|
|
|
God
Raises up a Deliverer
INTRODUCTION
The Scriptures were
designed by God to reveal himself to us, to show us what he desires of us
and what is the optimal pattern of life.
In the book of Genesis we were told all about man, his creation,
his sin, the rapidly increasing levels of iniquity in the world, the
necessity of the Flood, the New World that followed the Flood, the
ignoring of history and warnings of God, the quick resumption of
escalating iniquity, the call of Abraham and the creation of a family from
which the special, ‘called out’ people of God would come, as the
precursor to the coming of the Messiah Redeemer.
We are given the examples
of the godly but imperfect lives of four men who followed God, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and God’s provision for them. In the book of Exodus it
is emphasized that God is the only savior and Redeemer, and only he has
the answer to the needs of men and can supply the remedy for the sins of
men. From the foregoing, God's
activity and power is immediately and continually displayed and his mighty
works are unmistakable. The people of God were in
misery, degradation and sin, and we immediately saw God's activity to
redeem his people out of their sin. We
know what salvation and redemption is, what God has done in this arena,
what he is doing, and what he intends to do with us.
No one can properly and
thoroughly understand redemption without understanding the book of Exodus.
The events of this book stand as a beacon for all those who belong
to God, and in their misery call on Him. We can learn an
interesting series of lessons as we observe the hand of God at work. God
choose a people and marked them out as separate.
This means that they will not, and must never intermingle for
God’s people will always be separate. Even if they violated
that relationship and intermingled or marry unbelievers and engaged in
activities which were displeasing to God, they would continue to realize
that they were marked out people, that they were grieving the Spirit of
God and they would inevitably have a dreadful existence, experiencing
despondency, unhappiness, and despair. The descendants of Jacob
were marked, under the Abrahamic Covenant, chosen by God, given a
different hope and a different future. They were in the choicest
area in the land of Egypt, but it was not theirs.
God had blessed them and they had increased from seventy males and
their families to maybe two and a half million in four hundred years. Their very location in
the fertile Delta area, the very place that any invading force would
likely enter Egypt, made the new Egyptian ruler nervous. He was probably
an invader himself and certainly a new dynasty from the Pharaoh that had
treated the Israelites kindly.
Given the size of the population and their location, he knew that
if the Jews decided to join up with any invader, Egypt would be in
trouble. What made it worse was
that these Jews had never been assimilated , but held onto the hope that
they would inevitably inherit the land of the Amorites, which stretched
from the Euphrates to the Nile River.
Scholars believe that at
that time the Egyptians feared invasion from the Hittites to the north, to
whom the Jews were distantly related. The Egyptian rulers therefore had to
deal wisely with them. They
did not want to get rid of the Jews for they were a powerful and valuable
natural resource, but they wanted to eliminate any threat from them.
They decided then to enslave them, before they grew too powerful. Seemingly the Jews were
not a cohesive force as one would expect, for the Egyptians succeeded in
bringing them into hard bondage and oppression.
We read about a mixed multitude partially allied to the Jews, and
some believe that these people were the result of intermarriage.
Later we learn that the
Jews had lost a sense of cohesiveness, and forgotten the possibility of
freedom and seemed quick to resent anyone that made any attempts to free
them by force of arms. Despite the oppression
Israel prospered. See the
principle relating to the people of God in Isaiah 54:17. The Egyptians tried to
eliminate the threat of the Jews by overwork and exhaustion and when that
failed they tried population control by killing all the male babies.
This strategy failed when the midwives bravely obeyed God rather
than the instructions of the Pharaoh.
As a result God bless the efforts of the midwives.
MOSES
The finger of God is
clear in the beginning of the book of Exodus.
A baby was born under the sentence of death but God intervened and
preserved his life marvellously. It is ironic and
wonderful to observe, that the Holy Spirit in a direct mockery to the law
of Pharaoh to put all Hebrew male babies in Egypt to death, moved Moses’
mother to do exactly what Pharaoh wanted Jewish mothers to do, namely have
their sons put in the river to drown.
