Left to Ruels daughters, Moses would never have been invited into their home. And that probably looks Okay, I mean no girl wants to appear desperate and all. But a father’s position in a daughter’s life is one of wisdom, insight and foresight. It’s one that makes him ask her pertinent questions, “Why is it that you left the man?” “Where is he?”

The 7 girls had gone to draw water. The shepherds came and drove them away. But Moses  stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. They got back home to their dad and he was surprised they had come back so early, “How is it that you have come so soon today?

And they said, “An Egyptian delivered us and also drew water for us.”

His next question is my rivet. “And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man?”

Ruel was saying, how could you have left him? He stood up for you.  He helped you. He drew enough water for you.  He watered the flock. How could you have left him? Like, that doesn’t even make sense.

The Yorubas would say, what an elder would see sitting down a child may not see even if he climbs the tallest tree.

If he is standing up for the 7 of you, it’s indicative he would stand up for a family or community. If he is delivering little girls from shepherds today, he would be leading and delivering nations tomorrow.

Your Moses wouldn’t just rise and appear to be the leader of a nation, he is already showing those tendencies in how he protects an Israelite from the Egyptian. He is already settling scores between two Israelites. He is fighting injustice. He is helping strangers. Can’t you see? That’s a leader! That’s a protector! That’s a provider! The big is in the small, girls! Why is it that you left the man?

And Ruel’s next instruction simply bewitched me. It totally disarmed me. The audacity of it. The shameless boldness. As in, the dauntlessness. “Call him that he may eat bread.”

How I love Ruel! How I love how he stepped up to being a father when the occasion called him out.

You know the rest of the story. Moses ate that bread until he was old and no more.

To-day, I stand in the position of a father, and I speak to you ‘Zipporah,’ “Call him that he may eat bread.”

Exodus 2:18-20