Exodus 2:22
Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom,c saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
Moses was one of the greatest of the Hebrew heroes. He had a interesting beginning in Pharoah’s house. Educated among the best schools. It appeared that he was destined to greatness. He probably thought he would be some sort of advocate for his people, given his condition. Yet, here he was in the desert. Far from his people. He was a fugitive. In that context, he names his son Gershom. In those days it was common to name a child with a descriptive name. His was “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.” Moses’ despair rings loudly with that name. There will be times in our lives when we have lows. They can be social, career, identity and more. I think of Psalm 23:4, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not fear, Thou art with me.” David had plenty of lows. He also was a fugitive. We will have our low times. Most lows clear up in a few days. Others are longer, sometimes years. We need to trust that He is with us in those times. He is still God. Our lives haven’t spun out of His control, if we are yielded to Him. As we have made God our lord and saviour, we have given all to Him. He will work all out for good, Romans 8:28. The goal is to have rest in our hearts at these times and to know that He will use these times. Moses is in despair. He has no friends or family and he was in an unfamiliar place. He’s a sheperd. He is no longer in the upper class. Things are bad for him. This is God’s school house. While Moses was in the pits, he was where God wants him. Our low times also must be seen as God’s tutoring session. Lord, help us to be patient and trusting in all the times in our lives.