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?
This theme of weakness continues throughout the story of Moses. In Ex.2 we are introduced to the helpless baby Moses, our main character. Pharaoh’s policies made Moses into a baby political refugee. From Exodus 2:3, in his vulnerable state, he was placed in a papyrus basket, floating helplessly into the River Nile and God watched over him and was saved from drowning. Then as a grown-up,( cf. Ex.2:11) when he saw injustice, one of his own people beaten, he took justice into his own hands and killed an Egyptian. Moses acted alone, on his own initiative, and with his own physical strength subdued and killed. But God did not sanction it and will not sanction it. God will not use that display of Moses strength. As a result of this rash independent action, Pharaoh went after him. Now he’s in big trouble had no more sway in Pharaoh’s court and even his own people said to him “who made you ruler and judge over us?” Yes, they rejected him (2:14). Realizing his position of weakness, he fled.
In weakness, Moses became a refugee once more and settled in Midian, far away from his troubles in the west. With no political power, with no prospects for the future, a total reject, Moses was a feeble broken man. The only hope he’d have is maybe an appearance in “Survivor: Midianite Desert” but it was not invented yet. In short, he was a desperado. He even named his son “Gershom” which in Hebrew means an alien there, showing he was conscious of how alone and far from home he was even though he was married to Zipporah (cf.2:22). With each year in exile he was growing older, and weaker and stuck in the dead end job, the ever exciting job of being a shepherd, not a macho warrior, no longer a princely figure, not even having his own herd of sheep. He was a lowly employee of his father-in law Jethro (3:1). Does this look like a great hero to you?
The weakness theme continues as Ex.2:23-25 concludes with reference now to the Israelites groaning in their powerlessness.
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
God could have just shut his ears and not see the oppression that is happening. But verses 24,25 explicitly noted God’s covenant and it shows us God’s love and concern, God remember His covenant. The weakness of the people touched God’s heart (repeated in 3:7) and He will act, and will stick up for His people.
The way Exodus tells the story, God had been engineering the whole rescue plan even before this cry went up to him. It was all because God cared deeply and kept His covenantal promise. He had been planning the whole thing, planting Moses in the enemy’s house but still it seems insanely improbable that God will use that weak and old employee of Jethro, Moses? If I had planned it, I would have sent Jet Li who at least knows kung-fu. Or perhaps someone like Obama with great speech making ability to rally the people, or maybe some freak of nature like the Incredible Hulk who with one really loud guttural growl and bulging muscles, will send the Egyptians crying for their mommies. Why send out a broken man, a two-time reject once from Pharaoh’s court and the other time, his own people? We know he is worn-out burnt out, homesick old guy who by his own admission has a speech impediment (Ex.4:10). The only things he could really qualify for would be to be an employee at “Sheep r us” and a senior citizens discount at Sears.
Thus, when God approached Moses in the burning bush in chapter 3 with the job of bringing His people out of Egypt, to the Promised Land of Genesis, a land flowing with milk and honey, look up what Moses said. Did he not say, “Who am I?” to do that stuff. It’s a pretty justified response, isn’t it? We all know his resume, and it is not pretty, right? For crying out loud, he is 80 years old! What do you want him to do, wave his shepherd stick and senior citizen discount card at the professional storm troopers of Egypt with their hi-tech battle gear? Is this some sick joke?
Moses’ reluctance is absolutely understandable, “who am I?” to lead the people of Israel, given the baggage he carried over the 80 years of his life. Moses’ reluctance actually mirrors our own reluctance, does it not? We too say the same thing who am I to lead this ministry, to teach, to counsel, to preach, to lead others to freedom and find God, do any work for God? How can I even do it, as I am weak, feeble, old, not good with words, may be got only one skill – babysitting...
I love why God’s reply’s to Moses’ “who am I” question is as Ex.3:12 says, 12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." In essence, God is saying, before we can heed the call to mission, to follow God in some dangerous mission, we must grasp who God is.
Grasp this Moses, God says, I will be with you, I am with you. Biblical scholars tell us the words “I will be” are the same words used by God when he revealed His name to Moses, the words “I AM” in Ex.3:14 – personal name of God - YHWH. What this tells us is that God is intensely personal. Names reveal personality, and in OT context it reveals character. The name of God reveals His presence will not leave Moses. God promises His presence, I will be with you.
