Exodus 3:1 | Pastor Burns' Study Notes

Moses is now eighty years old and has spent forty years in Midian after his earlier forty years in Egypt. The man who was once trained in Pharaoh’s court is now a shepherd in the wilderness, caring for the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. This long period in the desert was not wasted time but divine preparation. God was training Moses in obscurity before using him publicly.

The reference to Jethro rather than Reuel likely reflects either another name or title for Moses’ father-in-law. The text does not explain the variation, though Jethro may function as a title of honor.

Moses leads the flock to Horeb, called here “the mountain of God.” Horeb is another name for Sinai. The title may be anticipatory, since this mountain would later become the place of major divine revelation, including the giving of the Law in Exodus 19-20. It is also possible the title reflects a later editorial or retrospective description. In any case, the location is important. Moses is in a remote and isolated place, on the backside of the desert, seemingly far removed from Egypt and from any thought of leadership. Yet this is precisely where God meets him.

This verse reminds the reader that Moses may have thought his life’s work was over, but God was only beginning His public purpose for him.