By Timothy Kitchen Jr
From Egypt, to Israel, to the Wilderness, to the Mind of God
What if God’s calling involves more than simply bringing us out of the world? What if He is also teaching us to understand what we have come out of, whom we have been called to, what it means to shepherd others, and ultimately how to see it all from His perspective?
There is something remarkable about the life of Moses.
Before God sent Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses had already experienced Egypt, Israel, and the wilderness.
He had lived among the rulers.
He had identified himself with the oppressed.
He had experienced separation and isolation.
He had learned to tend a flock.
And only then, at the burning bush, did God reveal the work He had prepared for him.
Consider the progression.
Moses was not simply being moved from one geographical location to another.
He was being given perspectives.
And each perspective would become important to the responsibility God would eventually place upon him.
There is a striking parallel between this journey and the calling of those whom God brings out of this world and into His Church.
THE FIRST PERSPECTIVE: EGYPT — THE WORLD
Moses began his life in Egypt.
Although born an Israelite, he was raised in Pharaoh’s household.
He was educated in the knowledge, customs, government, and ways of Egypt.
Acts 7:22 tells us:
“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”
Think about that.
Moses understood Egypt from the inside.
He knew its society, its authority, its wealth, its customs, and its way of thinking.
Egypt was the world he knew.
Is this not similar to our own beginnings?
Before God calls us, we grow up in this present world.
We learn its customs.
We become familiar with its governments, its systems, its ambitions, its values, and its ways of measuring success.
We understand what it means to live according to the world because we have lived in it.
But then something happens.
God begins opening our understanding.
We begin recognizing things we did not previously recognize.
What once seemed normal begins to appear differently.
We begin seeing the difference between the ways of this world and the ways of God.
Moses experienced something similar.
Hebrews 11:24-26 tells us:
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”
Notice the change.
Moses had known the pleasures, privileges, and advantages of Egypt.
But now he recognized something of greater value.
He recognized his brethren.
And he made a choice.
He would no longer identify himself with the greatness of Egypt.
He would identify himself with the people of God.
That brings us to the second perspective.
THE SECOND PERSPECTIVE: ISRAEL — THE FAMILY OF GOD
Acts 7:23 records:
“And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.”
His brethren.
Consider the significance of those words.
Moses had grown up in Pharaoh’s household, but the Israelites were his people.
He began looking beyond the life he had known and toward the burdens carried by his brethren.
Exodus 2:11 says:
“And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens…”
He looked upon their burdens.
Here was a man who had known the advantages of Pharaoh’s household, now looking upon the suffering of those who had none of those advantages.
He was beginning to see life from another perspective.
Not the perspective of the rulers.
But the perspective of the people.
Not from above them.
But from among them.
Hebrews tells us he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God.
He chose identification with his brethren over the privileges of Egypt.
Is this not a remarkable picture of our calling?
We, too, are called out of this world.
And where are we called?
Into the Body of Christ.
Into a spiritual family.
Ancient Israel was a physical nation, brought into a covenant relationship with God.
Today, God’s Church is described as a spiritual people.
Galatians 6:16 speaks of the Israel of God.
And 1 Corinthians 12:27 says:
“Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
We are no longer simply individuals living according to the world around us.
We have brethren.
We have a family.
We become members of one Body.
And with that comes something we may not have understood while living in Egypt.
We begin learning to bear one another’s burdens.
Galatians 6:2:
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
Moses looked upon the burdens of his brethren.
Christ tells us to bear the burdens of ours.
What a beautiful connection.
When God calls someone into His Church, that person begins learning something that cannot be fully understood from the perspective of Egypt.
Brotherly love.
Shared suffering.
Mutual responsibility.
Patience.
Mercy.
Concern for another member of the family.
The needs of the weak.
The suffering of the afflicted.
The responsibility of the strong.
We begin learning what it means to be part of a family rather than merely living for ourselves.
But Moses was not yet ready to lead that family.
And there is another important observation.
Recognizing the problem is not the same as being prepared to solve it.
Moses saw the oppression.
He recognized the suffering.
He understood that something was wrong.
But when he attempted to intervene, he killed an Egyptian and was forced to flee.
Acts 7:25 reveals something important about his thinking:
“For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.”
Moses already had some understanding that God would use him.
But his understanding was not yet complete.
He knew the people.
He recognized their suffering.
He desired their deliverance.
Yet he still had much to learn.
Knowing that God has a purpose is not the same as understanding how God intends to accomplish it.
