MOSES: Leadership that Learns to Trust & Obey Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy

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1 Sinai #7 (Summer 2017) MOSES: Leadership that Learns t Trust & Obey Exdus, Numbers, and Deuternmy Pastr David Staff Hear the name Mses and it s likely smething specific cmes t mind. Perhpas Charltn Hestn in THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Here as Mses, used by Gd t part the Red Sea. Here as Mses bringing dwn the 10 cmmandments frm Munt Sinai. Or perhaps yu ve seen sme Mses cartns. Here are a few that give me a chuckle. Mses as an infant Mses frustrating his fishing buddy Gd ffering Mses His cmmandments Or perhaps yu recall this frm mvie Bruce Almighty. Frustrated reprter Bruce Nlan 1 P a g e f S I N A I # 7

2 cmplains that Gd is nthing fr him, nt ding a gd jb as Gd. S Gd gives t Bruce His pwers. And endwed with Gd s pwer, Bruce is trying t figure ut hw t use it. [Clip frm Bruce Almighty frm 33:25-33:53] There are all kinds f places where yu can find a smile r a thught r even a laught abut MOSES. But perhaps we shuld lk in the Bible. Because when yu take in the bigraphy f Mses, there s alt t learn abut living by faith in the wild. Yu cme away with a fresh lk at hw much Gd prizes when smene dares t actually live by faith. This mrning - six remarkable lessns. MOSES discvered a Gd wh lngs t be trusted. Gd s intent in wrapping His hands arund Mses life was t demnstrate hw much He was willing t d thrugh a humble servant full f faith. #1 Mses parents fully trusted Gd: they radically released him int Gd s svereign care/plan. Exdus 2:1-10 Hebrews 11:23 describes the earliest days f Mses life like this: 23 By faith Mses, when he was brn, was hidden fr three mnths by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were nt afraid f the king's edict. His slave-father s name was Amram, his mther Jchebed. Their ldest child was Miriam, nw a teenaged daughter, and yunger by, Aarn, perhaps all f 3 years ld. Perhaps it was while Jchebed was pregnant with her 3 rd child that Pharah s 2 nd decree regarding Hebrew births was impsed: Every sn brn t the Hebrews, yu shall cast int the Nile (cf. Exdus 1:22b). Hebrews 11 reminds us that Mses parents were nt afraid. Trusting in Abraham s Gd, Jchebed gave birth t Mses withut fanfare r celebratin. Cunting n the care f the Lrd, she nurtured his yung life. And by faith n dubt as the Spirit f Gd prmpted her she wve the papyrus rushes int a little ark, r bat, cating it with bitumen t make it impervius t wet put her child in with many a kiss, clsed the lid n his sweet face, bre it t the water s edge, and placed it tenderly amng the reeds that grew there. Pharah s daughter wuld cme t bathe i and she entrusted her beautiful sn t the svereign care f Gd. Can yu imagine ding such a thing? Imagine it! Because Gd hnred that radical faith. A Hebrew 2 P a g e f S I N A I # 7

