The CHALLENGE OF GOD's CALL-IV—Exodus 3:1-22
Assistance/Availability/Discovering/Significance
Attention:
Commercial Shrimpers—The shrimper must know the migration patterns of the shrimp they are trying to catch. Shrimp migrate up & down in the water column during the day/night & inshore & offshore at different times of the year.
We see shrimp boats right off the beach of St. George, etc. Shrimping nets require a smooth sand bottom otherwise the net would become caught on outcroppings & torn, plus the natural landscape would be torn up.
Boat purchase/lease/rent is of great consequence & is perhaps their most expensive investment.
Shrimpers are heavily regulated in nearly every aspect of their job. Drag-nets are regulated as to mesh size & must comply with current laws regarding excluders(exclude fish, turtles, etc..). Their catches are regulated as to total poundage, shrimp size range & type. Shrimp processing is regulated, etc...
Yet they do it because they love it. They do it because they live well(generally not extravagantly) due to it. They do it because its their passion.
Shrimping presents a Challenge to shrimpers—separates the weekend warriors from true shrimpers.
As Christians, we too all face a true Challenge in Answering God's Call.
Exodus records the significance of God’s call to Moses.
Answering God’s call presents a significant challenge.
To What does God’s call present a challenge?
16 challenges of/to God’s call.
We found earlier that,
God’s call presents a challenge to...
1. Our OCCUPATION(:1)
2. Our OBSERVATION(:2-3)
3. Our AVAILABILITY(:4)
4. Our APPROACH(:5)
5—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our AWE(:6)
Explanation:(:6)Appreciation
:6—“Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, & the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.” ”
God now definitely reveals Himself to Moses. He is the very same God who was the God of Moses’ own “father”(singular), Amram(Ex. 6:20). God also revealed that not only had Moses’ father served this same YHWH, but also “Abraham”, “Isaac”, & “Jacob” had served the same God! >400yrs. between Jacob & Moses.
Upon this revelation with its relation to holiness(:5), Moses “hides his face”(from God) because he was fearful of looking upon “God.”
Acts 7:30-34—[Stephen’s testimony]“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. “When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; & as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, “saying, ‘I am the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, & the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled & dared not look. ‘Then the LORD said to him, “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning & have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt.”’
**Those who would be ‘unafraid’ to look upon God in all His fullness are those who have absolutely no idea of God’s searing, regal, divine majesty, nor their own personal lack thereof!
Later(Ex. 33:18-23), Moses would be allowed to visibly see a fleeting glimpse of God’s back but not His face. However Jesus is the fullness of God in human form(1Jn. 1:1-4; Jn. 14:7-9).
1Jn. 1:1-4—“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, & our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, & we have seen, & bear witness, & declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father & was manifested to us-- that which we have seen & heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; & truly our fellowship is with the Father & with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.”
Jn. 14:7-9—“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; & from now on you know Him & have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, & it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, & yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”
“I am”(See :11)—ykna aw-no-keey’—Personal Pronoun—1) I(first pers. sing.). Strong—a primitive pronoun; I. Used 3X.
“God”5X(See :1, 4)—Myhla—
“Father”—ba awb—Strong—a primitive word; Father, in a literal & immediate, or figurative & remote application).
“Hid”—rto saw-thar’—Hiphil(causative) Imperfect—1) To hide, conceal. Strong—a primitive root; To hide(by covering), literally or figuratively.
“Face”—Mynp paw-neeym'—1) Face. Strong—plural(but always as singular) of an unused noun [hnp paw-neh']; The face(as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally & figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix)as a preposition--Before, etc.).
“Afraid”—ary yaw-ray’—Qal Perfect—1) To fear, revere, be afraid—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To fear, be afraid, 1a2) To stand in awe of, be awed, 1a3) To fear, reverence, honor, respect. Strong—a primitive root; To fear; morally--To revere; causatively--To frighten.
“Look upon”(See :2, 4, 7)—jbn naw-bat’—Hiphil Infinitive—1) To look, regard. Strong—a primitive root; To scan, i.e. Look intently at; by implication--To regard with pleasure, favor or care.
Argumentation:
**Gen. 28:11-17—“So he[Jacob] came to a certain place & stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place & put it at his head, & he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, & behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, & its top reached to heaven; & there the angels of God were ascending & descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it & said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father & the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you & your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west & the east, to the north & the south; & in you & in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you & will keep you wherever you go, & will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep & said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, & I did not know it.” And he was afraid & said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, & this is the gate of heaven!”
**Isa. 6:1-5—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high & lifted up, & the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, & with two he flew. And one cried to another & said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, & the house was filled with smoke. So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.”
**Heb. 12:18-29—“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched & that burned with fire, & to blackness & darkness & tempest, & the sound of a trumpet & the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid & trembling.”) But you have come to Mount Zion & to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly & church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, & to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence & godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
Yet:
**Heb. 4:15, 16—“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
**Rom. 11:1-2, 5, 13-14, 17-29—“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew.”..... “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”..... “For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh & save some of them.”..... “And if some of the branches were broken off, & you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, & with them became a partaker of the root & fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, & you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness & severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, & were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts & the calling of God are irrevocable.”