Moses’ mother entrusted
her baby’s welfare and future to God alone, placed her son in a
waterproof basket and sent it floating down the river, Providentially
Pharaoh's daughter found Moses when she went to bathe in the river. Her
and the Egyptians felt that bathing in the sacred Nile River would bring
fertility. She then hired Moses' own mother to take care of her own child,
and so Moses’ mother gets her child back and is now paid for caring for
him. One writer comments on
God’s methods: “ If Pharaoh had
not decreed that all male babies be killed, Moses would not be sitting in
an ark in the reeds. The
Pharaoh’s daughter would not pick up a male child, a Jewish male child,
make him the son of Pharaoh's daughter, train him in all the wisdom of
Egypt and make him a Prince of Egypt and a deliverer.
The very sin Pharaoh committed was the very vehicle God used
to accomplish his purpose.” God certainly has a great
sense of humor. Moses was now the adopted
son of Pharaoh, in the royal family, heir to the throne of Egypt, trained
in all the wisdom, science and learning of the most powerful and advanced
civilization of the time. He
was a cultured man; learned, skilled, trained as a lawyer, a commander of
military forces, skilled in geography, grammar, writing, history,
literature, philosophy, music and with access to all the goings on of the
different cultures in the near East. God would need a trained
lawyer to codify his laws on Mount Sinai.
He would have to be well-trained to write the book of Genesis and
tell us about the creation of the world, the events in Eden, the events
before the Flood, and the details of the events afterwards and the call of
Abraham. He would need a practiced
leader to lead the people through the wilderness for forty years, and to
deal with the problems and logistics that would arise in the wilderness.
He would have to be trained in administering large forces of men,
and be accordingly a military general with first-class training.
All of this Moses received at the expense of the Egyptians. .Beyond that we note that
Moses came from the tribe of Levi, a tribe with a despicable record of
violence, self-will, and anger. Jacob
in Genesis 49:7 had cursed Levi and Simeon for their violent behavior, and
had declared that God would in punishment disperse and scatter them in
Israel. Their partner in cruelty, the tribe of Simeon would be
absorbed, and that is what happened to them, for they were absorbed by
Judah and simply disappeared. So here is God taking one
of the most profane, pugnacious, likely the most Egyptianized tribe to
lead the Jews, and instruct the Jews in the law of God.
One writer comments: “ Moses, Aaron,
Marianne and Phinehas. Phinehas,
an Egyptian name by the way, was grandson of Aaron and eventually became
High Priest. God takes the Levites and makes them the high priests of
Israel, the mediators between God and man, the teachers of the Law of God.
But He also keeps His word. He
scatters them all throughout Israel, and they have no possession of the
land except the cities which are given to them by the tribes.
It is a beautiful picture of how God operates.” Note both the kindness of
God and the severity of God, even from this stage. Romans chapter 11
develops this idea at length and related it to us Gentiles and the Jewish
nation. Note also that God, when
he wanted to redeem his people, starts with a baby, just a little helpless
baby, with helpless parents, from one of the worst tribes. When we look at this we
realize that we are nothing, and it is God who does everything. Moses did not quite
understand the sovereignty of God in
the circumstances of his childhood and training in Pharaoh’s court. He was obviously aware of
his abilities, position, and status, thought that he was a key person, a
leader accepted by the Egyptians, and was in his human way planning to
deliver the Jews. We know that God was
going to deliver the Jews and use Moses in a way that he would not have
dreamed of. Moses was really
too big for God to use at this time, for like many of us he tried to do
God's work in man's wisdom and power. Moses had a choice.
According to the historian Josephus he had delivered Egypt from the
Ethiopians, proving himself on the battlefield as a good planner, a good
fighter, and a brilliant leader. To his credit Moses chose
to be allied with the people of God rather than with the pagan Egyptians.
