Crystallization Study of Exodus 2.2

When by God’s sovereignty Moses was set aside, he must have been very disappointed and he must have lost all hope....A man who had been educated in the royal palace was now forced to live as a shepherd in the wilderness. As the years went by, he lost everything—his confidence, his future, his interest, his goal. Eventually, Moses probably reached the point where he had no further thought that he was the one whom God would use to rescue the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. Moses might have said to himself, “I must care for this flock. But not even this flock is mine; it belongs to my fatherin-law. I have no empire, no kingdom. There is nothing left for me to do except to labor in support of my family. My immediate concern is to find fresh grass for the flock and water for them to drink.” But one day...God appeared to him and called him. At the age of eighty, in the eyes of God Moses was fully prepared and qualified, and at the precise time He came to him. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 51-52)

To be at the back side means that we are not content with our present situation. For years Moses fed the flock on the front side of the desert. But one day, discontented and dissatisfied, he decided to go to the back side to see what was there. If you are dissatisfied with your occupation or with your marriage, this dissatisfaction may turn you to the back side. Every one who has been called by God can testify that he was called at the back side.

When Moses went to the back side of the desert, he “came to the mountain of God, to Horeb” [v. 1]. Many times the back side of our situation turns out to be the mountain of God. Moses, however, did not know that the mountain of God was at the back side of the desert. Nevertheless, as Moses was slowly making his journey with the flock to the mountain of God, God was already there waiting for him....In verse 5 God said to Moses, “Do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” The “holy ground” in this verse refers to land untouched by man. This indicates that God’s calling occurs in a place where there is no human interference. God’s calling always comes to one who is on virgin soil, soil touched only by God. This means that every genuine calling comes in a place where there is no human manipulation or opinion. If we would be called by God, we must be in a place reserved wholly for Him. (Life-study of Exodus, pp. 52-54)