Illustration:
*Fire—In the presence of a fire consuming a building, a real & serious threat to your life/The heat is tremendous & can’t even be approached!/Our AWE
California Redwoods-Sequoias/When you stand next to one it is an awe-inspiring sight!/Our AWE
A Carrabelle sunrise or sunset/God’s handiwork becomes apparent!/Our AWE
A Black Bear in the neighborhood/They are not the ‘cute & cuddly’ Teddy Bear-like creatures we may assume they are—They are deadly!/Our AWE
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your AWE?
?When is the last time your AWE mirrored God?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge it?
6—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our COMPASSION(:7-9)
Explanation:(:7-9)
:7—“And the LORD said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, & have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.”
Stephen, in Acts 7:34, pulls from portions of verses 7 & 8 stating—
Acts 7:34—“I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning[stenagmov] & have come down to deliver them....”’
YHWH reveals His compassionate heart in that YHWH has both “seen” & “heard” the despairing “cries” of those who are “His people.” Involves the Hebrew infinitive absolute construct, which connotes the sense “I have carefully watched” or “I have paid very close attention to”—NAC
God has “seen” your “oppression”
God has “heard” your “cries”
God knows of your “taskmasters.”
God “knows” your “sorrows”
& God offers you “deliverance”(:8)
*1Jn. 5:14-15—“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
The same facts are reiterated in :9.
“Surely Seen”—har raw-aw’—Repeated for intensity.
“Seen”(:9)—har raw-aw'—
“Oppression”(See :17; :9—Uxl)—yne on-eey'—1) Affliction, poverty, misery. Strong—from hne aw-naw’[ To depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive(in various applications,)]; Depression, i.e. Misery—
“People”(See :10)—Me am—1) nation, people—1a) People, nation, 1b) Persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men; 2) Kinsman, kindred. Strong—A people(as a congregated unit); specifically--A tribe(as those of Israel); hence collectively--Troops or attendants; figuratively--A flock.
“Heard”(See :18)—emv shaw-mah’—v—1) To hear, listen to, obey. —Noun m.—2) Sound. Strong—a primitive root; To hear intelligently(often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively--To tell, etc.).
“Cry”(See :9)—hqeu tsah-ak-aw'—1) Cry, outcry—1a) Outcry(against), 1b) Cry of distress(especially as heard by God). Strong—A shriek. Used 21X.
“Taskmasters”—sgn naw-gas’—Qal Participle Active—1) To press, drive, oppress, exact, exert demanding pressure. Strong—a primitive root; To drive(an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication--To tax, harass, tyrannize.
“Know”(See :19—“Sure”)—edy yaw-dah’—Qal Perfect—1) To know. Strong—a primitive root; To know(properly--To ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically & inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; & causatively--Instruction, designation, punishment, etc.).
“Sorrows”—bakm mak-ob’—1) Pain, sorrow(either physical or mental). Strong—Anguish or figuratively--Affliction. Used 16X.
:8—“So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, & to bring them up from that land to a good & large land, to a land flowing with milk & honey, to the place of the Canaanites & the Hittites & the Amorites & the Perizzites & the Hivites & the Jebusites.”
God will not only “deliver them” “out” & “up from” oppression, but He will deliver them “to” His blessing, by means of His gracious compassion. Compassion meets the needs of the helpless, providing a link for their success!
YHWH reveals His compassionate heart in that due to His having witnessed the despair of His people, God has descended from heaven. He has descended in order to rescue them(“bring them up”) by bringing them to that “land” which was currently held by multiple pagan tribes. These tribes generally lived in city-states, & though they populated particular areas of Canaan, they did not wield as heavy an influence as would a country united.
The “land” to which Israel will attain thru God’s rescue, will be “good.” Thus it will be a “land” of fruitfulness fully able to nourish the people of God’s choosing.
God promises Moses that He would “bring them up” to a broad/spacious/roomy land(“large”). They would have an abundance of room in which to live rather than being limited to the smallness of a taskmaster’s world of ownership.
God promises Moses that He would “bring them up” to a “land flowing with” not merely water but “milk & honey.” This new land would not be a place where they would eek out minimal existence, but where they would thrive. In short, such a phrase would become proverbial meaning ‘a place of abundance/plenty.’—EBC
“Come down”—dry yaw-rad’—Qal Imperfect—1) To go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down. Strong—a primitive root; To descend (literally--To go downwards; or conventionally--To a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively--To fall); causatively--To bring down(in all the above applications).
“Deliver...out”(See :22—“Plunder”)—lun naw-tsal’— Hiphil Infinitive—1) To snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder. Strong—a primitive root; To snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense. “Bring...Up”(See :10—auy(“Bring out”))—hle aw-law'—1) To go up, ascend, climb—1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up, 1c2) To bring up, bring against, take away, 1c3) To bring up, draw up, train, 1c4) To cause to ascend, 1c5) To rouse, stir up (mentally), 1c6) To offer, bring up (of gifts), 1c7) To exalt, 1c8) To cause to ascend, offer. Strong—a primitive root; To ascend, intransitively(be high) or actively(mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary & secondary, literal & figurative.