3 infant t be raised as an Egyptian prince because 2 parents because a family trusted Gd s quiet prmptings and Gd s svereign hand. The secnd lessn we see in Exdus 2 vaults ver decades. A yung maturing Mses wh will discver 3 P a g e f S I N A I # 7 #2 The frustratin f self-trust: the revealed weakness f life withut faith Exdus 2: :11 One day, when Mses had grwn up, he went ut t his peple and lked n their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, ne f his peple. 12 He lked this way and that, and seeing n ne, he struck dwn the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 When he went ut the next day, behld, tw Hebrews were struggling tgether. And he said t the man in the wrng, Why d yu strike yur cmpanin? 14 He answered, Wh made yu a prince and a judge ver us? D yu mean t kill me as yu killed the Egyptian? Then Mses was afraid, and thught, Surely the thing is knwn. 15 When Pharah heard f it, he sught t kill Mses. But Mses fled frm Pharah and stayed in the land f Midian. And he sat dwn by a well. Nw nearly 40 years ld and fully aware f his rts, Pharah s adpted grandsn began t struggle with his wn peple s burdens. Perhaps wrestling with I m nt ding anything abut this guilt. S as he happens upn a brutal slave beating, why nt take matters int his wn hands? Yeah, he saw his chance; it seemed right (almst). But it lacked the leading f Gd, cnsultatin with Gd. Mses fund himself leaning n his wn understanding (cf. Prverbs 3:6), trusting in himself rather than patiently trusting Gd. S as discvery happens, and pressure munts, a chastened Mses must step away frm Egypt s privileges. F.B. Meyer says it simply, Mses was ut f tuch with Gd. Patrick Mrley (Hw Gd Makes Men) adds, There was t much Mses in Mses. His mtives-- least sme f them were admirable, but his judgment and character were nt up t the demands f leadership. At least nt yet. There were things Gd wanted t wrk int Mses character, things he wanted t wrk ut f his character and thse things take time Bible time. ii OK s ask yurself this mrning: Hw much f my life, what cmes my way, d I simply handle/run trusting in myself? And is that perhaps the cause f mre frustratin than yu realize? Scampering int the desert, ver the next 40 years, Mses experience lessn #3 #3 Mses was humbled in faith: secluded sjurning that grew character Exdus 2: :16 Nw the priest f Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the trughs t water their father's flck. 17 The shepherds came and drve them away, but Mses std up and saved them, and watered their flck. 18 When they came hme t their father Reuel, he said, Hw is it that yu have cme hme s sn tday? 19 They said, An Egyptian delivered us ut f the hand f the shepherds and even drew water fr us and watered the flck. 20 He said t his daughters, Then where is he? Why have yu left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. 21 And Mses was cntent t dwell with the man, and he gave

4 Mses his daughter Zipprah. 22 She gave birth t a sn, and he called his name Gershm, fr he said, I have been a sjurner in a freign land. Did yu catch vs. 21, and 22? Cntent t sjurn. Life slwed dwn. Lng years [40 years] f leading the flcks f the Midianite iii priest were nt wasted years (cf. Acts 7:29), Jhn Davis writes. Years as a sjurner in a freign land. Meyer: His self-life died dwn. He became a nbdy quietly drink in the river f Gd. iv Which, in the perfect timing f Gd lead t lessn #4 Gd s calling in life is unthinkable, withut faith. Exdus 3-4 3:1 Nw Mses was keeping the flck f his father-in-law, Jethr, the priest f Midian, and he led his flck t the west side f the wilderness and came t Hreb, the muntain f Gd. 2 And the angel f the Lrd appeared t him in a flame f fire ut f the midst f a bush. He lked, and behld, the bush was burning, yet it was nt cnsumed. 3 And Mses said, I will turn aside t see this great sight, why the bush is nt burned. 4 When the Lrd saw that he turned aside t see, Gd called t him ut f the bush, Mses, Mses! And he said, Here I am. 5 Then he said, D nt cme near; take yur sandals ff yur feet, fr the place n which yu are standing is hly grund. 6 And he said, I am the Gd f yur father, the Gd f Abraham, the Gd f Isaac, and the Gd f Jacb. And Mses hid his face, fr he was afraid t lk at Gd. 7 Then the Lrd said, I have surely seen the afflictin f my peple wh are in Egypt and have heard their cry because f their taskmasters. I knw their sufferings, 8 and I have cme dwn t deliver them ut f the hand f the Egyptians and t bring them up ut f that land t a gd and brad land, a land flwing with milk and hney, t the place f the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amrites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And nw, behld, the cry f the peple f Israel has cme t me, and I have als seen the ppressin with which the Egyptians ppress them. 10 Cme, I will send yu t Pharah that yu may bring my peple, the children f Israel, ut f Egypt. I hpe yu ll read this week what happens next in Exdus 3-4. Mses has a batlad f bjectins why he s nt-the-guy Gd can use. LORD: they wn t knw yur name! (Ex. 3:13-15) LORD: they wn t believe that Yu appeared t me r listen t my vice! (Ex. 4:1-2) LORD: I am nt elquent. Never have been; never will be! (Ex. 4:10-12) LORD: I just dn t want t d this! Send smene else! (Ex. 4:13) And with each bjectin, Gd says, My Name and My Prmises t Abraham will be yur Hpe My POWERFUL SIGNS will be yur prf I MADE YOUR MOUTH and I CAN TEACH YOU TO SPEAK I will put AARON at yur side A clear call, a bat-lad f bjectins, an assurance f Gd s pwer. Mses belngs t a Gd wh lves t be trusted, especially when He calls yu t d smething bigger than yu can d. Hw abut yu? T what has Gd called yu? Dn t say, I dn t knw, because yu d. Called t be married (lve a wman/lve a man) r single Called t parent made-in-the-image f Gd children 4 P a g e f S I N A I # 7

