Exodus 2:14
But the man replied, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "This thing I have done has surely become known."
But the man replied, “Who made you ruler and judge over us?

The Hebrew’s challenge exposed the absence of public recognition for Moses as Israel’s deliverer. Although Moses had acted out of concern for his oppressed countrymen, God had not yet commissioned him to lead them. Israel’s resistance anticipated the repeated opposition Moses would face in the wilderness, even after the Lord openly established his authority through signs, judgments, and the giving of the law. God would later call Moses from the burning bush and appoint him to bring Israel out of Egypt, making him the ruler and judge the man denied him to be. Israel’s early rejection of Moses also foreshadows the rejection of Jesus, the greater Deliverer, who came to His own people and was not received by many of them.

Act 7:27 But the man who was abusing his neighbor…
Act 7:35 Moses, whom they had rejected with the words…
Luk 12:14 But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me judge or executor…

Are you planning to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”

The question revealed that Moses’ killing of the Egyptian had become known among the Hebrews. Moses had tried to defend an Israelite through his own strength and judgment, but the act could not remain concealed. Sin and wrongdoing eventually come into the light, as Israel would later be warned: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). The Egyptian’s death also showed that Moses could not accomplish God’s deliverance by human force. Israel needed the Lord’s intervention against Pharaoh, and Moses needed the Lord’s direction before he could serve as God’s instrument.

Act 7:24-25 And when he saw one of them being mistreated,…
Gen 4:8-15 Then Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out…
Deu 19:11-13 If, however, a man hates his neighbor and lies…

Then Moses was afraid and thought, “This thing I have done has surely become known.”

Moses understood that Pharaoh’s court could regard the killing as a capital offense, and his fear soon proved justified. His flight to Midian removed him from Egypt for forty years, during which God prepared him for the work ahead. The prince raised in Pharaoh’s household would return not in personal anger or self-reliance, but as the servant sent by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses’ awareness that his deed was known underscores personal accountability before God and men. Deliverance would come in God’s time and by God’s power, ultimately pointing to Christ, who conquered sin and death not by taking life, but by giving His own.

Luk 8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed…
Num 32:23 But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin…
Pro 28:13 He who conceals his sins will not prosper,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
A Hebrew by birth, raised in Pharaoh's palace, who later becomes the leader of the Israelites. At this point, he is struggling with his identity and actions.

2. Hebrew Man
One of the Israelites, who questions Moses' authority and brings up Moses' previous act of killing an Egyptian.

3. Egypt
The land where the Israelites are enslaved, and where Moses was raised in Pharaoh's household.

4. The Egyptian
The man Moses killed in defense of a Hebrew slave, an act that sets off a chain of events leading to Moses' flight from Egypt.

5. Fear and Revelation
Moses' realization that his actions are known, leading to fear and his eventual flight from Egypt.
Teaching Points
Authority and Leadership
True leadership is often questioned and challenged. Moses' experience reminds us that God’s calling may not always be immediately recognized by others.

Consequences of Actions
Our actions, even those done in secret, can have far-reaching consequences. Moses' fear highlights the importance of integrity and accountability.

Identity and Calling
Moses' struggle with his identity as a Hebrew raised in an Egyptian palace reflects the tension believers may feel between worldly status and spiritual calling.

Fear and Faith
Moses' fear upon realizing his actions were known shows the human tendency to fear exposure. Yet, God uses even our fears to guide us into His purposes.

God’s Sovereignty
Despite Moses' initial failure and fear, God’s plan for him as a deliverer was not thwarted. This reassures us of God’s sovereignty over our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Moses' reaction to being questioned about his authority reflect our own responses when our actions or motives are challenged?

2. In what ways can we relate to Moses' struggle with identity and calling in our own lives?

3. How do the consequences of Moses' actions in Exodus 2:14 inform our understanding of accountability and integrity in our daily lives?

4. What can we learn from Moses' fear and subsequent actions about handling fear and trusting in God's plan?

5. How does the account of Moses in Exodus 2:14 connect with the broader biblical theme of God using imperfect people to fulfill His purposes?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Acts 7:27-28
Stephen recounts this event, highlighting Moses' initial rejection by his people, which parallels the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish leaders.

Hebrews 11:24-27
Discusses Moses' faith and his choice to identify with the people of God rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin in Egypt.