He rejected his privilege and advantages, the Palaces and their
life of luxury and power. See Hebrews 11:24-26. Now this deliverer with a
proven track record thought he could use his resources, wisdom, training
and understanding to deliver his people, since this had worked once before
in delivering Egypt. Moses
attempt at leadership however was not accepted by the Jewish masses, and
he was rejected. He had to
run for his life. Just imagine his
position. He must have felt
that God's plan for his life had been completely defeated.
He fled, met and married a daughter of the Priest of Midian. Now
instead of being surrounded by servants, he was placed in the position of
a servant, working hard looking after sheep in this seemingly God forsaken
country. Moses married and began
having children, putting an end to any dreams of delivering Israel out of
Egypt. He obviously became
content with where he was. Let us note carefully
that even though Moses made the right choice to ally himself with the Jews
his flesh took over. We know
that he did not really understand God's program for deliverance, for when
he saw the problem between an Israelite
and a Egyptian, he looked all over the place first before he killed
the Egyptian, participating in an unfair fight, for who could fight a
Prince of Egypt without being slain. The Egyptians remember
had publicly oppressed the people of God and slandered the name of God.
God therefore had to in the open, publicly deliver Israel from
Egypt, shaming the gods of Egypt, and making the entire world understand
that He was in fact the sovereign God.
It was not to be a matter of secret rebellion. The Egyptians had a great
pantheon of gods, they had every kind of god one could want.
The Israelite were also into this shameful idolatry, and they were
worshiping the Egyptian gods. God
had to prove something to the Egyptians and to the people of idolatrous
Israel. God had a covenant, an
unbreakable contract with Israel, and he would free Israel, strip Egypt of
much of its wealth, and do it publicly.
One writer comments that to do that: “ He has to crush
Moses self-worth which is built on his position, his power in words and
deeds, his extraordinary learning ability and his years of succeeding.
Moses is a very talented man.
These talents will be sanctified by God and used later on to lead a
people out of Egypt and to take them through the wilderness for forty
years. God doesn't destroy our talents, but he does have to get us
out of the act.” God had not forgotten
about Israel, and he would now turn his attention to Israel because of the
covenant he had made with the Fathers. Note, now God had to
awake Moses from his USELESSNESS. God
did not intend to waste His investment in the life of Moses. He was destined to be a
great hero, but he was as one writer puts it at an undesirable place at
this point in his life. “ He was a man who
had been set aside after a promising beginning.
Rejected by both the tribe into which he had been born and the
people who raised him, he was thrust out alone into the wilderness, under
his father-in-law's dominion. At
the age of eighty he had lived to a point when maturity, strength, and
accomplishment should have been in full flower for him.
Yet he was alone on the west side of the wilderness on a mountain,
caring for another person's sheep, in one of life's cul-de-sacs”. This
reminds us of our own selves, and our own experiences and position. THE
TEXT
Verse 1.
After fleeing Egypt, Moses came to settle in Midian, a land between
what is now Saudi Arabia and the Sinai, where he spent the next forty
years. During this time Moses
married into the family of the Priest of Median, and became a shepherd, a
fitting profession for the work that God had prepared for him. “Now Moses kept the
flock of Jethro his Father-in-law…”
The accepted
interpretation is that Reuel was also known by the name Jethro (Gen
2:16-18, 3:1) and that Zipporah was one of the seven daughters of Jethro. Now as probably was his
custom, and part of his duty in caring for his Father-in-law’s flock, he
led them to the backside of the desert.
We ascertain that this would be to the west. The desert or
wilderness where Moses led the flock was no barren waste land; rather it
was the district of Sinai, where there is good pasture and plenty of
water. The surrounding areas
however were not so hospitable. Moses’ trek led him
toward Horeb, which is the mountain of God. Clarke notes for us - “Mountain
of God - Sometimes named Horeb, at other times Sinai. The mountain itself
had two peaks; one was called Horeb, the other Sinai. Horeb was probably
the primitive name of the mountain, which was afterwards called the
mountain of God, because God appeared upon it to Moses; and Mount Sinai,
from seneh, a bush, because it was in a bush or bramble, in a flame of
fire, that this appearance was made.” Another writer also notes, that there is no real evidence that this spot
was previously held sacred, although the Egyptians have regarded the
entire peninsula as being consecrated to the gods from a very early time. Verse 2.
