Wednesday 1 April 2015

Stop, never again - Part 3

Moses' list:

There is a story in the Bible that I feel goes very well with the Never again list. God wants to deliver His people, Israel, from Egypt where they are slaves and suffering. God chooses to work through a man (praise God that He uses people and that we have the opportunity to be a part of His plans!

He could have used angels, but now I am deviating from the story). So God wants to take the Israelites to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk & honey (Exodus 3:8) where they can be his people and He can be their God. There is just one problem, Pharaoh likes having slaves and does not want to let them go.

In Exodus 2:11-13 Moses sees an Egyptian beating an Israelite and he kills him and hides his body in the sand. He thinks he has made a clean getaway, but the next day when he tries to break up a fight an Israelite asks him if he is going to kill him also. Moses becomes a fugitive and runs away. He becomes a shepherd, which is a far step down from being Prince and God calls him to deliver Israel from Pharaoh.

Moses does not want to deliver! 

He uses every excuse he can think of. The following is Moses' Never again list. These are his list of excuses that he used to try and convince God that he was not the right person for the job.

Here is where Moses' list of excuses start, the following quotes are from the ESV from Exodus Chapters 3 & 4:

3:11  But Moses said, "Who am I to go to the king and lead your people out of Egypt?"

Moses doubts his identity. I don't have the status to do this. I am too insignificant to do this.

3:12  God replied, "I will be with you. And you will know that I am the one who sent you, when you worship me on this mountain after you have led my people out of Egypt."

3:13  Moses answered, "I will tell the people of Israel that the God their ancestors worshiped has sent me to them. But what should I say, if they ask me your name?"

Moses claims ignorance here. The people will not follow me if I represent someone they do not know. 

3:14  God said to Moses: I am the eternal God. So tell them that the LORD, whose name is "I Am," has sent you. This is my name forever, and it is the name that people must use from now on.

4:1  Moses asked the LORD, "Suppose everyone refuses to listen to my message, and no one believes that you really appeared to me?"

They are not going to listen to me, I don't have what it takes to influence these people.

God gives Moses 3 signs that he can use to prove that God is behind this.

4:2-5 God tells Moses that He will change his staff into a snake as a sign.

4:6-7 God makes Moses' hand leprous, and then heals it as a sign.

4:8 God tells Moses He will turn water from the Nile to blood as a sign.

4:10  Moses replied, "I have never been a good speaker. I wasn't one before you spoke to me, and I'm not one now. I am slow at speaking, and I can never think of what to say."

I am not eloquent enough to deliver this message God, how can I convey this message? I have been a shepherd for 40 years, talking mostly to sheep all day, I am not used to talking to people like Pharaoh. Moses might even have a speech impediment like a stutter or a lisp?

4:11  But the LORD answered, "Who makes people able to speak or makes them deaf or unable to speak? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Don't you know that I am the one who does these things?

4:12  Now go! When you speak, I will be with you and give you the words to say."

4:13  Moses begged, "LORD, please send someone else to do it."

I don't want to do this.

4:14-15 God gets irritated with Moses and tells him that He will send Aaron, Moses brother, to help him.

The Bible does not mention what Moses said to God next, but there is a silent compliance here.

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