Who Moses is tied up in God’s personal character and presence. Who are you then, you who believe that God has called you just as surely God has called Moses? You are related to God personally. You are made in His image and now as a believer you are a new creation, filled with God’s presence by the Spirit. You are His child. You are made to be with Him! You are precious or else He would not have included you in His rescue plan to save and bless the world. Or else he would not have sent Jesus to die for your sins. You are God’s property, God’s own, no longer alone, no longer without hope for He will be with you even through many dangers, toils and snares and He will guide you safely home!
The name I AM also reveals God’s character as one who is Creator who originates everything, eternal, He is, He exists. NO beginning, He just is, you can trust Him to be the Supreme being, who brought order into the universe just as He did in the beginning when he put the sun, moon and stars in place, so He will be supreme above every power, even the might of Egypt’s military and political power. His name” I will be” shows He is affirming His relationship with Israel and that they will know Him as He works His miracles in their lives on their behalf as they trust Him. God will reveal Himself as the mighty redeemer deliverer, showing even more of who He is than what He has shown to the patriarchs of Genesis.
14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . [b] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ’I AM has sent me to you.’ "
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ’The LORD, [c] the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
What have we learnt today in Ex.2-4? Are you ready for God to use you, to go on mission for the glory of His name? Grasp who God is first in your weakness, His name, personal name, I will be with you says God, trust His will for you, to bless you and to make you a blessing. When you trusted in Christ you are baptized in Him, immersed in Him, united with God supernaturally, so stand in that confidence, sing of Him, boast in Him who loves you.
The fact you feel feeble, weak, like the powerless women in Ex.2 or worn, broken-down, rejected by his very own people, useless like an old guy is not a bad thing at all Ex.3-4, is not a bad place at all. It seems God can only use broken, weak people. God prefers this to show His power and glory. It seems he has little use for Moses when he was a prince, at the height of his manly strength. It would be seem he has little use for what the world deems as strengths, the talented, self-confident show-offs. Jesus himself kept berating the religious showoffs but the sick who needs a doctor He welcomes them.
So have you ever thought you are now wherever you are by God’s design, just as Moses was, just as Joseph was, just as the women in our story were. They were all put into enemy territory, under murderous dangerous threats, yet God used them, not because they were spectacular, or super strong but in their weakness they trusted God more than they trust anything else. Would you reclaim your current situation for the Lord? Whether you are in a weak position, a geek in school being bullied, suffering through academics under pressure from parents to overachieve, paying off bills from school, working under despotic bosses, underemployed, unemployed, bored out of your mind, it is no accident - you are in the right place and at the right time, in your weakness, to be blessed by God and be a blessing. Perhaps now God is preparing you to be the anti-bullying advocate to set bullied people free, or the relaxed academic who free his students to pursue God who’s eternal and not just be anchored in this temporal world only. Who knows what God has called you to do but are you encouraged to do it? His strenght is made perfect in your weakness!
Every believer is called by God, but he needs to humbly follow the mighty God. You have to remember who God called and used - Remember those weak but blessed women who saved lives. Remember God used Moses, wasted feeble old guy. He too saved lives as we shall see later in Ex in the biggest way ever. In Genesis, God used Joseph, the betrayed, stabbed in the back slave and suffering prisoner and he too saved many lives. You too in your weakness are called to save lives. Most of all remember Jesus who in weakness suffered and died on the cross, but boy did God ever turn that around, and brought freedom for all sinners, for the blessing of the whole world!
Are you ready to do what God called you to do? How? By grasping God, the great I AM, who exists, will be with you and will reveal Himself to you if you’d walk by faith. It’s Never too late, You’re never too old, never too powerless, never too unskilled, never with too much baggage. ALL you need for the journey to change the world, is God’s presence. If you’d come know the great I AM, personal. So stand tall, stand up in the presence of God, in your weakness, stand with the people of faith, who believe that their weakness is their strength, to the glory of God. Are you ready to do what God has called you to do?