“The angel of the Lord…” Some interpret this scene as
a Theophany, that this, Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word in the New
Testament, appearing to men. Some indeed find the pre-incarnate Word
appearing throughout the Old
Testament as the “angel of the Lord”. This interpretation that the Angel
of the Lord is always to be interpreted as Jesus, however is not
shared by all. The angel of the Lord literally means messenger of Yahweh. What Moses saw, was a
flame of fire that engulfed this bush, yet it was not consumed by the
fire. Moses’ understanding
of this wondrous sight, was the manifestation of the immediate presence
of God. As the Scripture
says – “He maketh his
ministers a flame of fire.” On numerous occasions God
has made his presence known with fire. In the wilderness for
forty years, during the night the presence of God was seen as a pillar of
fire. Some believe that in
the Holy of Holies a flame also burned between the cherubim as a sign of
his presence. And his
presence was certainly seen on the day of Pentecost, when cloven tongues
resembling fire appeared on the heads of the one hundred and twenty
disciples. Fire has actually been
the symbol of deity in pagan as well as the Hebrew culture.
This bush or ‘Senah’
which is the name of the thorny shrub of the acacia species, and common in
that region, is likely the bush referred to.
Whatever kind of bush it was, it is clear that it was an old,
stunted, full of thorns, ugly, wild bush. It was not a gorgeous
cypress tree reaching straight into the sky, says
one writer. He
draws from this that God can take even a crummy old bush and use that to
be his manifestation. He can
therefore take an old shepherd in the wilderness who is 80 years old, who
has gone through male crisis, and with only a tiny self-worth, and use him
powerfully. Verse 3.
The burning bush had caught Moses attention. Looking from a
distance, Moses soon realizes that the bush was not being consumed by the
fire, and this most certainly peaked his curiosity.
“I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not
burnt…”
The sight was obviously
out of the norm, for though bushes in the hot desert climate sometimes
spontaneously burst into flames, they would be burnt to ashes.
But this bush burned with no sign of its destruction. He had never
seen anything like it, in the forty years he had spent in this region and
therefore this marvel deserved a closer inspection. Moses turned aside to see
this spectacle; not only did the shepherd leave his sheep, but he also had
to venture away from his old trusted path to see this sight.
And so it is at times, that when a man receives a call from God,
after winning his attention, he is required to stop what he is doing, and
turn aside to see what God would have him do. What we must not fail to
realize, is that we are dealing with an omniscient God, who was preparing
Moses long before Moses received the call.
All the events of Moses’ life, from his birth leading up to this
point, were uniquely designed and evidently used in God’s process of
developing and raising up this deliverer. These events obviously
take place in a realm where we can perceive them, but this does not
subtract from the fact that they originated and were ordained by God in
eternity past for our benefit and God’s glory.
It is also certain that God alone is in total control of every
human event. Verse 4. Note that God’s omniscience does not relieve man from
his responsibility to respond to God’s call.
God may use a number of methods to cause us to decisively turn our
attention to him. Wesley says:
“When
the Lord saw that he turned aside to see it, God called to him - If he had
carelessly neglected it, it is likely God had departed and said nothing to
him. God called and said, Moses, Moses - This which he heard could not but
surprise him much more than what he saw. Divine calls are then effectual,
when the spirit of God makes them particular, and calls us as by name.” You will notice the
interchange of the two divine names used in this verse; ‘the Lord
sees’ that is (Jehovah / Yahweh) then God ‘Called’.
The person who appeared in the flame of fire is in verse 2 is
called the angel of the Lord. Who is the angel of the Lord?
Verse 6 tells that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and
this is interpreted to mean that this was Jesus who spoke. Now not only does God
call, but he does so by name ‘Moses, Moses’.
