The CHALLENGE Of GOD's CALL-I—Exodus 3:1-22
Assistance/Discovery/Significance
Attention:
New Year’s Challenges.
Me, As a young driver I can remember having my learner’s permit with Dad in the passenger seat/We were traveling up US Hwy 601 from Salisbury, NC toward Mocksville, NC.
There was a ‘narrow’(my opinion at the time) two-lane bridge over the South Yadkin River which we had to cross in order to get to Mocksville.
My confidence was minimal on the road, but I was totally frightened to cross a bridge, particularly if another vehicle was in the opposite lane of the bridge/I dreaded that happening.
As we approached the South Yadkin Bridge I tensed up—white knuckle time—& wouldn’t you know it, my worst nightmare happened!/An 18 wheeler enters the bridge from the opposite end as I entered from the other!/I could have stopped & waited for the truck to pass but I did not/Dad remained calm, etc...& we passed each other on the bridge uneventfully—Everyone survived!/I realized I could do it & that I shouldn’t fear the passing distance!/As I crossed more bridges & gained more experience, my confidence grew.
As Christians, many of you/us are fearful of God’s plan for your life. It is at the minimum, uncomfortable, untested, & uncertain. And because of our fear, we don’t allow ourselves to hear God speak because of what ‘might happen’ if we were to answer, so we avoid God altogether. We convince ourselves that we are content in doing what we know best & have always done.
For those who have not committed to God in Christ, God calls & challenges you to trust His Divine only-begotten Son Jesus.
God calls us & challenges us, not because He wants to see us sweat or fail, but because He has chosen us for a vital part of His plan for the ages!
Will you meet the Challenge?
Exodus records the significance of God’s call to Moses.
Answering God’s call is a significant challenge.
To What does God’s call present a challenge?
16 challenges of/to answering God’s call.
1—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our OCCUPATION(:1)
Explanation:(:1)Current tasks
:1—“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, & came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”
Moses had previously(~40 yrs. prior, per Acts 7:22-30) attempted to bring deliverance/vengeance in his own power, by killing an Egyptian slave-driver(2:11). Which action drove him to leave Egypt in fear of his life by Pharaoh(2:15).
Moses fled to Midian where he married Zipporah & had a son, Gershom by name(2:21-22). Moses was 80 yrs. when he & Aaron spoke to Pharoah(Ex. 7:7; Acts 7:30). Moses was 120yrs. at his death just prior to Israel’s entering the promised land(Deut. 31:1-2; 34:7).
“Midian”—was “mainly east of the east fork of the Red Sea”[Western shore of Sinai Peninsula]—“In the Arabian Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba”[Eastern shore of Sinai Peninsula]—NAC/EBC. Thus “Midian" must have been located in the northwestern corner of Arabia & encompassing much of the Sinai Peninsula.
Moses had traveled some distance from “Midian" toward Egypt(west) in his feeding the “flock.” He led the flock “to the back of the desert.” This would entail a potential distance of 20-50mi?
“Moses had gone no small distance” “in his cattle drive”—NAC
Though Moses was nearing 80yrs. of age, he was a shepherd for his father-in-law & not of his own flocks. Moses was a very unassuming man(Num. 12:3).
Num. 12:3—“(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)”
Deut. 34:7—“Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”
We don’t know if “the mountain” was known as “the mountain of God” prior to Moses’ going there or if it is named from Moses’ experience there, both before & after the exodus.
?Where is your OCCUPATION taking you?
?Are you ready for God to move/work/call, or are you content to maintain?
?What if God comes into your life & ‘changes the game?’
“Tending/Kept”—her raw-aw’—Qal Perfect—1) To pasture, tend, graze, feed; 2) To associate with, be a friend of (meaning probable). Strong—a primitive root; To tend a flock; i.e. Pasture it; intransitively--To graze(literally or figuratively); generally--To rule; by extension--To associate with (as a friend).
“Flock”2X—Nau tso'n—1) Small cattle, sheep, sheep & goats, flock, flocks. Strong—from an unused root meaning to migrate; A collective name for a flock(of sheep or goats); also figuratively--of men.
“Jethro”—wrty Yith-row'—Jethro = “His abundance”—1) Father-in-law of Moses; also ‘Jether.' Strong—=“His excellence”; Jethro, Moses' father-in-law.
