Bible Study Series - 2 Corinthians 2:12

2 Corinthians 2:12 - Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, a door was open to me by the Lord

This verse is an account by Paul of how God opened doors (created opportunities) for him to continue preaching the Gospel in Troas (modern-day Turkey).  God has a plan and purpose for each one of us and equips us with the necessary talents and skills to achieve that purpose.  He also places us into positions and situations where we can showcase God’s glory in our lives and fulfill His purpose.  There are many examples of how God has opened doors for believers to complete His mission for them.  

MOSES - DELIVERER OF THE ISRAELITES  

God prepared Moses for His plan of delivering the Israelites from Egypt by giving him training in Midian.  In order for Moses to be used by God, he had to be molded.  His old personality needed to be broken and his will completely conformed to the will of God.

  The first stage of this came when he had to flee.  Moses had tried to deliver the Israelites by his own might, but his plan failed.  He ended up committing murder and fleeing for his life into the desert.  He had to flee the palace and would no longer be considered a prince of Egypt.  So, God broke his pride of position and brought him low.  

The second stage came with Moses’ newfound profession.  He went from a prince to a shepherd.  The Egyptians despised the shepherding trade.  Shepherds were considered abominations (Genesis 46:34).  This prejudice may have come from a mistrust of nomadic people by those who lived in cities.  At the time, Egypt was a thriving civilization with cities for miles, so they would not have been welcoming to outsiders coming to graze in their fertile areas.  The other, more likely reason is that sheep and rams were considered sacred animals to the Egyptians only to be used in reference to the worship of their gods, not for general consumption.  It is understood that the Israelites would eat their cattle, but the Egyptians would have considered that sacrilege.  By bringing Moses into the desert where he had to become a shepherd, God was demonstrating that Moses should shun the culture of Egypt and all that he had learned the first 40 years of his life.  

Also, by becoming a shepherd, God was training Moses to be the leader of the Israelites throughout their eventual wilderness journey.  Sheep were very needy animals with attention deficiencies.  The shepherd had to be on guard all the time to ensure that the sheep had enough nourishment, but also to ensure that they hadn’t wandered off or been taken by predators.  By reading the book of Exodus, we can see that the people of Israel in some cases acted worse than sheep.  But Moses was prepared to be patient with God’s people because of his time shepherding actual sheep for 40 years. 

Those 40 years in the desert prepared Moses for his role as a leader more than the 40 years of Egyptian education ever could.  God knew that Moses needed a particular skill set and created the opportunities necessary so that Moses would receive that particular training.