One day when Moses was forty years old, while he was walking he saw an Egyptian man beating one of the Hebrews.  This upset Moses because he loved God and God's people, and so he killed that Egyptian!  This was a very bad thing to do and so Moses quickly buried the Egyptian, hoping no one would find out about it.

However, on the very next day he discovered that at some of the Hebrews knew what he had done, and he feared that many others might know about it.   He was in deep trouble, for the king had heard what he had done and ordered that Moses be put to death!

But God still loved Moses and helped him to escape from Egypt.  Now it seemed that Moses would never be able to lead God's people out of Egypt!  But God had a plan and Moses first had to learn some very important lessons.  And that's the way it turned out.  Moses had to flee out of Egypt to save his life and so he travelled to the land of Midian.

He was a stranger there but found his way to a large well and watched some shepherds as they brought their flocks to get water.  As Moses sat there, seven young ladies came to water their father's flock.  The shepherds who were watering their own flocks didn't want these maidens to get water, and so they chased them away.  Moses didn't like this at all, so he argued with them until the young ladies were able to get some water and then he helped them water their flock.

When the maidens returned to their home, they told their father what this kind man had done for them.  Their father whose name was Jethro, sent for Moses and liked Moses so much that he offered him his daughter Zipporah in marriage.  Moses was happy to accept Zipporah and married her.  In this way he became one of the family and went to work for Jethro taking care of his sheep.

Moses worked there as a shepherd for forty years.  How old would that make Moses? (Let the children respond).  Yes, he was forty years old when he left Egypt, and he worked forty years for Jethro, his father-in-law, and so he was eighty years old!  Although Moses was an old man, he was still strong and healthy, and able to do the great work which God had planned for him to do.

One day as Moses was watching the sheep, he was attracted to a bush which seemed to be on fire.  He went closer to the bush and noticed that while flames were leaping up from it, the bush itself was not being destroyed by the fire.  Moses saw that this was no ordinary fire.  And then he heard a voice speaking to him, telling him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground.  Moses soon realised that God was speaking to him.

It was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This was no Stranger as his mother had told him about this wonderful God who had made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  It was the God of the Israelite people who was speaking to him.  God told Moses that the time had come for the Hebrews to be delivered from their slavery in Egypt.

God told Moses that he the one who would lead God's people out of Egypt.   Forty years before this Moses had been very brave when he killed that Egyptian, but now it was very different.  He humbly told God that he didn't think that he would be capable to do such a great work.

Of course, Moses could not do this great task by himself.  And that is what God wanted him to learn.  So God told Moses that He would give him all the help he needed.  God also told him that he would arrange for his brother Aaron to go with him when he appeared before Pharaoh, and that Aaron, who was a good speaker, would talk for Moses.

When Moses learned that God would help him, he agreed to do his very best.  That's all we can do, isn't it?  Do you always do your best when your mother or father, or your teacher ask you to do something for them? (Let the children respond). Yes, we need to remember that we cannot please God or do anything for Him unless He helps us.

And, because God will help us, we can do anything for God that He wants us to do.  Be like Moses and do your very best to please God in all you do and say!

God bless.