15b but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” 21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.” 23 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. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. (Exodus 2:15b-25)
More or less we may have some setbacks in our life, especially when we are young and ignorant. I remember last time I suffered a setback was in my undergrad school. Because of my own arrogance and laziness, I almost failed to graduate from it. Yet, I’ve got quarter from my teachers and finally I could put on my gown in the graduation ceremony. When I was in my arrogance, I felt nothing that I was doing wrong. Now when I reflect those days, I find myself so dazed and confused. It is that some one(s) gave me mercy that I can continue on.
When Moses killed the Egyptian for his Israelite brother, he must be thinking that he did it for justice. The next day, however, he had to pay for his ignorance. He failed and fled to Midian. Yet, he was accepted by a Midian priest, who even married his daughter to him. Moses had a family and then a son. His life was not ruined by one failure. He could continue because of mercy from other people. What is more, God is portraying a big picture for a salvation plan behind people’s mercy to him. God will call Moses and turn him to be a vessel of giving mercy to the Israelites.
The world judges us and holds us back by our failures in the past. To meet the standard of this world we learned to mask and cover up our flaws. Yet, when we reflect our own experience honestly, we will find that other’s mercy keeps us going, and actually it is God’s mercy behind it. He won’t abandon us because of one setback. When we put down our arrogance and be honest, His mercy will work on us. He will turn our failure to be a channel of blessing others.