In this we see that God not only has an intimate knowledge of us,
but the affection in the call shows a desire for a more intimate
relationship with man. There also seems to be a
sense of urgency ‘Moses, Moses’ telling him to stop and not
come any closer yet. “and said, Moses, Moses; for the Lord knows his people distinctly, and can call them by name; and the repetition of his name not only shows familiarity and a strong vehement affection for him, but haste to stop him, that he might proceed no further;” Verse 5.
God, having called Moses, now warned him to be careful how one
entered the presence of God. Proper
reverence must be given, thus the command was given to remove his shoes.
This is a custom that
continues even today, and some believe that it originated here with Moses.
However, this custom was very wide spread throughout the religions
of the east, and it is quite likely that Moses knew the symbolic meaning
that it carried, being familiar with the Egyptian temple worship. The reason God gave was
that the place was holy ground. It
is however almost certain, that prior to this event this spot had no
intrinsic holiness, and that it was the presence of God that brought a
status of holiness. In
support of this notion, one should realize that Moses had traversed this
same land for forty years and not once considered it holy in this sense. Now however God’s
immediate presence was there and he was to show reverence. Do
not drawn near has the literal meaning of “stop coming closer”,
for Moses was about to do an up close examination of the burning bush. The Jewish historian
Josephus, records, that shepherds would not feed their flocks there,
because they believed it to be the mountain of God – but let us note
that this custom most likely originated with Moses’ encounter on the
mountain. As to the meaning or
significance of removing ones shoes, one writer comments – “put
off thy shoes--The direction was in conformity with a usage which was well
known to Moses, for the Egyptian priests observed it in their temples, and
it is observed in all Eastern countries where the people take off their
shoes or sandals, as we do our hats. But the Eastern idea is not precisely
the same as the Western. With us, the removal of the hat is an expression
of reverence for the place we enter, or rather of Him who is worshipped
there. With them the removal of the shoes is a confession of personal
defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of
unspotted holiness.” We note that in the Temple of Israel, the priests served bare feet, removing their sandals and washing their hands and feet in the laver placed in front, before they entered, they made sure that they were completely cleansed before they entered. Verse
6. As Moses began
to realize the significance of the awesome sight, he became afraid. This is the most appropriate reaction for a creature standing
before their Creator. “and
Moses hid his face; wrapped it in his mantle or cloak, as Elijah did, (1Ki_19:13),
because of the glory of the divine Majesty now present, and conscious of
his own sinfulness and unworthiness:”.
Another
writer comments: “He
was afraid to look upon God; even
upon this outward appearance and representation of him in a flame of fire;
otherwise the essence of God is not to be looked upon and seen at all, God
is invisible; but even this external token and symbol of him was terrible
to behold; the thought that God was there filled him with fear,
considering the greatness and awfulness of his majesty, and what a poor,
weak, and sinful creature he was.” In
dealing with Moses, God revealed not only his identity, but that he is
dealing with him according to his covenant relationship. “…I am
the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”
(Ex 3:5) Knowing
that God deals with us according to his covenant is most reassuring and
would have undoubtedly brought Moses a great sense of comfort.
God’s wisdom and affection when dealing with his people is
clearly seen. All
events are controlled by God. Thus
the timing of Moses call is no coincidence either and fits perfectly into
the plan of God. Part of that
plan was given in prophecy to Abram.
“And
He said to Abram, You must surely know that your seed shall be a stranger
in a land not theirs, and shall serve them. And they shall afflict them
four hundred years.” (Gen
15:13) One
writer comments – “the
time, as well as all the circumstances of this miraculous appearance, were
such as to give him an illustrious display of God's faithfulness to His
promises. The period of Israel's journey and affliction in Egypt had been
predicted (Gen_15:13), and it was
during the last year of the term which had still to run that the Lord
appeared in the burning bush.” Again
this verse gives us another divine name, describing the angel of the Lord
as the ‘I AM’, (the eternal, ever existing One). Moses
is called, and the name therefore should make quick work of dispelling
fear and anxiety that initially accompanied the call. Jesus also quoted this
verse while talking to the Sadducees, to prove the doctrine of the
resurrection (Matt 22:29-33). “And
as regards the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of
Moses how God spoke to him in the Bush, saying, "I am
the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?” (Mk
12:26) Note that God has taken
the attention away from the circumstances in which Moses found himself and
focused it on Himself. Verse 7.
