IT IS IN HIS HANDS
Exodus 4.1-31
S: Change
C: Trust in God
Th: Movin’ On Up!
Pr: TRUST GOD TO MAKE IT WORK.
Type: Inductive
I. “WHAT IF?” (1-9)
II. “I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” (10-11)
III. “NOT ME!” (12-13)
IV. GRACE (13-17)
V. FEET AND HANDS (18-23)
VI. A PROMISE TO KEEP (24-26)
VII. “I TOLD YOU SO!” (27-31)
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• God wants to change you into something remarkable.
• Stop resisting and be willing.
• Trust God; He knows what He is doing.
Version: ESV
RMBC 24 February 08 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Last week, when we studied Exodus 3, we saw that…
1. Moses had cold feet at a fiery bush.
While shepherding in the wilderness, Moses’ attention has been turned away from his flock when he comes across a bush that is burning without being consumed.
When he gets to the bush, he also discovers that it talks, for God is in it.
It is here that Moses is called to return to Egypt to fulfill his responsibilities as the deliverer of his native people, the Hebrews.
There is one major problem, though.
He does not want to do it.
He wants to stay in Midian, where he feels safe and secure.
He has settled down.
He has a nice wife.
He has two sons.
He gets along real well with his father-in-law.
Life has been good.
He does not want to go back to Egypt.
He left there under a cloud of suspicion and failure.
They want to kill him there.
Naturally, he is scared.
Which proves that…
2. Fear can really confuse us.
ILL Personal
I am an example of that.
I have a fear of water.
There are multiple reasons.
I had a bad experience as a child during swimming lessons, and did not return to them.
Later, as a teen, I almost drowned during a required swimming class.
That was embarrassing.
It does not help, either, that my flotation point is about three feet under the water.
It is really hard to get air that way.
So for me, the definition of swimming is simply this: staying alive in the water.
Many of you know that Dondra and I went to Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniversary.
One of the things Dondra really wanted to do is parasailing.
One of the things that Paul really did NOT want to do – is parasailing.
Guess what we did?
We went parasailing.
So Dondra and I went high in the air above the ocean.
Dondra had a great time.
She laughed, loved the breeze, and was enjoying the ride.
She had no fears.
I, on the other hand, held on for my very life.
I possessed a very “rational” fear that the cable was certainly going to break, and we would go tumbling into the ocean, and we would become shark food.
Well, that did not happen.
We made it back into the boat, safe and sound, even though I was sure we would not.
O how fear confuses things.
In the same way, Moses was confused.
He is worried.
He is anxious.
He is fearful.
And so, his reaction to what God is doing in his life demonstrates that.
But here is what he needs to learn, and so do we…
3. TRUST GOD TO MAKE IT WORK.
You and I need to evaluate the truth of this statement in our lives.
Do we really trust God?
Do we really believe Him?
Can God say something to us, and then that be all that needs to be said?
When God says it, does that settle it for us?
Moses really struggles at this point, for when we came to the end of our study last week, God has guaranteed him success.
So what is his response?
It is another question!
OUR STUDY:
It is…
I. “WHAT IF?” (1-9)
God says to Moses, “They will listen.”
It is a guarantee.
But how does Moses respond?
He says, “I got that, but what if they won’t listen?”
You have to shake your head on that one, because, apparently, he is not listening.
For…
4. Moses is getting hypothetical.
I did not say hysterical, but hypothetical, though perhaps you could make a case for the former.
Let’s hear God’s response in the text…
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” (2) The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” (3) And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. (4) But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail” — so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand — (5) “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) Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. (7) Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. (8) “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. (9) If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
Moses is afraid.
So his emphasis becomes on what might happen.
His emphasis is on imaginary scenarios.
We understand why…
He does not want a repeat performance of his former life in Egypt.
He does not want to be a failure again.
He does not want ridicule or rejection.
He does not want to be laughed at.
In the wilderness, he is safe.
God’s answer to the “what ifs” is interesting, isn’t it?
The staff becomes a snake.
For the Egyptians, the snake was the symbol of the royal and divine power of the pharaoh.
It was, literally, his crown.
So God is sending Moses into Egypt-land with power over their royal insignia.
It is a very profound and powerful sign.
You see, when Moses puts down the staff, God is in it.
And…
5. When God is in it, it is enough.
How we all need to learn this lesson, don’t we?
When God is in it, it does not matter what it looks like or how it appears.
When God is in it, it is enough, and what needs to be accomplished will be accomplished.
