Moses became a shepherd in Midian as part of God's humbling preparation, taking him from Egypt's power to a lowly place before He could use him to lead Israel.
Les Feldick teaches that although Moses had been second in Egypt with all its pomp and circumstance, God could not use him in that state. So the Lord sent him to the backside of the desert to herd sheep for forty years. There he became a lowly, smelly shepherd—a job Egyptians considered an abomination—with no public connections. Only then did God tell him to go back to Pharaoh, and Moses' response of 'I can't' showed he was exactly where God wanted him.
Exodus 3:1 — This verse directly records Moses keeping Jethro's flock in Midian, the setting of the question.
The Bible records Moses' shepherding in Midian at Exodus 3:1: "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb." This verse puts Moses in the role of a shepherd at the time God met him at Sinai. Scripture does not give a separate explanation for why he was in that role; it simply shows him there. Another verse, Acts 7:22, says Moses was "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds," which highlights the contrast between his past status in Egypt and his shepherd life in Midian.
Les Feldick stresses that Moses' years in Midian were God's deliberate preparation. Moses had been the second man in Egypt, with all the power, pomp, and circumstance of Pharaoh behind him, and in that condition God could not use him. So God sent him to the backside of the desert to herd sheep for forty years. In Egyptian eyes, sheep were an abomination, so Moses was placed in a despised, lowly occupation that stripped away everything Egypt had given him. During those years Moses had no public connections; for the most part, he had only sheep to talk to. He became a nobody. Then, and only then, God told him, "I'm going to send you back to Pharaoh." Moses answered, "Lord, I can't. I'm a nobody. I can't talk." Les says that was exactly where God wanted him. The lowly shepherd, not the powerful Egyptian, was the man God could use to lead Israel.
Les Feldick teaches that God used those forty years to bring Moses down from the lofty position he held in Egypt. God could not use Moses while he had all the power and pomp of Pharaoh behind him, so the Lord sent him to the backside of the desert to herd sheep. When Moses finally became just a lowly shepherd, God could send him back to Egypt, and Moses' reaction—"Lord, I can't"—showed that the humbling had worked.
Les emphasizes that sheep were an abomination in the eyes of the Egyptians. In Midian, Moses took up the very work that the Egyptian culture despised, which is how he lost his status and became a nobody. This was the place God put him, according to Les, to bring him from his lofty position down to nothing more than a lowly sheep herder.
Moses had spent forty years on the backside of the desert with no public connections and, for the most part, only sheep to talk to. So when God called him to confront Pharaoh, Moses immediately protested that he couldn't speak and that the people wouldn't believe him. Les Feldick says that was exactly the point—God wanted Moses as a nobody, not as the powerful Egyptian he used to be.
Moses Identified as a Shepherd in Scripture
Les points out that when Exodus 3 says Moses kept Jethro's flock, it simply means Moses was a shepherd in Midian.
Shepherds Were an Abomination to Egyptians
Les explains that sheep were an abomination to Egyptians, and God deliberately placed Moses in that despised role to humble him after his lofty Egyptian position.
Forty Years with No Public Connections
Les says Moses spent 40 years with nothing but sheep to talk to, with no public connections, which is why he argued he couldn't speak before Pharaoh.
God Prepared Moses in the Desert
Les teaches that God couldn't use Moses while he had Egypt's power and pomp, so He sent him to the backside of the desert to herd sheep for 40 years before sending him back.
Why Israel Rejected Moses — And Then Rejected Christ
Now it was in this time when the pharaohs, who no longer remembered Joseph, it was in this time that Moses was born, was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months. Now I always like to point out in Acts chapter 7 that we pick up details that are left out in the Genesis account. There are a lot of them in just this one chapter. All right, so Moses now then, exceeding fair.
Moses' Egyptian Upbringing
Les highlights Moses' Egyptian education and status before the shepherd years, showing the contrast God was working with.
Humility Was the Goal
Les says that after 40 years herding smelly sheep in isolation, God could approach Moses and send him to Pharaoh; Moses' 'I can't' response proved he was ready.
Moses' Doubt and the Shepherd's Rod
Les shows Moses still thinking of himself as a desert shepherd after 40 years, and God using his shepherd's rod to confirm His call.
Exodus 3:1: Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
The key verse showing Moses as a shepherd in Midian.
Acts 7:22: And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Records Moses' Egyptian learning, contrasting with his later lowly shepherd role.
Exodus 4:2: And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
God uses Moses' shepherd's rod when he doubts his calling.
Yes. Exodus 3:1 says Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and led the flock to the backside of the desert, to Horeb. Les Feldick points out that in plain English Moses' title was shepherd at that time.
In Egyptian culture, sheep were considered an abomination. Since Moses had spent forty years as a shepherd in Midian, he had taken on that despised occupation and felt he had no standing before Pharaoh.
When Moses was afraid Israel would not believe him, God asked what was in his hand. It was his shepherd's rod, and God turned it into a serpent to prove He could work through Moses' lowly shepherd life.
Watch the Teaching: The Burning Bush & The Angel of the Lord: Who Did Moses Really See?