The affliction and trials of God’s people never go unnoticed by
Him. “..I have surely
seen…”, He sees both the physical
abuse and harm that Israel was going through and also the mental anguish
and torment of the heart. Though
we may go through lengthy periods of affliction, God’s promise to
deliver his people will always come at his appointed time. The affliction of the
children of Israel while in bondage in Egypt, was by way of their
taskmasters. Those that were
appointed over them and who oppressed them with an extremely heavy
workload caused the people to cry out to God. Note the terms God used.
He says “I” will do this, “my people”, and therefore
when they cry out to Him instead of to the Egyptian gods he responded.
He intended to deliver them. God said he knows their sorrow, this implies personal feelings of tenderness and compassion for his people. When in the midst of trials we often feel alone and abandoned and that God does not see or care. This is far from the truth. Often we do not understand why God does what he does, for his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts. Yet we can rest in the truth of the word of God –as it declares “I know the thoughts I have toward you…” and these words come from our faithful High Priest, who also is touched by the feelings of our infirmities. God knows what we go through and can therefore show real compassion.
Verse 8.
The time had arrived, thus God told Moses the reason that he had
appeared to him. It was not
primarily for his personal blessing, though Moses was greatly blessed. God had revealed to Abram
that after four hundred years of bondage in Egypt, He would deliver his
people., (Gen 15:13). This alone is the purpose that God manifested
himself to Moses. The
deliverance was now coming, not because Moses was a particularly great
man, but because of God’s covenant with Abram “I have come down…”
We know that God is
omnipresent therefore this phrase must be interpreted and understood in
light of this great truth. Gill
commenting on this verse explains - “And
I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians,.... Which
must be understood consistent with the omnipresence of God, who is
everywhere, and strictly speaking cannot be said to remove from place to
place, or to descend; but such a way of speaking is used, when he gives
some eminent display of his power or goodness, as here in a wonderful
manner he appeared in a burning bush, and manifested himself in a way of
grace and kindness to his people, signifying that he would shortly save
them: so Christ in our nature came down from heaven to earth, to save his
spiritual Israel out of the hands of all their enemies:” Now
not only did God guarantee to bring them out of Egypt, but had made
provisions that they would now possess their own land, a land that is both
good and large. The verse here contains
the earliest recorded list of the people who were in current possession of
the land at that time. Moses having been educated in the royal courts of
Egypt, would know in great detail, the size, strength, wealth and power of
these surrounding nations, and hence God is really showing him the
magnitude of his promise. Note carefully that God
had a purpose in listing the vicious tribes.
He was letting Moses know that he God was aware of the nature of
the problem that he would face when he went into the land with the people.
He God was going to deal with all those vicious tribes. He wanted Moses to recognize that it would be God’s doing.
Success would come from the strength of God and not from the
strength of the people. Everything that God
communicated to Moses was also designed to build his faith.
God calls us to duty according to the measure of our faith, thus
God must increase the faith of Moses, who at this point though he saw and
heard this great wonder, was not quite ready – this is evident in the
next chapter where Moses made all manner of excuses not to go. Compared to the over
crowded living in the land of Goshen (Ex 1:7), the land of Canaan was
indeed great. And not only in
size, but it was lush with green pastures and abundant in wild honey, its
springs and rivers would make these desert regions an oasis.
Though the land of Goshen was itself beautiful (Deu 8:7) God
promised to bring them into a better place. The phrase ‘flowing
with milk and honey’, really depicts the beauty and abundance of the
land. The phrase was used
often in the ancient world and continues to conjure up a vision of
paradise. Verse 9.
