot, and he was glad of the cooling draught and the kindly shade of the trees which surrounded the spring.

Soon he heard in the distance voices and the bleating of sheep. Seven young women carrying buckets approached the spring. They filled their buckets from the well and emptied them into some stone troughs which stood near.

They were busily engaged when, from the opposite direction, appeared some rough-looking shepherds also leading a large flock of sheep. “Ah, Zipporah,” sighed one of the girls, “our enemies once more! Alas, all our work is for nothing!” Even as she spoke, the shepherds with loud cries and rough blows drove off the sheep belonging to the girls and led their own flock to the troughs.

But they had reckoned without the silent figure at the well-side. Awakened from a day-dream of a far land and a loving woman who had been more than a mother to him, the young knight stood before them with blazing eyes. How dare they treat a few helpless women in such a way? They were three to one! What did it matter?

The cowardly shepherds, confronted by a brave young knight who was not afraid to fight against great odds, soon fled. Then the knight, not content with having driven off their enemies, courteously helped the young women to water their flocks.

When the shepherdesses reached home they told their father the story, and he was so pleased that he invited the young man to stay with him. Later he gave Zipporah in marriage to him.

I wonder if you have guessed the name of the knight? I am sure some of you have. Yes, his name was Moses. And the reason why I have told you the story is because I want you to notice how courteous a brave man can be. Moses' courtesy was one of the finest traits in his character, and it is a trait that you find in every truly great man.

Some people seem to have the idea that you can't be gentle and manly at the same time. That is an entirely mistaken idea. The young knight in our story was very brave and he was very gentle too.

There is a beautiful legend about Moses which tells how God chose him to lead the Israelites because he was so gentle. Would you like to hear it?

After the adventure at the well, Moses became a shepherd and kept his father-in-law's sheep. He used to take them out to the hills to graze, and one day he missed a little lamb from the flock. He had been so busy with the rest of the sheep that the lamb had wandered some distance before he noticed its absence, so it was a good while before he overtook it.

When the lamb saw him coming it just took one look over its shoulder and away it went, leaping and running, on and on over the fields, always keeping just a little bit in front of the shepherd. At length it stopped where a cool spring gushed out of the mountain-side. It buried its head in the water, and drank and drank as if it never could have enough. At last its thirst was quenched, and very gently Moses said: “Poor little thing, was it because you were so very thirsty that you ran so fast and so far? You must be very tired.” Then tenderly he lifted the tiny creature and, laying it on his shoulder, carried it all the way back to the fold.

And when God saw how gentle Moses was with the little lamb He said: “This shall be the shepherd to lead My people Israel.”

Don't be ashamed to be gentle, boys and girls, don't be too proud to be courteous. Do you know who is the greatest Hero the world has ever seen? The gentle Jesus.