From Stranger to Servant

Exodus 2:20–22 (NASB95)

20He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21Moses was willing to dwell with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses. 22Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

Commentary - From Stranger to Servant

After fleeing Egypt, Moses found himself in a foreign land with nothing but his past and his character. Reuel, also known as Jethro, welcomed Moses into his home and offered him hospitality. Moses accepted the invitation, not just for a meal but to become part of a new family and community. Reuel gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses as a wife, and soon after, Moses named their son Gershom. The name Gershom carries deep meaning. It comes from the same Hebrew root as the word for “chased away,” echoing how Moses had been driven from Egypt and how he had defended Zipporah and her sisters from the shepherds who tried to chase them away. Moses explained the name by saying, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.” This name became a daily reminder of his exile and his status as an outsider. Yet, it also pointed to God’s hand in shaping Moses’s journey. God was not finished with Moses. He was preparing him for a greater purpose.

There is a powerful pattern woven through these verses. Isaac’s servant found Rebekah at a well. Jacob met Rachel at a well. Now Moses meets Zipporah at a well. Each of these stories marks a turning point in the life of God’s people. The well is more than a place to draw water. It is a place of divine encounter, hospitality, and the beginning of a new chapter in God’s plan. This repeated pattern is not accidental. It is a type, a signpost pointing forward to something greater. In John 4, Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at a well. The old pattern is fulfilled and transformed. Jesus is not seeking a wife, but He offers living water and invites the woman—and all who are outsiders—to become part of His people. The well becomes a place of spiritual union, where Christ, the true Bridegroom, welcomes all who thirst. The stories of Isaac, Jacob, and Moses prepare us for this moment, showing that God meets people in ordinary places and invites them into His family.

Moses’s years in Midian were not wasted. God used this time to humble Moses and bring him to the end of himself. Moses had been a prince in Egypt, confident and powerful. In Midian, he became a shepherd, learning patience, humility, and dependence on God. Acts 7 tells us that Moses spent forty years in Midian before God called him at the burning bush. This period of waiting and obscurity was God’s way of preparing Moses for the task ahead. God often uses seasons of exile, waiting, or even failure to shape His servants. Moses’s story reminds us that God’s timing is perfect. He prepares us in ways we may not understand, using every experience to equip us for His purposes.

For the modern church, these verses offer hope and encouragement. Many of us know what it feels like to be strangers, to live in seasons of waiting, or to wonder if our experiences have any purpose. Moses’s journey shows that God does not waste anything. He uses our struggles, our exile, and even our failures to prepare us for what is next. The pattern of the well reminds us that Christ meets us where we are, offering living water and a place in His family. Our identity is not defined by our past or our circumstances but by God’s calling and faithfulness. Trust that God is working, even if we don’t perceive it.

Blessings,  

Ryan Goodnight