Genesis 4:9
Cain's response to God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" echoes the Hebrew man's challenge to Moses, questioning authority and responsibility.
Moses and ChristJ. Orr Exodus 2:1-25
Mistake in Life's MorningH.T. Robjohns Exodus 2:11-15
Moses was GrownG.A. Goodhart Exodus 2:11-15
Unfruitful EffortJ. Urquhart Exodus 2:11-15
Unpurified ZealJ. Orr Exodus 2:11-15
A Good Man's Interference with a QuarrelJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 2:13-14
Discord and StrifeJ. Hall.Exodus 2:13-14
DiscouragementJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 2:13-14
LessonsG. Hughes, B. D.Exodus 2:13-14
Moses' Championship of the RightJ. Parker, D. D.Exodus 2:13-14
Results of Physical DegradationJ. Gumming, D. D.Exodus 2:13-14
Some Find Reason for Their ConductJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 2:13-14
The Good Man Must not be Turned Aside from Duty by CircumstancesJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 2:13-14
The Hebrew QuarrelDr. Fowler.Exodus 2:13-14
Wherefore Smitest Thou Thy FellowJ. S. Exell, M. A.Exodus 2:13-14
Moses the Hater of All OppressionD. Young Exodus 2:13-15
People
Gershom, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Levi, Moses, Pharaoh, Reuel, Zipporah
Places
Egypt, Midian, Nile River
Topics
Afraid, Clear, Death, Egyptian, Fear, Feared, Feareth, Hast, Intend, Intendest, Intending, Judge, Kill, Killed, Killedst, Killing, Matter, Mean, Plan, Prince, Ruler, Saying, Slain, Slay, Surely, Thinkest, Thinking
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 2:14

     5509   rulers
     8754   fear

Exodus 2:10-15

     5102   Moses, life of

Exodus 2:11-14

     5822   criticism, against believers

Library
The Ark among the Flags
'And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 4. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 5. And the daughter of Pharaoh came
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Home as a Stewardship.
"Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages."--EXODUS II., 9. "For look, how many souls in thy house be, With just as many souls God trusteth thee!" The Christian home is a stewardship. The parents are stewards of God. A steward is a servant of a particular kind, to whom the master commits a certain portion of his interest to be prosecuted in his name and by his authority, and according to his laws and regulations. The steward must act according to the will of his
Samuel Philips—The Christian Home

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8.
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Secret of Its Greatness
[Illustration: (drop cap G) The Great Pyramid] God always chooses the right kind of people to do His work. Not only so, He always gives to those whom He chooses just the sort of life which will best prepare them for the work He will one day call them to do. That is why God put it into the heart of Pharaoh's daughter to bring up Moses as her own son in the Egyptian palace. The most important part of Moses' training was that his heart should be right with God, and therefore he was allowed to remain
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Motives to Holy Mourning
Let me exhort Christians to holy mourning. I now persuade to such a mourning as will prepare the soul for blessedness. Oh that our hearts were spiritual limbecs, distilling the water of holy tears! Christ's doves weep. They that escape shall be like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity' (Ezekiel 7:16). There are several divine motives to holy mourning: 1 Tears cannot be put to a better use. If you weep for outward losses, you lose your tears. It is like a shower
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Faith of Moses.
"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw he was a goodly child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to be evil entreated with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward. By faith he forsook
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Consolations against Impatience in Sickness.
If in thy sickness by extremity of pain thou be driven to impatience, meditate-- 1. That thy sins have deserved the pains of hell; therefore thou mayest with greater patience endure these fatherly corrections. 2. That these are the scourges of thy heavenly Father, and the rod is in his hand. If thou didst suffer with reverence, being a child, the corrections of thy earthly parents, how much rather shouldst thou now subject thyself, being the child of God, to the chastisement of thy heavenly Father,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending;
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Genealogy According to Luke.
^C Luke III. 23-38. ^c 23 And Jesus himself [Luke has been speaking about John the Baptist, he now turns to speak of Jesus himself], when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age [the age when a Levite entered upon God's service--Num. iv. 46, 47], being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son [this may mean that Jesus was grandson of Heli, or that Joseph was counted as a son of Heli because he was his son-in-law] of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Adoption
'As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.' John 1:12. Having spoken of the great points of faith and justification, we come next to adoption. The qualification of the persons is, As many as received him.' Receiving is put for believing, as is clear by the last words, to them that believe in his name.' The specification of the privilege is, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.' The Greek word for power, exousia, signifies
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant).
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

John the Baptist's Person and Preaching.
(in the Wilderness of Judæa, and on the Banks of the Jordan, Occupying Several Months, Probably a.d. 25 or 26.) ^A Matt. III. 1-12; ^B Mark I. 1-8; ^C Luke III. 1-18. ^b 1 The beginning of the gospel [John begins his Gospel from eternity, where the Word is found coexistent with God. Matthew begins with Jesus, the humanly generated son of Abraham and David, born in the days of Herod the king. Luke begins with the birth of John the Baptist, the Messiah's herald; and Mark begins with the ministry
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage,
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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