Moses was "approaching the age of 40"(Acts 7:23) when he took his stand for his Hebrew brethren (v. 11).
The reference to the Hebrew man as "one of his brethren"suggests that Moses' motivation in acting as he did was love that sprang from faith in God's promises to the patriarchs. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews stated this motivation explicitly in Hebrews 11:24-26.
Moses' desire to help his brethren was admirable, but his methods were deplorable (v. 12; cf. Acts 7:23-29). He trusted in his own ability to liberate the Israelites and sought to bring this about by natural means. He even resorted to sinful means and seized authority rather than waiting for God to bestow this on him.
". . . there is in the [Hebrew] text no suggestion that Moses meant to kill the Egyptian, any more than that the Egyptian or the Hebrew man was attempting to kill his adversary."47
"You can never redress a nation's wrongs by offering brute force to brute force, or by a number of rash, violent acts."48
God had to teach Moses that he must not trust in his own ability but rely on God's strategy and strength and obey His commands. God drove Moses out of Egypt to the desert of Midian where He proceeded to teach His servant these lessons. He made him "a prince"and "a judge"(v. 14) eventually. Here Moses rescued an Israelite from an Egyptian who was beating him, but later he rescued all the Israelites from the Egyptians who were oppressing them (3:10).
The Pharaoh referred to here was probably Thutmose III (v. 15; 1504-1450 B.C.) whose reign included a period of 21 years as co-regent with Hatshepsut. Pharaoh probably tried to kill Moses by having him brought to justice through normal legal channels.
The land of Midian lay to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and probably flanked the Gulf of Aqabah on both sides.49Moses ran a long way. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham through Keturah (Gen. 25:1-2).
"Midianites were employed in the copper mines of the Sinai Peninsula by Egyptian kings since the very first dynasties."50
Moses' faith is obvious in his desire to identify with God and His people. He probably struggled in his younger years with whether he could do more for the Israelites by working for them within the Egyptian hierarchy or without. He chose to identify with the faithful and relied on the power of God to a limited extent rather than on the power of Pharaoh to accomplish his goals. It was Moses' faith in God that led him to give up Egypt (Heb. 11:24-26).
God commands all who trust Him to separate from the world system that opposes and excludes Him (Rom. 12:2; et al.). This may or may not involve physical separation depending on God's will. For Moses it involved physical separation, but for Joseph and Daniel it did not. The will of God is not the same for everyone in this respect.
