Lesson 1: Oppression – The Background and the Birth of Moses
1.5 Change of Plans
When Plans Fail: God’s Way Often Begins Where Ours Ends
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Introduction
Sometimes a single moment is enough – a glance, a decision, an impulse – and our life takes a completely different turn. That’s what happened to Moses. From heir to the throne to fugitive, from power and palace to the solitude of a desert well. What seemed like a catastrophic end was actually God’s beginning. Moses’ story is not just a biography – it’s a divinely guided drama and a reflection of our own life’s unexpected turns.
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Bible Study: Exodus 2:11–25 – Life’s Turning Points
1.Moses sees the suffering of his people (v.11)
Moses grows up as a prince in Egypt. Despite his royal education, he knows his roots. When he sees the suffering of his Hebrew brothers, the injustice hits him like a blow. His identity as a Hebrew begins to break through with full force.
2.A consequential decision (v.12)
In a moment of impulse, Moses kills an Egyptian who is beating one of his brothers. An attempt to end injustice – but in his own way. Moses chooses violence instead of God’s plan. This was not God’s will but Moses’ impulse.
3.Rejection by his own people (v.13–14)
The next day, when he tries to mediate a conflict between two Hebrews, he is rejected. The bitter truth: Moses belongs neither to the Egyptians nor is he accepted by the Hebrews.
4.Flight to Midian (v.15–22)
Pharaoh learns of the murder – and Moses flees. His dreams, his status, his future: all shattered. At the well in Midian, a new life begins. The potential ruler becomes a humble shepherd.
5.God hears the cry of His people (v.23–25)
While Moses lives in Midian, the Israelites continue to suffer. But God hears. He does not forget. He acts – in His way, in His time.
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Answers to the Questions
Question 1: Which events suddenly changed the course of Moses’ life?
The killing of the Egyptian and the subsequent rejection by his people triggered an avalanche. Suddenly Moses went from heir to fugitive. That single act halted his career, identity, and life – seemingly. In reality, this is when God’s work in Moses began.
Question 2: Was it God’s plan for Moses to kill the Egyptian?
No. God never intended violence as a means to an end. Yet in His grace, He can turn even poor decisions into instruments of His guidance. Moses acted rashly, humanly – but God was not surprised. He used the situation to lead Moses into the solitude of the wilderness, where his character would be formed.
Question 3: What does this teach us about God’s guidance?
God never loses control. Even when we get lost, make mistakes, or our dreams fall apart – God’s story continues. Romans 8:28 makes this clear: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Even the bad. Even the broken. Even our failure.
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Spiritual Principles
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Identity requires clarity: Moses had to realize who he truly was. We, too, often stand between two worlds – until God reorients us through crisis.
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Failure is often the beginning of divine calling: God shapes His instruments not in the throne room, but in solitude.
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God sees and hears: The text ends with a powerful truth – God “heard,” “remembered,” “saw,” and “knew.” He is not distant.
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Application for Daily Life
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Are you caught between two worlds? Maybe your job doesn’t align with your faith, or you feel like you don’t belong anywhere. God knows your story – and your heart.
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Did you make a mistake? Maybe, like Moses, you acted out of anger, said or did something irreversible. Give God the broken pieces. He creates something new.
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Have you lost everything? Moses lost it all – but found God. You, too, can discover a beginning in the midst of your loss that you never planned for.
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Conclusion
Moses’ life teaches us: there are divine changes of plans that shatter our human dreams – to replace them with something eternal. God sees more than just the moment. He sees the end from the beginning. He didn’t abandon Moses but shaped him into Israel’s greatest leader. And He can turn your chaos into a calling too.
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Thought of the Day
“When your plan breaks, don’t just ask: Why? Ask God: For what purpose?”
Because often the greatest blessing begins where you only see fragments.
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Illustration – “Between Law Firm and Wilderness”
Frankfurt am Main, Autumn
David Weber, 32, stood at the window of his corner office on the 23rd floor of a glass skyscraper. Behind him, his screen glowed. A billion-euro merger contract lay on his desk. He was a lawyer, partner candidate at one of Germany’s most prestigious firms. A man with a clear path. Tailored suit, tie, perfectly styled. Everything was going according to plan – his plan.
But that afternoon, everything changed.
His colleague Jan came in, pale. “David, you need to see this.”
David stepped over, saw the email, the attachments, read – and his stomach tightened.
A corporate client had silenced a whistleblower. Internally, someone had been fired, humiliated, shut down – a young employee who had simply reported an environmental violation. The case was “settled” internally. David was expected to wrap it up legally.
“Make it disappear,” his boss said curtly on the phone. “You still want to make partner, don’t you?”
That evening, David sat alone in the office for a long time. Then he wrote – not the expected legal report, but an official complaint to the supervisory authority. Using his real name.
Two weeks later
It hit like a storm. The media picked up the story. The firm denied everything. David was suspended. Then: instant dismissal. The industry turned its back. No law firm would hire a “traitor.”
He canceled his apartment himself. “I need distance,” he told his sister. “I need to get out.”
His uncle Franz, a simple forester in the Eifel region, offered him a guest room. “Come stay with me. No noise, no pressure. Just trees. And an old stove that acts up sometimes.”
Winter in the Eifel
David woke up without an alarm clock for the first time. He fetched firewood, stacked logs, read. Especially the Bible his mother had once given him. It had been gathering dust in a bag. Now it became his daily bread.
One morning, he read Exodus 2. Moses killed an Egyptian. Out of anger. Out of a sense of justice. And lost everything.
“Moses fled to Midian … and sat down by a well.”
David laughed bitterly. I ended up at a well too.
But something happened. In the silence, something grew within him. Not a new career goal. Not a plan B. But a calling.
He began attending the village church, started conversations with the pastor. Enrolled in a theology program. In the evenings, he often sat with his uncle by the fire.
“I only understand now, Franz,” David said once. “God didn’t ruin my career. He saved me.”
Two years later, Correctional Facility Rhineland-Palatinate
David stood before a group of inmates. Once a week, he led spiritual counseling groups.
One of them – a former corporate executive – fought back tears.
“I was the one who applied the pressure … I don’t know if God can still use someone like me.”
David laid a hand on his shoulder. “Believe me, I know what it means to lose everything. But sometimes that’s exactly the path to God.”