5 Called t grandparent? Fster-parent? Called t teach? T d research at the University? Called t serve in the hspital, r perhaps with the elderly, r special needs children Called t lead a business, bless and encurage yur emplyees All f us have callings t make an eternal kingdm difference in the lives f thse in ur family, r in ur prfessinal netwrk r in ur statin f life. Ever heard Mses cming ut f yur muth? I m nt yur persn, Lrd. I dn t d And Gd replies, I knw yu dn t d that, but I CAN d it thrugh yu. S, are yu available? Because here s the gig I LOVE t be trusted Withut faith, it is impssible t please Gd. Anyne wh cmes t Gd must believe that He exists and that he rewards thse wh diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 #5 Leading by faith under risk and pressure ffer a special dynamic/relatinship with Gd Exdus, Numbers Time after time, ver yet anther 40 years, Gd urged Mses t rely n Him fr everything. I mean the list is unbelievable: Rescuing 2 millin peple frm 4 centuries f slavery ver the curse f 10 vilent plagues in Epypt Calling Gd s peple t put the bld n their drpsts, trusting Gd t rescue them frm death Leading them t a sea where they were trapped until Gd s pwerful hand thrugh Mses parted the waters in ne mment, and drwned the Egyptian army in the next Urging Gd s peple t trust Gd each day fr water frm rcks and manna frm heaven Leading them in battle with enemies alng the way t Sinai and alng the way frm Sinai Entering the presence f Gd fr weeks t receive the Law Having t execute judgment n rebellius, disbedient grups f peple within the Israelite natin Pleading with Gd n numerus ccasins t withdraw His hand f judgment Overseeing the design and cnstructin f the Tabernacle, deplying and directing tens f thusands f wrkers Leading Israel t the edge f the prmise land, nly have them turn away, and then leading them fr anther 38 years as they wandered in the nrthern Sinai desert Surviving numerus uprisings against his leadership, yet pleading with Gd t be merciful. And finally, at age 120, bringing the next generatin back t the edge f the prmised land again, and turning them ver t Jshua. Time after time after time, Mses trusts the Lrd fr the imprbable, the impssible, and Gd lves him fr it. Trusting Gd like that brught him int a special intimacy with Gd. Gd prized his heart. Once when even Aarn and Miriam questined that Mses spke fr the Lrd, Gd called them ut: Numbers 12: 6 And he said, Hear my wrds: If there is a prphet amng yu, I the LORD make myself knwn t him in a visin; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Nt s with my servant Mses. He is faithful in all my huse. 8 With him I speak muth t muth, clearly, and nt in riddles, and he behlds the frm f the LORD. Why then were yu nt afraid t speak against my servant Mses? Jesus said t his disciples, 5 P a g e f S I N A I # 7