God, again repeated what is said in verse 7 “And
now behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me. And I have also
seen the oppression with which the
Egyptians oppress them.” This
he repeated to emphasize the great notice that he took over the plight of
his people, and the urgency with which he now moved to deliver them; which
he intended to do by the hand of Moses This of course was the
last thing Moses wanted to hear, for Moses’ self-confidence had shrunk
to a extreme lack of confidence. Verse 10.
“Come now therefore…” God had shown Moses his
power and informed him of his plan to deliver his people.
He had spent intimate time with a mere mortal, to prepare him for
this purpose. God had given
all the reasons that he would give Moses; God had called him and now came
his commission. “Come now therefore…” leave your flock, your
family and your home; I (God)
want you to go before Pharaoh, for I will use you as my instrument to
bring my people out of bondage. You
are the deliverer. Moses had fled from Egypt
because he feared the penalty for killing an Egyptian.
Now he was commanded to return and seek an audience with Pharaoh.
Naturally there was some apprehension.
The Pharaoh under which Moses had grown up, was now dead, and
another reigned. So Moses was not only to
deliver God’s people from bondage, but to lead them to the land of
Canaan. It was an awesome
responsibility, but what Moses had not yet learned, was that there was an
awesome God that backed him all the way.
God will never call us to
service, without equipping us to serve.
Moses would have everything he could possibly need to accomplish
this task. Moses began an argument
with God. Though he seemed to be shaking with fear before God, being an
intelligent and knowledgeable man, he knew that God was not going to
destroy him, and so he seemed to fear Pharaoh more that he feared God, for
he was prepared to argue with God but not Pharaoh. He now offered five
objections as to why he would not and could not go.
One writer says: he
is now playing Russian roulette with God. He wont go because: -he fears Pharaoh -he fears the Egyptians -he fears rejection by
his people. What he doesn't seem to
fear God. He is just like us.
We fear Satan and the flesh more that we fear breaking the
commandments of God which tells us to go out and fight knowing that we
will have the victory. So Moses, because he
really feared Pharaoh more that God, came up with the first objection “Who
am I that I should go?” His sense of destiny had
been so crushed that after his long time in the wilderness he was really
not prepared to do anything. Moses
obviously was now looking on himself instead of on God.
He was still hurting and had the wrong focus. forty years later he
was still suffering from rejection. The Egyptians wanted to kill him and
the Israelites rejected him. This was self-pity, blinding him to the God
of Abraham. Verse 11.
Humility is what makes a man great in the eyes of God, and he was
not at the stage of humility that Moses would eventually get to (Num12:3).
When a man has such an encounter with the Almighty as did Moses, he
is often over come with his own insignificance.
Other examples include, Isaiah (Is 6:5-8), David (1 Sam 18:18; 2
Sam 7:18) , Jeremiah (Jer 1:6), Daniel (Dan 10:6-8), Job (Job 42:6),
Peter ( Lk 5:8 ), John (Rev 1:17) “Then
I said, Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am
a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts.” (Is 6:5) Before Moses fled Egypt,
he had learned of his Hebrew roots; and through the internal testimony of
the Holy Spirit, he had seen himself as the deliverer. (Acts
7:23-25) But it was not through his then position of power or
influence, that deliverance would come, but through his weakness and
humble submission to God. “And
when a period of forty years was fulfilled to him, it arose in his heart
to look upon his brothers, the sons of Israel.
And seeing one being wronged, he defended him.
and avenged him who was oppressed and struck the Egyptian.
For he thought his brothers would
understand that God would give them deliverance by his hand. But they did
not understand.” (Act
7:23-25) Now
the circumstances were different; thus Moses said; “Who
am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that
I should bring forth the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Depending
on his own resources Moses may well have thought – I no longer have any
influence in the courts of Egypt, they wont listen to me, I do not even
know this new Pharaoh. Pharaoh also had a mighty army, how was it possible that I
deliver the people out of Egypt? Before a man can do a
great work for God, he must first be greatly humbled. After God’s monologue,
Moses had an opportunity to respond, and what first seemed like a series
of excuses (Exo_3:11, Exo_3:13; Exo_4:1, Exo_4:10). A charitable
interpretation is that Moses excuses may actually be the humble
expression of his perceived inadequacies.
