In contrast to most of the chapters of the Pentateuchal books which refer to Moses after he responded to God's command to serve him, one chapter puts together information about the first half of his life. What we are told about his birth and his life as an exile in the wilderness of Midian to the east of the Gulf of Aqaba presents us with a disjointed picture, full of gaps but also full of significance. The Biblical account in Exodus 2 is not intended to be like a modern biography but to illuminate God’s preparation of this man for his service. In Exodus 1, we see the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, that he would have many descendants, but these descendants are threatened (1: 22). The child Moses is saved from death so that he may later be the deliverer of his people. Born an Israelite, he grows up amongst the Egyptians and is given an Egyptian name, enabling him to understand both peoples. When forced to flee for his life after killing an Egyptian who had killed an Israelite, it is clear that the implication is that in his own strength Moses can achieve nothing. The harsh wilderness of Midian, where he meets with people who may have been the descendants of Abraham through Abraham's concubine Keturah (Genesis 25: 1-6), proves a kinder place to Moses than fertile Egypt. In Midian Moses becomes mature and is prepared for the task to which God will call him but of which he still has no knowledge.