Exodus 2:15
When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Moses doesn't just sit by the well; he sat down there, a simple posture that signifies a profound pause. This moment marks not an end, but a divinely ordained intermission where God prepares him for the monumental task ahead, far from the opulence of Pharaoh's court and the plight of his people.
After Moses intervenes in an abusive situation by killing an Egyptian taskmaster and then attempting to mediate a dispute between two Hebrews, he realizes his actions have been discovered and are known to Pharaoh. Fearing for his life and realizing his moment of rescue had not yet come, Moses flees Egypt. He travels to the land of Midian, a place with Abrahamic roots, and arrives weary, sitting down by a well to rest and wait for what comes next.
Moses' life took an abrupt turn when Pharaoh wanted him dead. Why did God allow this flight instead of an immediate confrontation?
Pharaoh’s rage was a divine signal. The time wasn't right for Israel's liberation, nor was Moses fully prepared. The commentaries highlight that "things were not yet ripe for Israel’s deliverance" and "the measure of Egypt's iniquity was not yet full." God strategically removed Moses, not because of fear, but for a purpose.
A Season of Refinement
This exile was a crucial part of Moses' training. He needed to transition from the comforts of Pharaoh's court to a life that would equip him to lead a nation through the wilderness. Forty years of a simpler, more challenging life would forge resilience and humility, essential qualities for the arduous journey ahead.
Divine Providence at Work
God didn't just let Moses flee; He directed his steps. Midian was chosen because it was a place where Moses could find refuge among people who still acknowledged the true God. This wasn't a setback, but a carefully orchestrated detour, allowing Moses to "acquaint himself with" the land he would later lead Israel through.
Moses fled Pharaoh, but the Bible also says he 'did not fear the king's wrath.' How can both be true?
The apparent contradiction is resolved when we look at the nature of Moses' departure. His initial flight was an act of prudent self-preservation, guided by God's providence, to preserve him for future service. It wasn't born out of paralyzing fear.
A Strategic Retreat, Not Capitulation
While Moses was certainly aware of the danger – Pharaoh wanted him dead for killing an Egyptian and potentially for being the prophesied deliverer – his departure wasn't a sign of weak faith. The commentaries suggest he fled "through prudence, to avoid danger, and preserve his life for future usefulness." This was a tactical move, not a surrender.
A Glimpse of Future Courage
Understand the original words
Paroh · Hebrew Noun
The monarch of Egypt, representing worldly power, pride, and opposition to the redemptive purposes of God for His people.
be’er · Hebrew Noun
A place of refuge and water in the wilderness, often serving as a site for divine encounter, marriage, and significant life transitions in the biblical narrative.
Moses's forty-year sojourn in Midian was a divinely orchestrated period of preparation, transforming him from an Egyptian prince into a humble shepherd, fitting him for the immense task of leading Israel.
c. 1500s BC
Israelites Enslaved in Egypt
The Israelites, after prospering in Egypt, become enslaved and subjected to harsh labor and oppressive policies by a new dynasty that feared their growing numbers.
c. 1525 BC
Pharaoh's Decree to Kill Hebrew Males
In response to the growing Israelite population, Pharaoh orders the midwives to kill all newborn Hebrew boys. When this fails, he issues a decree for all his people to throw the Israelite male infants into the Nile.
c. 1525 BC
Moses Rescued and Adopted
The infant Moses is hidden by his mother and then placed in a basket in the Nile, where he is discovered and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter, being raised as an Egyptian prince.
c. 1485 BC
Moses Kills an Egyptian Taskmaster
As an adult, Moses witnesses an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave and, in a moment of anger and impulsive justice, kills the Egyptian and hides the body. This act reveals his sympathy for his enslaved brethren and his Egyptian upbringing.
This passage highlights Moses' choice to embrace his identity with God's people, paralleling his flight from Pharaoh's court to a life of faith, even when it meant leaving behind status and comfort.
Acts 7:29Stephen's sermon recounts Moses' exile to Midian, emphasizing his integration into that land before God's call, mirroring Exodus' description of Moses settling by a well.
Genesis 24:11The image of Moses sitting by a well waiting echoes the biblical pattern of important encounters occurring at wells, a common gathering place for people and a place for divine appointments.
Exodus 3:1This verse immediately follows Moses' time in Midian, showing him as a shepherd near Mount Sinai, illustrating the forty years of transition and preparation that began with his flight and settlement by the well.
bensonExodus 2:15: "Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well."
Exodus 2:15 . Moses fled from Pharaoh — God ordered this for wise ends. Things were not yet ripe for Israel’s deliverance. The measure of Egypt’s iniquity was not yet full; the Hebrews were not sufficiently humbled, nor were they yet increased to such a multitude as God designed: Moses is to be further fitted for the serv…
calvinExodus 2:11-15: "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren."
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
Pharao etiam audito hoc sermone, quaerebat interficere Mosen. Et fugiens Moses a facie Pharaonis mansit in Madian, seditque…
Moses doesn't just sit by the well; he sat down there, a simple posture that signifies a profound pause. This moment marks not an end, but a divinely ordained intermission where God prepares him for the monumental task ahead, far from the opulence of Pharaoh's court and the plight of his people.
After Moses intervenes in an abusive situation by killing an Egyptian taskmaster and then attempting to mediate a dispute between two Hebrews, he realizes his actions have been discovered and are known to Pharaoh. Fearing for his life and realizing his moment of rescue had not yet come, Moses flees Egypt. He travels to the land of Midian, a place with Abrahamic roots, and arrives weary, sitting down by a well to rest and wait for what comes next.
After Moses intervenes in an abusive situation by killing an Egyptian taskmaster and then attempting to mediate a dispute between two Hebrews, he realizes his actions have been discovered and are known to Pharaoh. Fearing for his life and realizing his moment of rescue had not yet come, Moses flees Egypt. He travels to the land of Midian, a place with Abrahamic roots, and arrives weary, sitting down by a well to rest and wait for what comes next.
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The author of Hebrews (Hebrews 11:27) speaks of a later, more definitive 'forsaking of Egypt,' where Moses 'did not fear the wrath of the king.' This refers to the ultimate exodus, where Moses, armed with God’s power, boldly defied Pharaoh. The flight to Midian was a necessary prelude to that moment of ultimate faith and courage.
c. 1485 BC— this verse
Moses Flees to Midian
Upon hearing that his deed is known and Pharaoh seeks to kill him, Moses flees Egypt and settles in the land of Midian, a territory inhabited by descendants of Abraham.
c. 1445 BC
The Burning Bush Encounter
Forty years later, while tending sheep in Midian, Moses encounters God in a burning bush, receiving his divine commission to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery.
c. 1445 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Moses, alongside his brother Aaron, confronts Pharaoh and, through a series of plagues, compels the release of the Israelites, leading them out of Egypt in a pivotal event of liberation.
"When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well." — Moses doesn't just sit by the well; he sat down there, a simple posture that signifies a profound pause. This moment marks not an end, but a divinely ordained intermission where God prepares him…
