The Two Sons of Moses and Zipporah
Moses and Zipporah have two sons, Gershom and Eliezer.
The oldest is Gershom (1). His name means a foreigner there because Moses says he’s a foreigner in a foreign land.
The younger son is Eliezer (2). His name means God is my helper. Moses acknowledges God as the helper who saved him from Pharaoh’s attempt to kill him.
When we consider Moses’s close relationship with God and how he successfully leads God’s people from Egypt to the promised land, we expect to see this carry over to Moses’s boys. Yet the Bible doesn’t say this happens.
Instead, Gershom and Eliezer lead unremarkable lives. Scripture doesn’t show them as walking closely with the Almighty like their father. Nor does it portray them in any sort of leadership capacity.
Moses could have modeled his deep relationship with God for Gershom and Eliezer to emulate. But there’s no indication he did, contrary to the command God gave the people through Moses (Deuteronomy 6:6–9).
Moses could have trained his boys to follow him in leadership, but he did not. It’s Moses’s protégé, Joshua, who takes over for the exceptional leader and not Moses’s sons.
Gershom and Eliezer accomplish nothing noteworthy.
What must we do to pass our faith on to our family and those under our influence?
If we come from a strong legacy, what are we doing to continue it?
[Read about Gershom and Eliezer in Exodus 18:2–4. Discover more in 1 Chronicles 23:15–17.]
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More Old Testament Sinners and Saints is part of the Bible Character Sketches series.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo Christianity and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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