Transitions: Transitions Amidst the Seasons of Life

Are you enjoying our series on Transitions so far? We’ve looked at many types of transitions in the last few months. Have we covered something pertinent to your life? 

We’ll stay in the Old Testament this week and focus on another important figure, Moses. Moses faced transitions during the various seasons of his life. He made some mistakes, but God never left him. Moses went on to enjoy some tremendous accomplishments. He wrote the first five books of our Old Testament. Imagine being the person who wrote, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Moses was also the leader who ushered the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. He had direct contact with God Himself and received ten commandments on tablets written by the finger of God. Moses was an eyewitness to God’s provision of manna from the sky and water from the rock in the desert. He met with God regularly, so much so that his face shined with the reflection of God’s glory.

But, all the great things Moses would do in his life were imperiled by one impulsive act during the first season of his life. How does a person come back from a failure that seems to have ruined everything? Let’s see how Moses transitions from his great mistake and turns his face toward the future with God.

How to Use This Guide 

Thank you for taking the time to do this Bible study. When we dig deeper into God’s word, He promises to bless us. We follow in the footsteps of King David, who wrote in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

This guide will provide a weekly framework for spiritual conversations with friends or family. We encourage you to reach out to a friend or two, pick a time to get together each week, and work through this guide together. This Bible study can also be a good tool for families, perhaps coordinated with mealtimes.

What does the Bible say?

Read Exodus 2-3.

Keep in mind that Moses was the one who wrote down his miraculous birth story. In Exodus 1, we read that after moving to Egypt from the land of Canaan because of a famine, Moses’ ancestor Jacob, also named Israel by God, and his descendants grew from seventy people to becoming “so numerous that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7). The current king was not impressed with Jacob’s famous son Joseph’s legacy and made all the Israelites slaves to the Egyptians. This Pharoah even commanded the two Hebrew midwives to kill the baby boys of the Israelite women as soon as they were born. Moses records the names of these courageous women: Shiphrah and Puah. Thanks to their ingenuity, Moses lived out his destiny: to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and help them return to their land.

Moses’ birth story is filled with clever women. First, we meet Moses’ mother, a Levite woman. She married a man from the tribe of Levi and became pregnant with Moses. The first miracle of Moses’ life is that he survived his first few months. What did Moses’ mother do to protect her son in Exodus 2:1-4? Why did she do this? 

The next woman we meet is Pharaoh’s daughter, who went to the Nile river to bathe. What did this royal lady see, and what did she do about it in Exodus 2:5-6? 

Who enters the scene in Exodus 2:7, and what does she suggest? This is Miriam, who would eventually accompany both her brothers, Moses and Aaron, out of Egypt and journey toward the Promised Land. Because Miriam took initiative in Exodus 2:8-9, Moses’ mother was paid by Pharoah’s daughter to nurse her own baby! Who named Moses, and why did she name him this? 

Moses owed his life to two midwives and essentially had two mothers as well as a strong sister. These women came together to protect and care for a baby that they all must have agreed was special and perhaps would have an important purpose in life. These women likely instilled in Moses a sense that he was destined for big things. We know this to be true. But, the path to Moses’ great accomplishments would contain some dead ends that threatened to derail his destiny. 

Moses does not write any more about his childhood or adolescence. Being raised in Pharaoh’s palace would have had its advantages, particularly when it came to Moses’ education. There would not have been a more fine education than the one he received in Egypt at that time.

What did Moses do after he “had grown up,” according to Exodus 2:11-12? Perhaps Moses struggled with his dual identity. He knew he was a Hebrew (an Israelite), but he was somewhat detached from his people’s hardships due to his life in Pharaoh’s palace. Whose side did Moses take in the altercation he witnessed? Moses then took matters into his own hands. What did he do? How do his actions show his inner conflict? Moses could have returned to his life as it was in the palace, but instead, where did he go the next day? What kind of trouble did he get into this time in Exodus 2:13-14? 

Moses thus alienated himself from his own people, the Israelites (Hebrews), and now, he would also flee Pharaoh and Egypt. He who had not one, but two families, suddenly had no one. Why did Moses leave Egypt, and where did he go? 

Moses embarked on a journey that would take him to the other side of the Sinai Peninsula. What kinds of thoughts do you think he had as he traveled alone? He, who had been such a special child and had grown up with all the advantages the world could offer, ran for his life in fear. Maybe you can relate to how Moses might have felt. Have you ever made a big mistake, one that changed the course of your life? You may not have murdered someone like Moses, but have you ever experienced a failure that made you believe your life was over? Most of us can relate to making decisions that we regret, being impulsive, and neglecting to think before we act. Remember, Moses is narrating his own story. It is for our benefit to see that God was not finished with Moses. His mistake, though against God’s code, did not exclude Moses from his part in God’s bigger plan. The same is true for us today.

Upon his arrival in Midian, Moses sat down by a well. Who did he meet there, according to Exodus 2:16, and what chivalrous act did Moses perform in 2:17? How did the girls describe Moses in Exodus 2:19? Their father, Reuel (also known as Jethro; see Exodus 3:1), showed hospitality to Moses and even gave his daughter to him in marriage. Once again, God used women to help Moses create yet another family and a third identity as a foreigner and a shepherd (see Exodus 3:1). What did Moses name his son? 

In Exodus 3, God will meet Moses and bring him back in line with his destiny. Where was Moses when God appeared to him, according to Exodus 3:1-3? We heard about Mount Horeb last week when we read about the prophet Elijah and his encounter with God (1 Kings 19). Mount Horeb is also referred to as Mount Sinai. This sacred spot would be where God gave Moses the ten commandments (see Exodus 19-20). 

Look through Exodus 3 and write down the attributes and qualities God reveals to Moses about Himself. In so doing, God begins to shift Moses’ thinking about himself and his purpose. God helps Moses see his own life within the framework of His design. This is not something Moses could have considered before his encounter with God. In a sense, Moses acted prematurely when he killed the Egyptian oppressor. His impulse to free his Hebrew brother was right, but his idea of how to accomplish this was too narrow in scope. What Moses needed was some perspective. What plans does God reveal to Moses in this chapter? What will be Moses’ part? 

There are many more lessons to be learned in this story about Moses. But, our purpose this week is to examine how we can transition from a life-altering mistake to being in God’s will. We’ve seen that God allows Moses to process the changes that God proposes. When Moses finally understands who God is and what He is about to do, he is able to accept his part in it, unlikely though it may be. 

As long as we are alive and willing to hear from God, we can be a part of God’s plan. God loved the world so much that He sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Even though we have made serious mistakes, there is someone in our life that we can love and care for. When we do so, we are doing God’s will. 

Prayer: Lord, we worship You for Your perfect plan. Somehow, Your plan is not derailed by the mistakes we make. Because You are good, You invite us to join with You again. You hold the power to set us free from the hold that sin has over us. When we seek Your truth, we can walk through the seasons of life in freedom. Thank You. Amen.