“Father-in-law”—Ntx khaw-than’—Qal Participle Active—1) To become a son-in-law, make oneself a daughter's husband—1a) (Qal) Wife's father, wife's mother, father-in-law, mother-in- law(participle). Strong—a primitive root; To give(a daughter) away in marriage; hence generally--To contract affinity by marriage.
“Priest”—Nhk ko-hen'—1) Priest, principal officer or chief ruler. Strong—active participle of Nhk kaw-han’[To officiate as a priest; figuratively--To put on regalia]; literally--One officiating, a priest; also(by courtesy)--An acting priest(although a layman).
“Midian”—Nydm Mid-yawn'—Midian or Midianite = “strife.”—Noun Proper m.—1) son of Abraham by Keturah & progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians; 2) The tribe descended from Midian.—Noun Proper Locative—3) The territory of the tribe descended from Midian; Located principally in the desert north of the Arabian peninsula; Land to which Moses went when he fled from Pharaoh. Strong—the same as Nydm mid-yawn’[Brawling/Contentious]; Midjan, a son of Abraham; also his country & (collectively) his descendants.
“Back/Far side”(See :20—“After”)—rxa akh-ar'—1) After the following part, behind(of place), hinder, afterwards(of time)—1a)Adverb—1a1) Behind(of place), 1a2) Afterwards(of time); 1b)Preposition—1b1) Behind, after (of place), 1b2) After(of time), 1b3) Besides; 1c)Conjunction—1c) After that; 1d)Substantive—1d1) Hinder part; 1e) with other prepositions—1e1) From behind, 1e2) From following after. Strong—properly--The hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction--After(in various senses).
“Desert”(See :18—“Wilderness”)—rbdm mid-bawr'—1) Wilderness—1a) Pasture, 1b) Uninhabited land, wilderness, 1c) Large tracts of wilderness(around cities), 1d) Wilderness (fig.); 2) mouth—2a) mouth (as organ of speech). Strong—from rbd daw-bar’[to Arrange/Speak/Subdue] in the sense of driving; A pasture(i.e. open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication--A desert; also--Speech(including its organs).
“Horeb”—brx Kho-reb'—Horeb = “Desert”—1) Another name for Mount Sinai from which God gave the law to Moses & the Israelites.
“Mountain”—rh har—1) Hill, mountain, hill country, mount. Strong—a shortened form of rrh haw-rawr’[to loom up; A mountain]; A mountain or range of hills(sometimes used figuratively).
“God”(See :4, 6)—Myhla el-o-heeym'—plural of hwla el-o’-ah[A deity]; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used(in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; & sometimes as a superlative.
Argumentation:
For some here it is hard for you to give up control over what God wants you to release to Him...including every aspect of your work!
Lk. 9:51-62—“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, & sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James & John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven & consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned & rebuked them, & said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes & birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go & bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go & preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go & bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, & looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Mat. 19:16-23—“Now behold, one came & said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father & your mother,’ &, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have & give to the poor, & you will have treasure in heaven; & come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Prov. 16:3—“Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”
1Cor. 10:31-33—“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
Col. 3:17, 23-24—“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”.....“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord & not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
Perhaps God is preparing you for His call!
Illustration:
Many of you have mimicked Moses in their discovery of God/Just plodding along, neither thrilled nor despondent, happy to be working, even finding pleasure in your work/Yet not fully satisfied that you’re doing all that you could do..that you are being all that you can be/Our OCCUPATION
Little did Moses know. but God would use his shepherding skills in leading Israel to the promised land/God can use your experience in other things in other ventures of seemingly very different types/Our OCCUPATION
My former career in oceanography identifying microscopic creatures/Those skills used of God in digging into Scripture with the same intensity & with even greater passion(thru the Holy Spirit)/Our OCCUPATION
Involvement in the church/?Do you love what you do?/?Are you gifted for the commission you’ve accepted?/Our OCCUPATION
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your OCCUPATION?
?When is the last time your OCCUPATION mirrored God’s?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge it?
2—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our AWARENESS(:2-3)
Explanation:(:2-3)Attentiveness/Observation
:2—“And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, & behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.”
Moses was ~80 years old when “the Angel of the LORD” appeared to him(Acts 7:30).
God ‘represents Himself’ in way that Moses can relate to & understand. Beyond a ‘vision’, it is the physical presence of God apart from His utter fullness, with the purpose of making man able to process God’s directives.