6 Jhn 15:14 Yu are my friends if yu d what I cmmand yu. 15 N lnger d I call yu servants, fr the servant des nt knw what his master is ding; but I have called yu friends, fr all that I have heard frm my Father I have made knwn t yu. 16 Yu did nt chse me, but I chse yu and appinted yu that yu shuld g and bear fruit and that yur fruit shuld abide, s that whatever yu ask the Father in my name, he may give it t yu. SUM: Thugh nt perfect, Mses cnsistent seasned trust became a cmmended, faithful life Numbers & Hebrews As Gd declared in Numbers 12:7, Hebrews 3:5 (ESV) eches, Nw Mses was faithful in all Gd s huse, as a servant. WRAPPING UP Reflecting n Mses life, F.B. Meyer ( ) v ffered this: We make a prfund mistake in attributing t these [OT persns] extra-rdinary qualities f curage, strength f bdy r sul. They were nt different frm rdinary peple, except in their faith ne characteristic secured fr them a niche in the Temple f Scripture a marvelus faculty f faith. What is this faith? The sense f helplessness and nthingness An abslute assurance f being n Gd s plan Entire cnsecratin, that Gd might wrk ut His will thrugh a heart and life The daily fd f prmise A daring t act, in utter independence f feeling, n a faith which reckns abslutely n the faithfulness f Gd The marvelus utcme f [Mses ] life wrk was nt due t any persnal qualities, but t the faith which knit his sul t Gd. He fed daily n the prmise f Gd, pleading thse prmises in prayer, and leaning his whle weight upn them. He ften knew what it was t leave behind him the familiar and the tried, fr the strange and the new. At the bidding f Gd, he stepped ut, thugh there seemed nthing t tread upn, launching himself and three millin peple abslutely n the care f Gd, assured that Gd s faithfulness culd nt fail. His faith (in the Lrd) made Mses all he was. vi Meyer is right. The Spirit f Gd desn t place Mses befre ur eyes in Scripture simply fr us t t say ww. In Hebrews 11, Mses (& thers) are listed/remembered fr ne reasn t call each ne f us t a life f faith. T trusting Gd fr the extrardinary, as we run every day a faithrace. Philip Yancey s insight: Faith gets tested when a sense f Gd s presence fades, r when rdinary life makes us questin whether ur respnses even matter. We wnder, What can ne persn d? What difference will my small effrt make? A public televisin series nce interviewed survivrs f WW II. Sldiers recalled hw they spent a 6 P a g e f S I N A I # 7

7 particular day. On sat in a fxhle all day; nce r twice, a German tank drve by, and he sht at it. Others played cards and frittered away the time. A few gt invlved in furius firefights. Mstly, the day passed like anther day fr an infantryman n the frnt. Later, they learned they had just participated in ne f the largest, mst decisive engagements f the war the Battle f the Bulge. It did nt feel decisive t any f them at the time, because nne had the big picture f what was happening elsewhere. vii Gd lves fr his servants fr his children, his peple t trust Him, t d mre with faith than simply avid Saturday night bath, r play in their sup. Each ne f us is part f a bigger plan thrugh which Gd is rescuing peple ut f slavery and leading them t experience his prmises. Have yu talked t Gd abut his callings in yur life? Can we trust Gd fr mre? Cpyright 2017 David A. Staff All rights reserved i F.B. Meyer, Patriarchs f the Faith (Chattanga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1995), ii Patrick Mrley, Hw Gd Makes Men, p. 42. iii Jhn Davis: The peple with whm Mses stayed were nt cmplete aliens hwever, fr the Midianites were descendants f Abraham by Keturah (cf. Gen. 25:1-2) and may have remained sme extent wrshippers f the true Gd. Mses and the Gds f Egypt: Studies in Exdus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Bk Huse, 1971, 1975), 57. iv Meyer, 503. v Frederick Brthertn Meyer, fllwing his training at Regent s Park Baptist Cllege, pastred first in Liverpl (England), then several churches in Lndn, including Melburne Hall, Regent s Park Chapel, and Christ Church. An insightful expsitr f Scripture, Meyer authred ver 20 bks cnsisting f Scripture bigraphies, sermns, Scripture expsitins, and devtinal wrks. vi F.B. Meyer, Patriarchs f the Faith (Chattanga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1995), vii Philip Yancey, Reaching fr the Invisible Gd, Christianity Tday (September 4, 2000). 7 P a g e f S I N A I # 7