“Land”3X—Ura eh’-rets—Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth (at large, or partitively--A land).
“Good”—bwj towb—Adj.—1) Good, pleasant, agreeable. —Noun m.—2) A good thing, benefit, welfare. —Noun f.—3) Welfare, benefit, good things—3c) Bounty. Strong—Good(as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine & the feminine, the singular & the plural(good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb--Well.
“Large/Spacious”—bxr raw-khawb’—Adj.—1) Broad, wide. Strong—from bxr[To broaden]; Roomy, in any(or every) direction, literally or figuratively.
“Flowing”—bwz zoowb—1) To flow, gush, issue, discharge. Strong—a primitive root; to flow freely (as water), i.e. specifically--To have a (sexual)flux; figuratively--To waste away; also--To overflow.
“Milk”—blx khaw-lawb’—Noun m.—1) Milk, sour milk, cheese. Strong—Milk(as the richness of kine).
“Honey”—vbd deb-ash'—from an unused root meaning to be gummy; 1) Honey. Strong—Honey (from its stickiness); by analogy--Syrup.
“Place”(See :5)—Mwqm maw-kowm'—
:9—“Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, & I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.”
:9 is a reiteration of :7—The “cry” of God’s “children” has reached God’s ears as He has witnessed their “oppression.”
YHWH is fully aware of the situation of Israel. God’s awareness of their situation is met with compassion. The meeting of God’s compassion with Israel’s oppression is met in the call of Moses.
“Behold”(See :4—“Here I am”)—hnh hin-ney'—1) Behold, lo, see, if.
“Cry”(See :7)—hqeu tsah-ak-aw'—
“Come to”(See :13)—awb bow’—Qal Perfect—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).
“Seen”(See :7)—har raw-aw'—
“Oppression”(See :7—yne)—Uxl lakh'-ats—1) Oppression, distress, pressure. Strong—from Uxl [a primitive root; properly, to press, i.e. figuratively--To distress]; Distress. Used 12X.
“Oppress”—Uxl law-khats’—Qal Participle—1) To squeeze, press, oppress. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To press, i.e. figuratively--To distress. Used 19X.
Argumentation:
*Zech. 7:8-14—“Then the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Execute true justice, Show mercy & compassion Everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.’ “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, & stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law & the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets. Thus great wrath came from the LORD of hosts. “Therefore it happened, that just as He proclaimed & they would not hear, so they called out & I would not listen,” says the LORD of hosts. “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they had not known. Thus the land became desolate after them, so that no one passed through or returned; for they made the pleasant land desolate.” ”
*Mat. 5:7—“Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”
**Mat. 9:35-38—“Then Jesus went about all the cities & villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, & healing every sickness & every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary & scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
**Mat. 15:32-38—“Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself & said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days & have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, & a few little fish.” So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves & the fish & gave thanks, broke them & gave them to His disciples; & the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate & were filled, & they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women & children.”
Rom. 1:28-32—“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
**Js. 3:17—“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy & good fruits, without partiality & without hypocrisy.”
**1Pet. 3:8, 9—“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
**1Jn. 3:14-21—“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, & you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, & sees his brother in need, & shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed & in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, & shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, & knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.”
Jude 1:20-23—“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; & on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”
Illustration:
Habitat for Humanity.org—“At Habitat for Humanity, we build. We build because we believe that everyone, everywhere, should have a healthy, affordable place to call home. More than building homes, we build communities, we build hope & we build the opportunity for families to help themselves. ...[We] help families break the cycle of poverty & build long-term financial security. With an affordable, stable home, families have more to spend on food, medicine, child care, education & other essentials....Thanks to you, Habitat is transforming the lives of more than 4 million people around the world!”/Our COMPASSION
‘Pawn Shops’ generally signal desperation on the part of a people/a harsh lack of concern for anything but money/Our COMPASSION
Food & Clothes Pantries—The purpose of any local church should center around God’s Compassion for His & thus their world/Our COMPASSION
Churches(particularly in colder areas) provide coats for those who are without protection from the cold/Churches in warmer areas, provide fans & water for the elderly when the summer heat is stifling inside/Our COMPASSION
Dams on Alaskan & Canadian rivers are required by law to provide ways(fish ladders) for spawning Salmon to head up over the dam!/We do not want to see an entire species of animals disappear from the face of the earth because of our selfishness/Our COMPASSION
Hospitals provide healthcare, not merely for money’s sake, but for the sake of those in need/Our COMPASSION
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your COMPASSION?
?When is the last time your COMPASSION mirrored God’s?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge it?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Shrimper’s Challenges.
Action:
God’s call presents a challenge to...
5. Our AWE(:6)
6. Our COMPASSION(:7-9)
1. Our OCCUPATION(:1)
2. Our OBSERVATION(:2-3)
3. Our AVAILABILITY(:4)
4. Our APPROACH(:5)
pts. 5-6 Presented 02/01/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
