Identity Crisis: From Palace Courts to Desert Wells

Bible Passages: Acts 7:22-28, Exodus 2:11-22, Exodus 2:19

Acts 7:22-30 ESV
22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
23 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel. 24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand. 26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.

Summary: Today, I will highlight Moses’ early life, focusing on his identity crisis as an Egyptian prince and his transition into a humble shepherd after witnessing his people’s suffering and trying to deliver justice imperfectly, which leads to his flight to Midian.
Application: I want you to reflect on your own identity and purpose within God’s plan and embrace the journey of transformation, understanding that God often prepares His servants through adversity and personal struggles, much like Moses.
Teaching: God chooses people from all walks of life and prepares them in a special way for His plans, even when their first steps seem off track. The key is to recognize the value of surrendering to God’s guidance during times of uncertainty and change.
Big Idea: God shapes and calls His servants through their experiences and struggles, preparing them to fulfill His divine purpose in ways they might not initially understand.
Born a Hebrew, raised as an Egyptian prince, and ending up a stranger in a foreign land, all of this took 40 years and caused an identity crisis.

Identity Conflict: From Palace Courts to Desert Wells

{Identity Lost: Starting Over with a Normal Life}
Trauma, whatever the event, disrupts Identity.

Exodus 2:11-15 ESV
11 One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. 12 He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” 14 He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” 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.
How could Moses have known that his first step toward his divine calling, motivated by compassion and a desire to right wrongs, would lead him far from the Palace Courts and now to a desert well?
His impulsive action, though well-meaning, was not yet aligned with God’s timing and method.
Our journey from self-reliance to God-reliance reminds us that God’s wisdom must temper our passion.
In our struggles, we may act hastily, but God calls us to trust His timing and preparation process.
In the Bible, wells symbolize more than just sources of water; they represent spiritual truths, divine encounters, and God’s provision. They stand for life-giving resources, spiritual nourishment, and the covenant relationship between God and His people.

2. Identity Crisis: How I am Known (Looks, Actions, Speech)

Exodus 2:16-19 ESV
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. 18 When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” 19 They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.”
Moses’ transition from the courts of Egypt to the well in Midian marked his initial encounter with God’s training ground.
Moses, in defending the daughters of Reuel, provides a glimpse of his future leadership qualities shaped by humility.
Nothing is wasted; seemingly insignificant acts of service are essential to our transformation and preparation for greater tasks, reflecting Christ’s servanthood.
Midian is approximately 300 miles from Egypt (about 2 weeks at 20 miles per day). We don’t know what provisions Moses may have taken for his escape, but I’m sure he brought enough to get as far as he could with what he could carry, knowing he could never go back.
Yet, how did they identify him?
As an Egyptian.
Looks? Actions? Speech? All the above?

3.** Starting over to become a Servant Leader-**
Ordinary, humble Life: Settling In
Exodus 2:20-22 ESV
20 He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” 21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

Moses settles into a new life, accepting Jethro’s hospitality, and starting a family—steps that reflect submission to God’s reshaping process.
God uses ordinary life experiences, such as family and work, to equip us for His extraordinary purposes in our lives.
This stage shows Moses embracing the shaping of his new identity and preparing for his ultimate calling.