And so Moses entered another stage of preparation.
THE THIRD PERSPECTIVE: THE WILDERNESS — ISOLATION AND TRAINING
Moses fled Egypt and entered the land of Midian.
The man who had once lived in Pharaoh’s household now found himself far removed from everything familiar.
He was no longer living among Egyptian royalty.
He was no longer among the multitude of Israel.
He was in the wilderness.
And what did he begin doing there?
He became a shepherd.
Exodus 3:1 says:
“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.”
Consider the transformation.
From Pharaoh’s household to a flock of sheep.
From the government of Egypt to the quiet responsibilities of a shepherd.
From the affairs of a powerful nation to the daily needs of animals depending upon his care.
What was Moses learning?
He was learning to tend a flock.
To lead.
To protect.
To provide.
To recognize needs.
To exercise patience.
To endure difficult conditions.
To guide those dependent upon him.
He was also building a household of his own.
Exodus 2:21-22 records his marriage to Zipporah and the birth of his son Gershom.
Moses was learning the responsibilities of family life while tending a flock in the wilderness.
And consider what God would later require of him.
He would lead an entire nation through the wilderness.
He would be responsible for people who needed food, water, guidance, protection, correction, and encouragement.
He would encounter fear, complaining, rebellion, exhaustion, and uncertainty.
He would have to learn patience with people who did not always understand where they were going.
Could his years as a shepherd have been preparing him for the responsibility of shepherding Israel?
The parallel is difficult to overlook.
God was preparing a man to lead a flock by first teaching him to care for a flock.
And there is another connection.
THE CHURCH AND THE WILDERNESS
Revelation 12:6 says:
“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
And Revelation 12:14 speaks of the woman being given wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished.
In this prophetic picture, the woman represents God’s Church.
Notice the wilderness.
A place of separation.
A place prepared by God.
A place of nourishment.
A place of protection.
Moses experienced the wilderness before being sent to lead Israel.
Israel itself would later experience the wilderness after being delivered from Egypt.
And prophecy describes God’s Church being taken into the wilderness, where God has prepared a place for her.
There is a common thread.
The wilderness is not necessarily a place of abandonment. It can be a place of God’s preparation, provision, and protection.
Consider Israel after the Exodus.
God brought them out of Egypt, but He did not immediately bring them into the Promised Land.
They had to learn.
They had to learn dependence upon God.
They had to learn His laws.
They had to learn His government.
They had to learn to live together as a nation under Him.
Deuteronomy 8:2 explains:
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
The wilderness revealed what was in their hearts.
And it taught them to depend upon God.
Now consider the Church.
We have been called out of this world.
We have been brought into a spiritual family.
We are being taught God’s way of life.
And we are being prepared for responsibilities far greater than those we presently understand.
God is preparing a people to become kings and priests in His Kingdom.
Revelation 5:10 says:
“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
How can someone be prepared to shepherd others without learning what it means to care for a flock?
How can someone learn righteous government without first learning submission to God’s government?
How can someone teach patience without learning patience?
How can someone understand the burdens of others without learning to recognize those burdens?
How can someone be prepared to serve a family without learning what it means to belong to one?
The wilderness can become a classroom.
And sometimes the lessons learned in quietness, separation, and difficulty prepare us for responsibilities we cannot yet see.
But there is still another perspective.
And this is the most important one.
THE FOURTH PERSPECTIVE: GOD’S PERSPECTIVE
Moses had experienced Egypt.
He had identified himself with Israel.
He had spent years in the wilderness.
He had learned the responsibilities of a shepherd and a family man.
Then, at the burning bush, God spoke.
And something extraordinary happened.
Moses was introduced to God’s perspective of everything he had experienced.
Exodus 3:7 says:
“And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.”
Notice what God said.
I have seen.
I have heard.
I know.
Moses had seen the affliction of Israel.
But God had seen it.
Moses had recognized their burdens.
But God knew their sorrows.
Moses had desired their deliverance.
But God had a plan for their deliverance.
Now Moses was hearing the matter from God’s perspective.
And God’s perspective was greater than anything Moses had previously understood.
God continued in Exodus 3:8:
“And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey…”
God was not simply concerned with removing Israel from suffering.
He intended to bring them somewhere.
There was a destination.
There was a purpose.
There was a covenant.
There was a future.
And Moses was about to become an instrument in accomplishing that purpose.
WHY DID GOD ALLOW MOSES TO EXPERIENCE ALL THREE WORLDS?
