Monday, February 2, 2009

Worthwhile

This week we are studying the life of Moses and considering the discovery he went on throughout his life to find worth.

One of the first things that intrigues me about his story is his name.  Pharaoh's daughter named him Moses because that sounded a lot like "drew out" because she drew him out of the water.  The intriguing thing to me about that is initially he was also drawn out from among his people, and brought into the privilege of the Pharaoh and all his world had to offer.  That was something that God used to rescue him from death, but did that also lead to great confusion about who he was during the early years of his life?

I also think it's interesting that Moses is observing his people from a distance.  He was a Hebrew, but he was living in the Egyptian world.  In many ways it seems like perhaps he was a man without an identity.  He isn't a full participant in the Hebrew community, and he is ousted by the Pharaoh when the murder is discovered.  Could this be another issue that caused confusion about who he was and where he fit in the world?  Maybe he was confused about where real worth comes from in his life?

Moses then goes away and ends up marrying Zipporah and they have a son and name him Gershom.  They name him that because  Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for "an alien there," because he felt like an alien there in a foreign land.  Once again he seems to be confused about his identity.  Could this theme of confusion be a contributing factor to him not knowing where he gets his worth?

As Moses and God are talking by the burning bush, Moses keeps referring to the Hebrews in the third person (the Hebrew people, the Israelites, etc.).  It's only after he has gone through all of his excuses and God has gotten angry at him, and then he goes back to talk to Jethro that he says, "I want to go back to my people."  Does this mean that Moses didn't really find his identity until he had personally encountered God?  Does it mean he didn't find his true worth in life until he had gotten to the end of himself and found his value in God?

How does this relate to us finding our worth in life?  What impact does this have on our learning to live worthwhile lives?