Maybe you're facing a challenge that seems insurmountable, a situation where you feel utterly trapped. Well, let me tell you a story about a literal pit and how someone climbed out, not just physically, but into their destiny.
We're talking about Moses, of course. We know him as the great leader, the lawgiver, the man who spoke to God face-to-face. But before all that, there was a pit. A very real pit.
Remember how Moses ended up in Midian? He fled Egypt after, shall we say, an unfortunate incident involving an Egyptian taskmaster. In Midian, he encounters the daughters of Jethro, a priest, and helps them water their flocks. He's invited back to Jethro's home and eventually marries one of his daughters, Zipporah.
Now, here's where the story gets interesting. According to Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, Jethro, being a man of considerable spiritual knowledge, recognizes something special about Moses. But he also wants to test him. And this is where the pit comes in.
Jethro casts Moses into a pit—some say it was a prison cell, others a cistern, but the image remains the same: a dark, confined space. And there Moses languishes for seven long years! Think about that for a moment. Seven years of isolation, of uncertainty, of waiting. Can you imagine the mental fortitude that would require?
Finally, Zipporah speaks up. Jethro asks her, "Thou hast spoken wisely. Dost thou remember his name?" And Zipporah replies, "I remember he called himself Moses the son of Amram." It's a small detail, but it highlights the importance of remembrance, of acknowledging someone's identity even when they're lost or forgotten.
Jethro, satisfied with the test, wastes no time. He opens the pit and calls out, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses answers, "Here am I!"
The moment of reunion is powerful. Jethro draws him out, kisses him, and proclaims, "Blessed be God, who guarded thee for seven years in the pit. I acknowledge that He slayeth and reviveth, that thou art one of the wholly pious, that through thee God will destroy Egypt in time to come, lead His people out of the land, and drown Pharaoh and his whole army in the sea."
Talk about a prophecy! Jethro recognizes that Moses's time in the pit wasn't just a punishment; it was a preparation. He acknowledges God's hand in both the suffering and the salvation. He sees that Moses's destiny is intertwined with the fate of the entire Israelite people.
What does this story tell us? Maybe that even in our darkest moments, even when we feel trapped and forgotten, there's a purpose to our struggles. Maybe that the "pits" in our lives are not just dead ends, but opportunities for growth, for introspection, and for the eventual emergence of our true selves. And maybe, just maybe, there's a Jethro out there, someone who sees our potential even when we can't see it ourselves, ready to pull us out and remind us of who we truly are.