What ever the case there seems to be a considerable amount of
reluctance on his part. But as soon as Moses
listed his objections, God dealt with them; thus it wouldn’t be long
before Moses realizes that God’s strength was uniquely and gloriously
displayed through his weaknesses. “not
that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but
our sufficiency is of God;” (2 Cor 3:5) “
And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly
therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ
may overshadow me.” (2 Cor 12:9) Verse 12.
“I will be with you…” there are no greater words of
affirmation; it is a promise never to leave his side.
Moses would never take on
such a venture, without the continued presence of God, for he knew that he
was merely God’s instrument of deliverance. One writer puts it this
ways: “And he said, certainly
I will be with thee,.... To encourage and strengthen him; to protect,
defend, and preserve him, and to succeed and prosper him; to give him
credit and respect with the people of Israel, and influence over Pharaoh
to prevail upon him at length to let Israel go:” God's statement to Moses
was proof that he would bring the children of Israel right back to Mount
Sinai so that they would worship him there on this very spot. At this
juncture, Moses came back again with the second objection “Who are
you?”, and God responded in verse 13. CONCLUSION
God raised up a
deliverer. In this great
passage of scripture, there are numerous lessons to be learnt, as well as
an introduction to several great doctrines, including but not limited to,
the providence of God, the power of God, the omniscience of God, and the Angel
of the Lord – the Old Testament manifestation of Christ. It is therefore evident
that the process of raising up a deliverer, often involves a greater
manifestation of God, in his providence, power, patience and mercy.
As we survey the scriptures and pay close attention to those whom
God has used in a mighty way, a definite pattern or characteristic of
God’s servants emerges. Moses, who is a type of
Christ, and who’s assignment to deliver the children of Israel from
Egypt, prefigured Christ delivering us from the bondage of sin; thus
God’s dealing with Moses is of immense significance to every believer. The world’s view of
what a leader should be, stands in stark contrast to what God desires or
counts valuable in his leaders. Where
the world often seeks a charismatic, articulate, highly educated, fearless
leader, who is proud and confident in his abilities, accomplishments and
credentials, God might choose
such a person but first he has to transform them into a significantly
different type of person. Moses, was highly
educated, well-trained, but proud of his status, and God knew how to
humble him as well as those whom he chooses to use; after all it was the
providence of God that put him in the palace. The
characteristics that God develops and values in Moses, are a humble
spirit, an obedient heart and faith.
Moses, just like us, was not perfect; he had issues which God had
to deal with. When he was angry he was often impulsive and also acted in a
manner that displeased God, and for which was severely disciplined.
To whom much is given, much is required. Humility however is
probably the greatest attribute of a great leader.
Pride really renders one unusable, as God resists the proud.
Pride seeks to gain a portion of God’s glory; the glory that God
said he will not share with another.
It is incumbent on us to
develop or allow God to develop a Christ like character in us.
Christ “humbled himself and became obedient onto death…”
(Phil 2:8) and as he left his throne in glory, he did not consider it
beneath him to wash the feet of his disciples; this is the true example of
godly leadership. Humility! Obedience is required,
and one must do as God says. When
we deviate from the word of God it always leads us in the path of our
destruction. Adam and Eve disobeyed and sin entered the world.
Moses also disobeyed, striking the rock when God told him to speak
to it, and this resulted in God not allowing him to enter the Promised
Land. Faith is indispensable,
it goes hand in hand with humility and obedience.
It is characterized by complete confidence in God, rather than ones
own abilities. Thus Moses had
to learn that an alleged speech impediment, could not keep him from the
work of God, if he trusted him. Finally, we should all endeavour to develop these godly characteristics, this is especially so if we believe that we are call to a position of leadership |