LIFE SCRIPTS

Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.” During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Exodus 2:16‭-‬25 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.2.16-25.NIV

Jethro (Ruel) was a priest in the land of Midian. We’re not told of the religious practices of the people there but he must have been a highly respected man in society. So when seven of his daughters went to draw water from the well, they faced resistance from the other male shepherds. But Moses came to their rescue. Jethro was more than just a father to these ladies. He helped them spot a virtuous man. He knew that now he had several daughters, there would be many suitors. But once he heard of the good deeds Moses had done, he told his daughters to invite him in. His attributes were hard to resist in a society which treated women as second class citizens (as we see from the well story). Moses even got a bride by the name of Zipporah with whom he sired Gershom. But did Moses have much of a choice? Certainly not. He was a man on the run. He needed refuge and Jethro provided it. But scripture seems to detour in verse 23 and now paints the picture of the desperate cry of the children of Israel to God. The king who pursued Moses had died and the people felt burdened by slavery. Vs 24 tells us that God heard their cry and remembered His covenant with their forefathers. God always accomplishes His will. Imagine living a life of slavery knowing very well the promise God made to our ancestors which spoke of a great blessing. Life would be a great discouragement. Our days would be filled with groans and complaints. However, God hears our cry. He feels our pain. He is a God who delivers. The same way He saw the struggle of His people in Egypt, He saw the struggle of man in sin and sent Christ, our Messiah. God is a God of compassion. He hearkens to the cry of those in distress. He hears our cry and sends deliverance.