Am I Ready To Do What God Called Me To Do? Series

Am I ready to do what God called me to do?

Ex. 2:1-4:31

Are you ready for God to use you? What me? You are kidding? Yeah you! God wants to bless the world, not damn the world, and he wants you to be part of that blessing and through you to make it so. You may say, look, I am really nothing to sneeze at. God use me? Actually, if someone was to sneeze at me I might faint. I am just an ordinary fella with lots of hang-ups and a lousy resume to boot. On a scale of a mouse to a lion, I’d say I am leaning more to the mouse than a lion. You say I wish I had that strong Arnold Schwazernegger type presence, confidence of a late night show host, and be cute as a button, then I will be okay. God can’t seriously want me to be on a mission for him, to do anything, I’ll be a big time flop, guaranteed! I trust as we look into God’s word today we can be encouraged to have a change of heart and to pursue God’s call to receive His blessing and become an agent of blessing for a world that desperately needs some good news.

Last week in Exodus 1 we heard that God’s will is to bless the world as He said in Genesis 12:1-3 did not stop with the deaths of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We saw how God’s people prospered in spite of the trials and dangerous moments of near starvation in the story of Joseph because of God’s covenant blessing.

However what was intended by God to be a blessing turned out to be a source of fear. Remember the famine that struck that part of the world, you’ll recall it had no effect on Egypt. All because of God’s will to effect blessing through Abraham’s descendant, Joseph. There was no economic recession or depression. In fact, the Egyptians were checking out the latest in architectural design, chariot technology, food storage. They were as hi-tech as you can get, enjoying fantastic cultural renaissance. We know this from archaeology. But in Ex.2 we found out ... Rather than enjoying the fruit of such economic wealth, perhaps getting the best bang for the Egyptian buck, the obviously spoilt rotten king of Egypt, cursed the people who brought wealth to his nation and brought slavery into view. Apparently, this Pharaoh knew nothing of Joseph and the God of Joseph who blessed Egypt and caused that nation to prosper. Can’t blame him, I guess, 400 years has passed since Joseph’s time in Ex.2. Would you be looking up dusty 400 year old history when you are enjoying the hi-tech life? As you know, this Pharaoh didn’t have Wikipedia at his fingertips. From the safety of his ornate palace, without God and the memory of God’s blessing through Joseph, the contest between Pharaoh and God begins. How will God continue to stick up for His chosen people then in these dark oppressive times?

I am quite sure, as a result of slavery, the Israelites who rather stay home more in order to not get in the way of any of the bullying Egyptians, and very likely being tired out from the forced labor, along with it add the needed extra TLC to soothe the wounds and achy limbs, with no cable tv or internet, mix them all up and what do ya get? Yup you get a major baby boom! As the bible says in Ex.1:12 “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.” Yes, God’s will to bless in Genesis was confirmed again and continues even more intensely even in the heat of Pharaoh’s oppressive measures! Pharaoh’s plan backfire big time! God reversed whatever Pharaoh planned.

How else did God step in? God used of all things, the weakest part of the kingdom of Egypt to show forth how great and glorious He is. Allow me to show you how God demonstrated the impotence and weakness of Pharaoh. He did it by showing the readers of Exodus, that Pharaoh couldn’t even defend his own kingdom from of all things, the so-called “weaker sex” - the women. He had no control over them. First, they possess next to zero skills in tactical assaults. This means they have no ability to carry out war. They had no technology at their disposal, unlike the hi-tech Egyptians. Also they were not muscle bound freaks who carried weapons of mass destruction. The only thing they could carry around would be babies. These women had no political or social or military might, but what they have is child-bearing experience. In that weak position, God used them to challenge the awesome hi tech might of Egypt and her armies. So we read about the defiance of the midwives (1:17). Then He used the Israelite women who kept producing baby boys and keeping them alive (1:19). Finally, God used Pharaoh’s own daughter who made Moses to be her own son, gave him the name Moses which means “draw out” as he was drawn out of the water, which also anticipates his role as the deliverer who would draw out the people of Israel from Egypt. So through this Princess of Egypt, a woman, God would prepare Moses to be the deliverer, who would know the ins and outs of Egyptian culture and beliefs, spying out the enemy, going undercover for the Lord (2:10). What delicious irony! What a turn of events! What Pharaoh meant for harm God turned it into good! Does God have a wonderful sense of humour or what? O how He exposed the foolishness of the great political power of that day! Does this not show how great God is?