In Exodus chapter 2, we see that Moses just doesn’t fit in. He’s a Hebrew by birth but was raised as an Egyptian. He did his best to become a good Egyptian. According to some ancient historians, Moses was a great military leader and won many victories over Egypt’s enemies. Moses was the hero at times, but it seemed he was always having to prove himself to the Egyptians. He only fit in because of what he gave them. But there was always something missing. He knew he didn’t really belong. He decided he would try to find a home among the children of Israel, where his bloodline was. When he tried to identify with the Hebrew children by defending them against the Egyptians, they rejected him, and Moses ended up fleeing for his life. He ends up in the desert of Midia. He marries Zipporah, and she gives him a son. We read about that in Exodus 2:22. It says, “She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.’” By naming his son Gershom, Moses is saying, “I wish I had a place where I belonged.” Or, “I wish I had a home.” How do I know that he is saying that? When Hebrews 11 tells us about Moses and others, it says that they all “acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” It goes on to say, “People who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.” He was born a Jew but rejected by Israel. The Egyptians raised him, but they wanted to kill him. He ended up settling in a foreign land where he was a complete stranger in a strange land.
Peter refers to Christians as pilgrims and aliens. In the secular world, Christians would not worship the pagan gods of Rome and were looked on with suspicion. Christian “strangers” declined to acknowledge Caesar as Lord and refused to participate in pagan worship, which alienated them from the population. On the other hand, their acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord alienated Jews. Christians didn’t fit in with the world. I sometimes feel what Moses must have felt. I don’t often fit in with the world around me. This is not my home. I’m just passing through. My home is with my heavenly Father. Moses understood that to be the case as well. In Psalm 90:1, Moses wrote while wandering in the wilderness with the multitude of homeless aliens, “Lord, you have been our home since the beginning.” Paul tells us in Philippians 3:20 that we are not at home in this world, “But our citizenship is in heaven.”
Max Lucado writes, “It’s not God’s plan for your heart to roam as a Bedouin. God wants you to move in out of the cold and live … with him. Under his roof, there is space available. At his table, a plate is set. In his living room, a wingback chair is reserved just for you. And he’d like you to take up residence in his house. Why would he want you to share his home? Simple, he’s your Father.”[1]
[1] Lucado, Max, and Terri A. Gibbs. 2000. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, TN: J. Countryman.