“Not a created angel, but the Angel of God's presence & covenant, the eternal Word & Son of God; since he is afterwards expressly called Jehovah, & calls himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, which a created angel would never do”—J. D. Gill
“it is clear that under this symbol, the Divine Being was present, whose name is given (Ex 3:4, 6), & elsewhere called the angel of the covenant, Jehovah-Jesus.”—JFB
See NAC—Excursus: The Angel of the Lord—pp. 110-113:
The phrase “the Angel of the LORD”(hwhy Kalm) appears 67X in the OT. This is its only occurrence in Exodus. YHWH, being “intrinsically definite” implies the noun immediately before it is also definite. Thus it is not “an Angel” but “The Angel.”
“Grammatically, if this is an ‘appositional construct’ it should be translated: 1) “the Angel that is YHWH; 2) “the Angel YHWH”; 3) “Angel YHWH.” An example is the “Euphrates River.”—It is not a river in or of Euphrates but rather ‘the River Euphrates’ or ‘the Euphrates River.’
“In a number of OT passages an individual described as an angel(not necessarily “hwhy Kalm”) is either called “the LORD” of becomes recognized as “the LORD.””
“Sometimes an angel is described in terms that can refer only to God as in Ex. 23:20-23”(an angel sent to guard & bring Israel to their destination as YHWH’s “Name is in him.”).
It appears from this passage that this “Angel of the LORD” may be referred to as both YHWH & God. “The Angel” seems inextricably woven to YHWH, God & vice-versa. thus it would seem that this is the pre-incarnate Christ.
The Angel of the LORD makes Himself noticed(yet potentially unnoticed) by coming in the presence of a “fire” within a “bush.” Moses does not see the “Angel” at all. He sees the “bush” only.
This assumes that the “bush” was typical but the “fire” burning within it was atypical. This was because though the bush burned it was not burned up(“consumed”) as the flame burned.
“Angel”—Kalm mal-awk'—1) Messenger, representative.
“Appeared”(See below & :3, 4, 16)—har raw-aw’—Niphal(passive) Imperfect—1) To see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider—1b) (Niphal)—1b1) To appear, present oneself, 1b2) To be seen, 1b3) To be visible. Strong—a primitive root; To see, literally or figuratively(in numerous applications, direct & implied, transitive, intransitive & causative).
“Flame”—hbl lab-baw'—1) Flame; 2) Tip of weapon, point, head of spear. Used 1X.
“Fire”2X—va aysh—1) Fire. Strong—a primitive word; Fire(literally or figuratively).
“Midst”(See :4)—Kwt taw’-vek—Noun m.—1) Midst, middle—1a) Midst, middle, 1b) Into, through (after verbs of motion), 1c) Among (of a number of persons), 1d) Between (of things arranged by twos), 1e) From among (as to take or separate etc). Strong–from an unused root meaning to sever; A bisection, i.e. by implication--The center.
“Bush”3X(See :3, 4)—hno sen-eh'—1) A bush, thorny bush—1a) The burning bush of Moses, 1b) Perhaps a blackberry bush. Strong—from an unused root meaning to prick; A bramble. Used 6X.
“Looked”(See above & :16—“Appeared”; :4, 6; :3—“See”)—har raw-aw’—Qal Imperfect—1) To see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider. Strong—a primitive root; To see, literally or figuratively(in numerous applications, direct & implied, transitive, intransitive & causative).
“Burning”(See :3)—reb baw-ar’—Qal Participle Active—1) To burn, consume, kindle, be kindled—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To begin to burn, be kindled, start burning, 1a2) To burn, be burning, 1a3) To burn, consume, 1a4) Jehovah's wrath, human wrath (fig.). V. Denominative—2) To be stupid, brutish, barbarous. Strong—a primitive root; To kindle, i.e. Consume(by fire or by eating); also(as denominative from reb bah'-ar)--To be(-come) brutish.
“Consumed”—lka aw-kal’—Pual(passive) Participle—1) To eat, devour, burn up, feed—1c) (Pual)—1c1) To cause to eat, feed with, 1c2) To cause to devour. Strong—a primitive root; To eat (literally or figuratively).
:3—“Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside & see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
Moses’ attention is captured by this most unusual phenomenon. He has never witnessed such a display occurring naturally. Thus Moses tells himself(& the reader) that he is so enthralled with what he is witnessing that he will cease his current objective(tending the flock of Jethro(:1)) in order to investigate it. He wanted to understand “why” the bush did not burn up.
