Though he was brought up so grandly in a palace, he did not forget that he was a Jew, one of the Children of Israel. He was very sorry to see his relations so cruelly treated, and sometimes he would walk down to the part of the town where the Jews lived, and would look at them as they toiled at the hard work which Pharaoh gave them to do. One day Moses saw one of the Egyptians being very unkind to a Jew, and he ran to them and defended the Jew, and killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand; he thought the Jews would understand that God was going to send him to deliver them. But the next day when he wished to settle a quarrel between two of the Children of Israel, they did not like it, and asked him if he was going to kill them as he did the Egyptian yesterday? Then Moses was frightened, and left Pharaoh's beautiful palace, and all the splendour that he had enjoyed all his life, and went away quite far from Egypt for forty years! Here he was married and had two sons, and he kept his father-in-law's flocks, and lived very happily. At length, when he was watching the sheep one day near to a mountain, the angel of God appeared to him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush. Moses thought the sight so wonderful that he came closer to look at it, and then God called to him out of the burning bush and told him not to come near, as God Himself was there, and the place was very holy. And the Lord said, what will comfort every one of us to remember, if we are in any trouble or sorrow, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people out of Egypt." But at first Moses was very much afraid that the Children of Israel would not trust him, and he almost wanted God to send some other messenger who would do the work better. But God was very patient with Moses; He kept on assuring him that He would help him in every difficulty, "Certainly I will be with thee," He said. At last Moses told the Lord that the people would say that he had not seen God at all; and then the Lord asked him what it was which he held in his hand? So Moses said it was a rod. Then God told him to throw it on the ground, and in a moment the rod had turned into a serpent! Then God told him not to be afraid of it, but to catch it by its tail; and the serpent turned back into a rod in his hand. So God told him to take that rod in his hand when he went to Egypt, for He would work signs with it for him. Moses was still afraid, and then God allowed him to have his brother Aaron with him, that they might do God's wonderful signs together, and help each other.