So God continues to prove his power to Moses.
For if Moses was scared by the snake (and he was), he is going to be even more scared by the leprosy on his hand.
Leprosy was the most dreaded of all diseases – it was loathsome, insidious, and incurable.
And you can imagine the relief Moses feels when he pulls his hand out again, and finds himself clean.
So how does Moses react to these powerful signs?
Does he say, “OK, I am on board…”
No, he says, “OK, that’s great, but…I am not good enough!”
II. “I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” (10-12)
(10) But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (11) Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? (12) Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
It is hard to believe, but Moses hides behind another lame excuse.
He claims that he is not a speaker.
He is a doer, not a talker.
He says, “When it comes to speaking Lord, my knees knock, my stomach has butterflies, and my tongue stutters.”
“Not only that, I don’t think fast enough and my tongue is slow on the draw.”
You know…
6. For a man who cannot speak, he is quick with the excuses.
But God knows this.
He says, “I know all about your mouth. I made it! So, no fear, man. I will be in between your lips, and I will be right on your tongue.”
In other words, this excuse, Moses, is another stinker.
So what should Moses say at this point?
We all know what he should be saying.
He should say, “OK, Lord, I am ready to go!”
But that is not what he says.
He says…
III. “NOT ME!” (13-14)
(13) But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
“Send someone else. Send anyone else! Just don’t send me. Keep looking. I am sure there is someone more qualified.”
How often has that been true of you?
That you know God wants you to do something and you offer every excuse in the book to get out of it.
I don’t know the culture…
I don’t know the lingo…
I don’t know my way around…
I have kids at home…
I am in debt…
I have high blood pressure…
My teeth are crooked…
I did not go to seminary…
I have nothing to wear…
When all we have to offer the Lord is excuses, we need to beware, don’t we?
Notice God’s reaction!
(14) Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…
7. Don’t make God angry!
I can imagine God saying, “Moses, dude, you are really making me angry!”
And God was right to be angry.
For what Moses was really saying to God is “I don’t trust you.”
Not a good thing to say, is it?
But God is not so easily put off.
For Moses’ call was clear and final.
In spite of all the excuse, he was still God’s choice.
And, thankfully, the Moses we see at this part of the narrative is not how we remember him at the end of the story.
For there is…
IV. GRACE (14-17)
(14) Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.”
You see…
8. The Lord had already provided.
Aaron was already on the way!
Moses was not going to Egypt alone.
And he never was!
V. FEET AND HANDS (18-23)
So finally, perhaps the greatest miracle happens right here.
There are no more excuses and…
9. Moses moves.
Moses’ feet are pointed to Egypt.
And Moses goes to Jethro asking for his leave that he might check out his family back in Egypt, which was partially true.
Jethro was probably wondering, after all these years, why he had not asked sooner.
So Jethro lets him go with a blessing.
He sends him out with his best wishes.
And as the return to Egypt gets it start, Moses discovers that God has more to say.
10. God keeps talking.
He is giving him a hand by including some more information.
First, he reassures him that those that wanted him dead are gone.
No one is seeking a vendetta.
It is safe for him to go to Egypt in this regard.
On the other hand, though, there is pharaoh.
God warns Moses that pharaoh is not going to be impressed.
He is going to resist and refuse.
This is going to be tough, but he will not be alone.
But before it is all said and done, there is one more promise to keep.
VI. A PROMISE TO KEEP (24-26)
(24) At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. (25) Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”
Moses’ sons are not circumcised.
God is not going to let Moses go unless he corrects this.
As we read between the lines, this must have been a longtime conflict between Moses and Zipporah.
It looks as if Moses has just given in on the issue, but that will no longer be allowed.
He is going to die if this is not corrected.
Zipporah understands this.
She is shook to the core.
She is going to lose her husband.
You see, from now on…
11. Neglect is not an excuse.
From God’s perspective, Moses could not return to Egypt to rescue the Hebrews without showing obedience to the covenant.
It had to be that nothing could be said against Moses.
There could not be any issues of credibility.
And if the boys were not circumcised, there would be.
Finally, Moses meets Aaron and they return to Egypt, and here is the result.
God gets to say…
VII. “I TOLD YOU SO!” (27-31)
(29) Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. (30) Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. (31) And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
After all these years…finally…God was responding.
The Lord had taken notice.
The Lord had seen their misery.
So it is time to fall on their knees and bow to the ground.
12. It is time to worship.
Deliverance had come.