Healthy Curiosity—If we ‘blow by’ the unusual/uncommon we may miss God at work. And if we are needed in God’s plan, then God will find other ways of getting our attention.
Unless we investigate the unusual/uncommon our world, we will be willfully ignorant of God’s workings & thus be unable to appreciate His presence.
How do we ‘Observe’ our world?—Physically(5 senses—sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste); Spiritually(heart, soul, spirit); Intellectually(mind, reason, imagination, conceptualize); Emotionally(love, disappointment, anger, joy, fear, satisfaction).
“Turn aside”(See :4)—rwo soowr —1) To turn aside, depart. Strong—a primitive root; To turn off (literal or figurative).
“See”(See :2—“Looked”; :4, 6, 7)—har ra'ah raw-aw'—
“Great”—lwdg gaw-dowl’—Adj.—1) Great. Substantive—1g) Great things, 1h) Haughty things, 1i) Greatness. Noun Proper m.—1j) (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel. Strong—from ldg gaw-dal’[ To be(causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride)]; Great(in any sense); hence--Older; also--Insolent.
“Sight”—harm mar-eh'—1) Sight, appearance, vision—1a) Sight, phenomenon, spectacle, appearance, vision, 1b) What is seen, 1c) A vision (supernatural), 1d) Sight, vision (power of seeing). Strong—A view(the act of seeing); also--An appearance(the thing seen), whether real--A shape (especially if handsome, comeliness; often plural the looks), or mental--A vision.
“Why”—ewdm mad-doo’-ah—Adverb—1) Why?, On what account?, Wherefore? Strong—What(is) known?; i.e. by implication(adverbially)--Why? Used 6X.
Argumentation:
Lk. 19:37-44—“Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice & praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven & glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered & said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Now as He drew near, He saw the city & wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. “For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you & close you in on every side, & level you, & your children within you, to the ground; & they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” ”
Jn. 3:16-21—“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, & men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” ”
Mat. 5:13-16—“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out & trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp & put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, & it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your Father in heaven.”
Mat. 13:10-16—“And the disciples came & said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered & said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, & he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, & hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear & shall not understand, And seeing you will see & not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes & hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts & turn, So that I should heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes for they see, & your ears for they hear;”
Heb. 12:14—“Pursue peace with all people, & holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:”
Acts 13:26-27—“Men & brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, & those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, & their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him.”
Rom. 14:12-17—“So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. I know & am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating & drinking, but righteousness & peace & joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Josh. 9:3-16—“But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho & Ai, they worked craftily, & went & pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn & mended, old & patched sandals on their feet, & old garments on themselves; & all the bread of their provision was dry & moldy. And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, & said to him & to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” Then the men of Israel said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you dwell among us; so how can we make a covenant with you?” But they said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you, & where do you come from?” So they said to him: “From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God; for we have heard of His fame, & all that He did in Egypt, & all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan--to Sihon king of Heshbon, & Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. Therefore our elders & all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions with you for the journey, & go to meet them, & say to them, “We are your servants; now therefore, make a covenant with us.”’ “This bread of ours we took hot for our provision from our houses on the day we departed to come to you. But now look, it is dry & moldy. And these wineskins which we filled were new, & see, they are torn; & these our garments & our sandals have become old because of the very long journey.” Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the LORD. So Joshua made peace with them, & made a covenant with them to let them live; & the rulers of the congregation swore to them. And it happened at the end of three days, after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors who dwelt near them.”
God is omnipresent, though separate from His creation(contra pantheism)—Why can’t you sense His presence? Why are you not driven to your knees before Him?
Illustration:
‘Rumble strips’ & raised reflectors on the highway or at intersections/As I drive tired, I have occasionally drifted into another lane or toward the shoulder/But the tires make a noise when they hit the ‘strips’ or reflectors waking me up!/Gets my attention/Our AWARENESS
When our first daughter Catherine was born the year before my conversion(1985), I understood for the first time how love could be centered upon more than one person/It woke me up-Got my attention regarding love toward His children...love that God had for myself & others/Our AWARENESS
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your AWARENESS?
?When is the last time your AWARENESS mirrored God’s?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge it?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Navigating the South Yadkin River Bridge for the 1st time.
Action:
God’s call presents a challenge to...
1. Our OCCUPATION(:1)
2. Our AWARENESS(:2-3)
Presented 01/04/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
