called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses!

Transcription

1 A Deliverer is Called Exodus 3 & 4 June 21, 2015 So, we are in the third week of this summer series on Exodus, titled God Provides. Its been powerful for me to take note of how this theme continues to ring true throughout the book of Exodus; God s provision for the people of Israel is consistent despite their circumstances there was nothing God didn t care for. TO provide truly is the very essence and identity of who God is both for the Israelites and for us today. Today we are going to be looking at chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus. I didn t want to break it to the rest of them preaching this summer but I think I got the best week The story of the call of Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egypt is probably my favorite story of the Bible. And maybe its because I can relate so much to Moses. My guess is that I m not the only one who relates to a guy who experienced fear, anxiety, lacked confidence and was insecure when God called him (and if I am, that s fine ) but I bet we can all relate to those feelings at one time or another in our lives. In looking at chapters 3 & 4 today, I m going to read to you parts from each and apologize in advance that they are pretty lengthy passages, but felt it was important to capture all of the dialogue between Moses and God. As I read part of chapter 3, I encourage you to pay attention to God s role here. If you want to follow along, I m going to start by reading selected verses in Chapter 3. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-inlaw, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight why the bush does not burn up. 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses!

2 And Moses said, Here I am. 5 Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 6 Then he said, I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. 11 But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? 12 And God said, I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.

3 13 Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? Then what shall I tell them? 14 God said to Moses, I am who I am.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you. 15 God also said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, The Lord,[d] the God of your fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation. There s a lot in this chapter. I want to start by looking at the role God plays here since this chapter is mostly his dialogue and chapter four is Moses response. First of all, we can see here that God once again initiates the call to Moses. Moses was clearly not looking for or seeking God but rather was going about his every day task of tending to his sheep. He wasn t crying out to God in anguish or need. We aren t even completely sure at this point of Moses relationship with God or if he knew completely who God was. Over the last two weeks we looked at Moses childhood. Moses was born an Israelite and should have been killed at birth, but instead was spared and taken by Pharaoh s daughter to be raises as an Egyptian. He had an in with the rulers of Egypt. He spoke their language and understood their government and was exposed to a very privileged life of wealth and modern socialization at the time. The Egyptians worshipped many gods and so we can assume that Moses too had that understanding of spirituality. God used the first 40 years of Moses life to prepare him for what was to come. And yet, Moses was also aware of the injustice of the Hebrews. He was angry when he saw them being abused and responded on their behalf by killing an Egyptian ultimately leading to his exile from Egypt. Now, as a shepherd, God was clearly using the last 40 years to prepare Moses with knowledge of the land. He would now be

4 called to shepherd the Israelites through this land towards their freedom. It is clear that God was preparing Moses, working in him and pursuing him from the very beginning of his life. God uses everything in our life to prepare us for the calling He has for us, just like He did Moses; everything in the past, mistakes, regrets, accomplishments and everything in the present prepares us for the future. I m reminded of Romans 8:28, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who [i] have been called according to his purpose. God truly does use everything we experience to shape and mold us into being more and more like him, and into the sons and daughters he s created us to be. The second significant insight about God we can draw from this passage is His promise to be with Moses. In verse 11 Moses says, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? God s response to Moses, I will be with you. God promises not to forsake Moses but to walk with Him step by step, and provide for his every need. God s presence with us is the most powerful tool we have; it brings us peace and comfort in the midst of turmoil; gives us hope and encouragement in the storm and guides us to where God wants us to be where He can use us the most. Psalm 16 speaks so clearly to this and was the cry of David s heart and my hope that it would be ours as well: I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.[b] My body rests in safety. 10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead[c] or allow your holy one[d] to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.[e] God s presence with us is really powerful and such a gift, especially in times of struggle where things just don t seem to make sense or line up, God s presence is the only things that can bring us lasting comfort.

5 I m going to now read a portion of chapter 4 as we take a look at Moses response to God s call: Moses answered, What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, The Lord did not appear to you? 2 Then the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? A staff, he replied. 3 The Lord said, Throw it on the ground. Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, Reach out your hand and take it by the tail. So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 This, said the Lord, is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has appeared to you. 6 Then the Lord said, Put your hand inside your cloak. So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[a] it had become as white as snow. 7 Now put it back into your cloak, he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8 Then the Lord said, If they do not believe you or pay

6 attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground. 10 Moses said to the Lord, Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. 11 The Lord said to him, Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. 13 But Moses said, Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else. 14 Then the Lord s anger burned against Moses and he said, What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth

7 and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it. Moses interaction here with God becomes almost ridiculous and comical. Even after Moses questions God and God reveals not one or two but three miraculous signs, Moses still voices his lack of trust in his ability to do what God has asked him to. He even goes as far as to admit to God his own weakness as a way to justify why he can not do the task before him. God solves that problem too, even though burning with rage states, I ll just send Aaron to help you. Even then, Moses just flat out says, send someone else. I m not sure what more Moses needed at this point. I don t know about you, but almost every time I read this passage I chuckle inside and with judgement think to myself, come on Moses, God is clearly showing you He will be with you for these miracles could not happen in your own strength. God has been quick to remind me however, that more often than not, I too find myself in this place. My intentions may be good, but when push comes to shove would I willingly do something as bold? Would my faith and trust in God truly carry me? Or would I be just like Moses the signs clearly in front of me and yet my fear, insecurity, lack of experience and perceived inadequacies hold me back. God s response to Moses throughout this conversation just blows me away every time. After Moses repeatedly doubts God and questions why God would choose him, God continues to pursue, equip and encourage Moses. He doesn t say, well you re right Moses, I ll find someone else. And why? Because this was Moses unique purpose and calling. Moses was created and designed to such as task as this. And we all have a unique calling too. It may not be to lead captives to freedom through a desert for 40 years, but its no less significant nor less meaningful to have an impact on the world. God has a unique call for each of us, and yet what gets in the way of us embracing it or pursuing it? Is it fear? Finances? Lack of qualifications on our resume? The comfort of life as it is? At this point in Moses life, he was comfortable with a family and community and a predictable life. To leave all of that and go back to a place where he fled from for his life would not be an easy thing to do. To face being killed, persecuted, laughed at and not believed would be a reality that he had to come to terms with. But God often takes the most ordinary people to do extraordinary things--- The best quote I ve ever heard comes from Henry T. Blackby the author of the book, Experiencing God God doesn t call the qualified, but He qualifies the called. You see, whether we recognize it or not, we are all like Moses. Never in our lives is there a time where we willingly admit our weakness more than when trying to convince ourselves why we can t do something, especially something big that we sense God has placed on our heart. I wonder how many dreams have never come to fruition and how many passions have lost their flame simply because we ve

8 convinced ourselves that we are not able, not qualified or not adequately prepared. God doesn t call the qualified, but He qualifies the called. In a commentary I was reading this week, the author drew some strong parallels between the call of God to Moses with others in the Old Testament. I found these to be particularly interesting and powerful to consider in our own lives as well. If we were to look at the story of Joshua (Moses successor), Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Gideon, we will find that in all of these narratives, 1. God is the one to initiate, seek out and call out these individuals to a specific task He has before them. They were all minding their own business when God called them and put them on a new, unexpected path. The second common theme is that these leaders were all involved in mundane or ordinary vocations at the time of their calling. None of them were in high position or standing, but were just like you and me normal, every day people God wasn t concerned with their resume or qualifications, but rather 2. God called people out of ordinary circumstances for extraordinary tasks. A third common thread is the response of those called. [ 3.Those being called responded in fear, with doubt and reluctance] They are each jolted at the thought of what God is calling them to do either humility or disbelief. Feelings of inadequacy and even reluctance seem perfectly normal. I would venture to guess that each of you at times can identity with those feelings when you sense God calling you to something new or unexpected. (And if you haven t felt them, you will at some point For me this aspect has brought much reassurance to my life because there have been times where I ve felt so insecure, lacked confidence and was fearful about what lie ahead--- and yet despite those feelings and thoughts, God still chooses to use us. He overcomes our perceived weaknesses or shortcoming and partners with us to accomplish what it is He has planned. In fact, I would venture to say God loves our weakness because it s only through them, that He truly shines in us. And it s when we submit them to him, that our dependence and trust in Him grows, which I believe he adores and loves. The worship team can come up. See, we are in good company. The characters of the Old Testament whom God called to do extraordinary things for him experienced much of the same that we do today; fear, inadequacy, insecurity, and hesitation. But the best news is that God didn t stop pursuing them because they felt insecure. In fact, I think God went after them even more simply because they had faults and weaknesses and knew that without God the task was impossible therefore God gained glory and fame because it was HE who shined through the weakness and inadequacies. Paul said it best when he says, But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ s power may rest on me.

9 I encourage you this morning to take some time to reflect on those dreams that have died; those passions that have burned out or even a new sense of something God may be stirring in you. The prayer team will be available to pray blessings over you; the front is open to come and make a stand towards trusting God to provide despite your doubts and fears.