Consider what Moses now understood.
He knew Egypt.
He understood the world from which Israel needed deliverance.
He knew Israel.
He had seen the suffering and burdens of his brethren.
He knew the wilderness.
He understood something of shepherding, responsibility, isolation, and dependence.
And now God was revealing His own purpose.
The first three perspectives gave Moses experiences through which he could begin to understand the work.
But the fourth perspective gave him something experience alone could never provide.
The knowledge of what God intended to accomplish.
This is an important distinction.
Human experience does not automatically produce God’s perspective.
A person can experience suffering and still misunderstand it.
A person can recognize injustice and still respond incorrectly.
A person can know the needs of others and still lack the wisdom to help them.
Moses himself demonstrated that when he first attempted to deliver his brethren.
God’s perspective must be revealed by God.
But the experiences He allows us to pass through can help prepare us to understand and apply what He reveals.
And perhaps that is one reason God allows His people to experience so much before entrusting them with greater responsibility.
Not simply so we can know what happened.
But so we can understand what it means.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEEING A PROBLEM AND SEEING GOD’S PURPOSE
There is a tremendous difference between seeing something wrong and understanding what God intends to do about it.
Moses saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite.
He acted.
But years later, when God sent him back to Egypt, Moses did not return with his own plan for deliverance.
He returned with God’s instructions.
He had to learn to speak what God commanded.
To go where God directed.
To act when God instructed.
And to trust God for the outcome.
This is a lesson for every person God calls.
We may recognize suffering among our brethren.
We may recognize weaknesses within ourselves.
We may see confusion, discouragement, division, or burdens others are carrying.
But seeing these things is not the same as understanding God’s purpose.
Our first reaction may come from our experiences.
Our second reaction may come from our emotions.
But we must learn to seek God’s perspective.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God sees what we cannot.
He understands what we do not.
And He knows what He is preparing.
WE ARE BEING TRAINED FOR SOMETHING GREATER
Consider what Christ tells His faithful servants.
Luke 19:17:
“And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”
Authority over cities.
Responsibility for people.
The administration of righteous government.
The teaching of God’s way of life.
The care of human beings.
How are we being prepared for such responsibilities?
Through the life God has called us to live now.
We have experienced this world.
We are learning to live as members of God’s spiritual family.
We experience trials, difficulties, periods of isolation, and lessons in patience and responsibility.
And through God’s Spirit, His Word, and His instruction, we are learning to see beyond our own immediate circumstances.
We are learning to see as He sees.
Think about what this means.
Someone who has known poverty may better understand the burdens of the poor.
Someone who has known isolation may better recognize the loneliness of another.
Someone who has experienced being misunderstood may become more careful to understand others.
Someone who has learned to care for a family may better understand the responsibilities of caring for God’s people.
Someone who has learned patience through suffering may become more patient with those who struggle.
These experiences do not make someone righteous by themselves.
But when we submit them to God’s instruction, they can become valuable lessons.
They can help us develop understanding, mercy, judgment, and compassion.
Hebrews 5:14 speaks of those:
“…who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
God is training our discernment.
And the goal is not simply to accumulate knowledge.
It is to develop His character.
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST
There is an even greater example of understanding through experience.
Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 4:15 says:
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
And Hebrews 5:8 says:
“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
Consider the significance.
Christ did not need to experience human suffering to discover what righteousness was.
He was righteous.
But He entered human life and personally experienced its suffering, temptation, weakness, and difficulties, without sinning.
He understands what it means to be human.
And He is our High Priest.
He understands those whom He serves.
What a remarkable example for those being prepared to serve under Him.
We are not merely being prepared to possess authority.
We are being prepared to understand those over whom we may someday exercise responsibility.
God’s government is not simply about knowing how to rule. It is about learning how to serve according to His mind.
Christ said in Matthew 20:26:
“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.”
The greatest example of government is the One who came to serve.
And He is teaching us to do likewise.
FOUR PERSPECTIVES — ONE CALLING
Now consider the entire progression in the life of Moses.
1. EGYPT — UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
Moses experienced the world of Egypt.
He understood its power, its government, and its ways.
Likewise, we have lived in this world before God called us.
We know something of the world from which we are being delivered.
2. ISRAEL — UNDERSTANDING THE BRETHREN
Moses recognized his people and chose to suffer with them.
He looked upon their burdens.
Likewise, we are called into God’s spiritual family, where we learn brotherly love, compassion, responsibility, and mutual care.
