In life, it is important to have values and principles.
Values and principles are like road maps that tell a person what is the direction in life he should take.
To have good values and principles would certainly help a person to live a good life and earn the respect of others.
For Moses, he had his own ideas about life until God called him to lead His people out of slavery from the land of Egypt.
But it was a frustrating mission as the people were a stiff-necked people and they were always complaining.
But Moses kept to his mission and it can be understood that he was worn down and burdened by the complains of the people.
Then in the 1st reading, he had this "God-given" opportunity to dump the people and even to make a name for himself by being a father of a great nation.
Here is where we see the values and principles of Moses - he pleaded with God not to punish the people and to turn away His wrath from them.
May we see in Moses a man who will not betray a nation for his advantage.
God rewarded Moses in the end. May we too stand firm in the ways of God and He will also reward us in the end.