After all these years…
Finally.
CHALLENGE:
ILL Drama “The Big Picture”
God has the big picture in mind.
So let me tell you something about that big picture that you may not be seeing right at the moment.
13. God wants to change you into something remarkable.
We have been talking a lot about change lately, and change is an important concept in Scripture.
What we have seen today is that Moses fought change.
He wanted to stay in Midian and forget Egypt.
But that was not what God had in mind.
He had an adventure in store for him.
And we are like this too.
We want life on our safe terms.
Secure.
Predictable.
Under control.
Our control!
But you know what God does to us when we are like this?
He disrupts us.
And He does it on purpose.
He does it on purpose because disruption exposes our idols.
Disruption reveals our needs.
Disruption stimulates our growth.
Disruption helps us to not take gifts for granted.
Disruption leads us to consider old things in new ways.
Disruption reminds us that there is only one sure thing.
God is enough!
And what He is doing is making you and me into something very remarkable.
The question is – are you cooperating or resisting?
You see, we need to…
14. Stop resisting and be willing.
It may be that you are having an awkward, uncomfortable and disorienting time in your life.
Perhaps it is a painful time in your marriage…
Or you are caught up in debt…
Or depression is hanging around like a cloud of gray…
Or the job is not all that it was cracked up to be…
Or you are facing some sickness or disease…
Or your future is so uncertain, you don’t know which way to turn…
Regardless of what you are facing, don’t resist what God is doing.
Receive it.
Learn from it.
For it is not the end of the journey.
It is just a portion.
And when we are willing, we get so much more out of it.
This is why we need the attitude that is expressed in this prayer…
ILL Will (S)
Lord, I am willing.
I am willing to receive what You give.
I am willing to lack what You withhold.
I am willing to relinquish what You take.
I am willing to suffer what You require.
Do you see what God wants from us?
It is not out ability.
It is our availability.
It is a complete abandonment to His will for our lives.
When I go into surgery, do you know who I really want to do a good job?
In fact, I want this person to bring their very best game that day.
Do you know who it is?
It is the anesthesiologist.
Call me a crybaby, but I don’t want to feel any pain during surgery.
But here is the catch.
If I am going to have surgery, I really need to trust the anesthesiologist.
It is a complete abandonment on my part.
When he/she tells me to start counting, all I can do is trust that they are doing it right.
My life is now in their hands.
15. Trust God; He knows what He is doing.
Sometimes, this kind of abandonment, the leaving of our life in God’s hands, makes us feel uncomfortable.
And, you may be tempted to say “How long, Lord? How long? How long do I have to go through this?”
And His only answer is, “Trust me.”
He wants us to hang in there as we experience this detail because the big picture is turning into something great
He says, “Trust me to make something remarkable, for that is what you are.”
So…
Trust God, for He will make it work.
For Further Study: Genesis 17.9-14; Romans 1.16, 9.16-23, 11.33-34; I Corinthians 2.1-5; II Corinthians 4.7; Philippians 4.13; I Peter 5.7
BENEDICTION:
After the postlude has concluded, I will be returning to the platform. If you have any prayer need or want to discuss a change that you feel God wants to make in you, please feel free to come up and meet with me.
What holds you up from trusting God?
What changes in your life make you throw your hands up in the air?
What pains are you suffering that make you think all is lost?
What rights are being removed that makes you think that you have been forgotten?
What disappointments are you going through that are leading to a despairing outlook?
Or are you so busy, that you don’t even have time to think of anything else?
For these, and every situation, please know this…
God is worthy of your trust – yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Now may the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral
Appleby, Chris When God Calls
Boyd, Sheldon You’ve Got to Be Kidding
Martin, Dave Excuses or Obedience?
McGowin, David Excuses Are Like Noses
Nance, Greg Making Moses Lead
Sisney, Terry What’s in Your Hand?
Other resources:
Briscoe, Jill. "Here Am I -- Send Aaron!" Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1978.
Gispen, Willem H. Exodus. Translated by Ed M. van der Maas. Bible Student’s Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1982.
Henderson, David W. "Let the Adventure Begin." Discipleship Journal, March/April 2008, 38-42.
Pink, A. W. Gleanings in Exodus. Chicago: Moody Press, 1981.
Ramm, Bernard. His Way Out: A Fresh Look at Exodus. Glendale, CA: Regal Books, 1975.
Swindoll, Charles R. Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication. Great Lives from God’s Word, vol. 4. Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999.