3. THE WILDERNESS — LEARNING TO SHEPHERD
Moses experienced separation.
He learned to tend a flock.
He built a family.
He learned responsibilities that would become important in his future work.
Likewise, God uses our experiences, trials, and training to develop character and prepare us for service.
4. GOD’S PERSPECTIVE — UNDERSTANDING THE PURPOSE
At the burning bush, God revealed what He had seen, what He knew, and what He intended to accomplish.
Moses was no longer being guided merely by what he had experienced or what he thought needed to happen.
He was being instructed by God.
Likewise, we must learn to bring every experience, every observation, and every judgment before God.
We must seek His mind.
His purpose.
His understanding.
His way.
And His timing.
WHAT IF WE ARE STILL LEARNING THE PERSPECTIVES?
This brings us to a personal question.
Where are we in our own preparation?
Perhaps some are only beginning to recognize the difference between Egypt and Israel.
Perhaps others are learning what it means to belong to a spiritual family.
Perhaps some are experiencing a wilderness.
A period of separation.
A period of difficulty.
A period when they do not understand why God has allowed certain things to happen.
Perhaps they have recognized a problem but do not yet understand what God intends to do about it.
Consider Moses.
At forty years old, he recognized his brethren and desired their deliverance.
But he would spend another forty years in Midian before God sent him back to Egypt.
Acts 7:30 places the burning-bush encounter forty years after his departure.
Forty years.
What might Moses have thought during those years?
Did he wonder about his brethren?
Did he wonder whether he would ever see Egypt again?
Did he understand why his life had taken such a dramatic turn?
Scripture does not tell us all his thoughts.
But it does show us that those years were not the end of his story.
God still had a purpose.
And when the time came, God called him to the work.
The wilderness had not erased his calling.
It had become part of his preparation.
Sometimes we may mistake preparation for abandonment simply because we cannot yet see the responsibility for which we are being prepared.
But God’s purpose is not limited to what we presently understand.
LEARNING TO SEE THROUGH GOD’S EYES
There is one final observation.
When Moses first looked upon Israel, he saw their burdens.
When God spoke from the burning bush, He revealed that He, too, had seen their affliction.
But God saw more than their present suffering.
He saw their deliverance.
He saw the covenant.
He saw the nation He was forming.
He saw the destination toward which He would lead them.
Moses saw what was happening.
God revealed what He intended to accomplish.
And this is where our own understanding must grow.
We may see a brother struggling.
God sees not only the struggle but also the person He is working with.
We may see a family suffering.
God knows their sorrows and what they need.
We may see ourselves in a wilderness.
God knows where He intends to lead us.
We may see weakness.
God sees what He is developing.
We may see only the present condition.
God knows the purpose and the destination.
This does not mean we can presume to know every reason God allows a particular trial.
It means we must learn to seek His understanding rather than rely solely upon our own.
Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
And Philippians 2:5 instructs:
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
That is the perspective we are ultimately learning.
Not merely the perspective of Egypt.
Not merely the perspective of Israel.
Not merely the perspective of the wilderness.
But the mind of God.
The ability to look upon the world, our brethren, our experiences, and our responsibilities through the understanding He gives us.
And perhaps we can now better appreciate why God allows us to learn so much along the way.
How can we properly teach others without first learning?
How can we understand the burdens of those we are called to serve without developing compassion?
How can we exercise righteous judgment without learning to distinguish our own reactions from God’s instructions?
How can we shepherd a flock without learning what it means to care for one?
And how can we represent God’s government without learning to think according to His mind?
Moses’ life presents a remarkable pattern.
He knew Egypt.
He came to know his brethren.
He learned to shepherd in the wilderness.
Then God revealed His purpose and sent him to serve.
The first three perspectives helped prepare the man.
The fourth revealed the work and the One directing it.
And perhaps that is the great lesson in our own calling.
God is not merely bringing us out of something.
He is bringing us into a family.
He is training us for a responsibility.
And above all, He is teaching us to see from His perspective.
Because one day, those whom He is preparing now will be called upon to teach, guide, and serve others.
And when that day comes, what will matter is not simply that we remember where we have been.
It will be whether we have learned to understand those we serve, and whether we have learned to see them as God does.
Egypt taught Moses what he was coming out of.
Israel taught him whom he was called to serve.
The wilderness taught him how to care for a flock.
And God revealed why it all mattered.
Perhaps our calling is teaching us the very same thing.
“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”
— Isaiah 30:21
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