St Luke's 20030803
I feel really unqualified to talk about Moses this morning. But that's OK, because Moses felt unqualified to talk about anything at all. God chooses the most unlikely people to do the most amazing jobs. He makes persecutors into church builders; he makes paranoiacs into leaders; he makes shepherds into kings. And Moses is no exception; for the most important task in the Old Testament - leading His people out of slavery - God chose a murderer, an exile, a coward. If God can work with Moses, you know, He might just be able to work with me. And with you.
God has tasks prepared for each one of us to do; He has an ultimate plan for each life. But are we prepared to follow along with it - or, like Moses, do we present God with a list of objections and excuses? Let's look at a few of Moses's excuses and see how God deals with them, and through them let's see what God has to say to us about the work that He's called us to do.
Who am I?
Moses' first objection comes in verse 11:
11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh,
and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the
token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth
the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
``Who am I?'' We each absolutely need to be sure of the answer to this question if we are going to be able to stand up to the pressures of this world and the challenges that God has for us. We need to know what the Bible says about us, the names that God has given us and the love He has for us. Neil Anderson, the author of ``The Bondage Breaker'', has a life-changing ministry dedicated to helping people understand what God says about them: that you are a child of God, accepted, forgiven, saved.
But Moses didn't have Neil Anderson's books around, so he had to make do with God. So let's look at God's response to this objection, in verses 12:
Certainly I will be with thee.
That's the only answer we need. We're not spiritual giants, we're not skilled at speaking, we're not great leaders of people. But we don't have to be; that's God's job. The only thing which sets us apart and makes us ready for any kind of service is that God is with us. If God is for me, who can stand against me?
But there's also something deeper going on here; Moses has asked about his identity - who am I? - and it looks like God is evading the issue. It looks like God is saying ``It doesn't matter who you are, it matters who I am'', and that's true. That really is all that matters. But God is also saying, ``Your identity is now bound up in me. The fact that I am with you changes who you are. I have chosen you for this task and I'm going in there with you, and that's why you're the right man for the job.''
Do we know who we are? Do we know who's going with us?
Whom do I serve?
And this brings us on to the next objection; we may know ourselves, but can we, like Paul in 2 Timothy 12, say
for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is
able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day.
Daniel says
Those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits.
Moses' second objection comes about because he does not fully know the God he serves. I think Moses is being a bit tricky here in verse 13 when he says
when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them,
The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to
me, What is his name?
I think Moses isn't actually asking on behalf of the children of Israel at all; I think he's asking for himself - who are you? What are you about? How can I trust you?
God's answer:
I AM THAT I AM
Some translate that as ``I will always be what I am now.'' ``That's all - what is see is what you get. You can't explain me; you can't even begin to understand me. Don't bother trying. I'm just me.'' But then He goes on:
say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath
sent me unto you.
``You know me because I'm part of your history. Look back over what I have done for your people in the past; see how I've led you so far. Test me and see if I've been faithful.'' And when you are challenged about who you serve, look back to your past; remember the things that God has done in your life and in the life of others you know. This God you serve - has He not always been faithful? Can you trust Him for what is to happen next?
How do I know I'm doing the right thing?
Now it may be that Moses really is anticipating objections to come from his own people - and you know, when you start out on the work God has for you, you may well find objections coming from God's own people. In fact, in chapters five and six, that the spirits of the people turned against Moses and Aaron. So Moses had to know that he was on the right track, and that's the crux of his next excuse:
For they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee.
``Maybe I really have got this all wrong. I need confirmation. Back me up here!''
God answered this one in a pretty troublesome way; He gave Moses a bunch of miracles to perform. Now, I am not advocating that we go around collecting miracles in order to prove that we're doing the right thing. That's not what it's about at all, because we see later on that when Moses performs his miracles in front of Pharaoh, Pharaoh is completely unimpressed and gets his magicians to do exactly the same stuff.
Signs and wonders may well accompany the Christian, but once we start depending on them, we risk putting our faith in them instead of in God. Instead, we should say, like Isaiah in Isaiah 8:18:
Behold, I and the children whom Jehovah hath given me are for signs
and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, who dwelleth in
mount Zion.
We are the signs and wonders; in the New Testament model, and we're in New Testament times now, we ourselves, through the outworking of Jesus Christ in us, the hope of glory, are the signs and wonders which prove that we are going God's way. Do you want to know if you're following the will of God? Look what He's doing in your life.
[[ Testimony, time permitting ]]
Can I do the job?
What else was Moses afraid of? In Ch 4, v10:
Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast
spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow
tongue.
Well, this wasn't a surprise to God. God deliberately picked someone who was not a good speaker. I've got to admit that this is one area I can't sympathise with Moses in, because I just love getting up and speaking. Anyway, Moses complains that he's no good at speaking, and then he goes on to say ``that hasn't changed since I've met You.'' Moses had a new experience of God, he met God face to face, and although He was dramatically changed in some areas, having the ability to lead the people out of Egypt, he still had this problem with public speaking. Well, God knew this:
Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or
seeing, or blind? is it not I, Jehovah? Now therefore go, and I
will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.
By choosing Moses, God wanted to show that His words were important, not Moses' ability. If Moses had been a great speaker, it wouldn't require much power for God to use him; but God wants to demonstrate His power, not ours. In fact, it's really only when we admit our lack of ability in some area that God can start to use us.
God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to
shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the
world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong.
One of the reasons I feel unqualified to talk about Moses is that I do have too much faith in my ability to get up and speak; that way it is hard for me to tell if my words are coming from my own intellect or from the heart of God. I pray that they're coming from God, for your sakes and mine.
Instead, God needed someone who knew that he couldn't do the job. The Lord needs each one of us to get to the point where we say ``God, I can't do this.'' ``I know'', He will say, ``now I can.''
Why me?
Now Moses is getting pretty desperate, and says in verse 14:
Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person.
There comes a point when we have to accept the role that God has for us. Once we know the will of God, we are without excuse; we know what He wants us to do, but the decision as to whether or not we're going to do it rests with us.
It's interesting to note that despite all the signs and wonders, despite meeting God face to face, and having God listen to and answer his objections, Moses still wants out. Fine, says God, Aaron can do the speaking, but I'm still going to use you to speak to him.
If we aren't willing to face up to our appointed tasks, God will raise up someone else to do it for us. I pray that each one of us will give up making excuses to God before that happens.