The CHALLENGE OF GOD's CALL-X—Exodus 3:1-22
Assistance/Availability/Discovering/Significance
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. Our AWE(:6)
6. Our COMPASSION(:7-9)
7. Our INABILITY(:10-11)
8. Our POWER(:12a)
9. Our FAITHFULNESS(:12b-13)
10. Our PROBABILITY(:14-15)
11. Our COMMITMENT(:16-17)
12. Our LEADERSHIP(:18a)
13. Our DEMANDS(:18b)
14. Our REJECTION(:19)
15—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our JUDGMENT(:20)
Explanation:(:20)Strike/Determination
:20—“So I will stretch out My hand & strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; & after that he will let you go.”
YHWH Himself will “strike” the entire nation of “Egypt,” not just the king/Pharaoh. Thus YHWH’s “wonders” will inflict harm upon “Egypt.”
Note that the “wonders” belong solely to YHWH! They are “My” “wonders.”
YHWH’s “wonders” will be performed/accomplished openly & in full knowledge & view of the Egyptians. These “wonders” will not be some cheap contrived ‘parlor tricks,’ but will be truly miraculous “wonders” in regard to man’s abilities. they will be employed in order to bring about Israel’s safe release from their bondage.
“After” is not fleshed out so as to include all ten plagues, (soon to be wrought per chaps. 7-12).
“Stretch out”(See :12, 13, 14, 15—“Sent”)—xlv shaw-lakh'—
“Strike”—hkn naw-kaw’—Hiphil(causative) Perfect—1) To strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill—1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To smite, strike, beat, scourge, clap, applaud, give a thrust, 1c2) To smite, kill, slay (man or beast), 1c3) To smite, attack, attack & destroy, conquer, subjugate, ravage, 1c4) To smite, chastise, send judgment upon, punish, destroy. Strong—a primitive root; To strike(lightly or severely, literally or figuratively).
“Wonders/Miracles”—alp paw-law’—Niphal Participle—1) To be marvelous, be wonderful, be surpassing, be extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action—1a) (Niphal)—1a1) To be beyond one's power, be difficult to do, 1a2) To be difficult to understand, 1a3) To be wonderful, be extraordinary—1a3a) Marvelous(participle). Strong—a primitive root; properly(perhaps)--To separate, i.e. Distinguish (literally or figuratively); by implication--To be(causatively--Make) great, difficult, wonderful.
“Do/Perform”(See :16)—hse aw-saw’—Qal Imperfect—1) To do, fashion, accomplish, make.
“Midst”(See :5—“Draw near”)—brq keh'-reb—
“After”(See :1—“Back/Far side”)—yrxa akh-ar' oreey—
“Let...go”(See :10, 12, 13, 15—“Send”)—xlv shaw-lakh'—
Argumentation:
God must work His work making His presence known & that He is working thru certain ones of His choosing.
Ex. 6:6—“Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, & I will redeem you with an outstretched arm & with great judgments.”
Ex. 7:5—“And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt & bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
Ex. 11:9, 10—“But the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not heed you, so that My wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” So Moses & Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh; & the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, & he did not let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
Deut. 4:32-35—“For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, & ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, & live? Or did God ever try to go & take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand & an outstretched arm, & by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.”
2Tim. 2:19-26—“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” &, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold & silver, but also of wood & clay, some for honor & some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified & useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish & ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, & that they may come to their senses & escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
Mk. 3:32-35—“And a multitude was sitting around Him; & they said to Him, “Look, Your mother & Your brothers are outside seeking You.” But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, & said, “Here are My mother & My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother & My sister & mother.”
Jn. 9:31—[the healed blind man to the Pharisees]“Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God & does His will, He hears him.”
Rom. 8:27, 28—“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
Rom. 12:1-3—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
Jn. 4:34—“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, & to finish His work.”
Eph. 5:15-21—“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing & making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
1Pet. 2:15-16—“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men-- as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
1Pet. 4:1-5—“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles--when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, & abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living & the dead.”
1Pet. 4:19—“Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.”
Lk. 22:19-24—“And He took bread, gave thanks & broke it, & gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing. Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.”
Acts 2:22-24—[Peter's sermon immediately following the arrival of the Holy Spirit]“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, & signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose & foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, & put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
1Cor. 2:1-5—“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ & Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, & in much trembling. And my speech & my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit & of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
Lk. 9:51-56—“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.”
Illustration:
God’s determination to bring something about, not ours but God’s thru us!
Worldly Issues which we(Christians) battle against/These Challenge Our Judgments—Make us rethink our beliefs & belief system—This can be good in that we expand our walk with God OR it can cause us to lose faith!/1)Secular Government—Too much control; 2)Abortion-Conception—when does life begin & can it be taken willingly?; 3)War—Is there any such thing as a ‘just war’?; 4)Homosexuality—Is it a lifestyle or a sin?/Our JUDGMENT
Running a generator in a power outage/I can either supply power to my party lights, TV OR or my refrigerators & freezers(saving the meat)/Our JUDGMENT
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your JUDGMENT?
?When is the last time your JUDGMENT mirrored God’s?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge God’s call?
16—God’s call presents a challenge to...
Our PLUNDER(:21-22)
Explanation:(:21-22)Reward/Recompense
:21—““And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; & it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.”
The stay of Israel in Egypt would not be without some reward, for God would gain “favor” for them in the sight of Egypt. Israel would not leave Egypt with no compensation for their labors as slaves. The ‘recompense’ is detailed in :22.
“Give”(See :19)—Ntn naw-than'—
“Favor”—Nx khen—1) Favor, grace, charm—1a) Favor, grace, elegance, 1b) Favor, acceptance. Strong—Graciousness, i.e. subjective--Kindness, favor or objective--Beauty.
“Sight”—Nye ah'-yin—1) Eye—1a) Eye—1a1) Of physical eye, 1a2) Showing mental qualities, 1a3) Of mental & spiritual faculties(fig.); 2) Spring, fountain. Strong—An eye(literally or figuratively); by analogy--A fountain(as the eye of the landscape).
“Go”2X(See :11, 16, 18; & 10—“Come”)—Kly yaw-lak'—
“Empty-handed”—Mqyr ray-kawm'—1)Vainly, emptily. Strong—Emptily; figuratively(objective)--Ineffectually, (subjective)--Undeservedly. Used 16X.
:22—“But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, & clothing; & you shall put them on your sons & on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” ”
It is the “women” who will “ask” of their neighbors. This reveals the degree to which the Egyptians will be humbled by YHWH. The Israelite “women”—NOT military might—will effectually “plunder” the nation of Egypt! The “clothing” attained from the Egyptians will become the property of their own “sons & daughters.”
Clothing was & is a commodity of exchange:
Gen. 45:17-22—“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals & depart; go to the land of Canaan. Bring your father & your households & come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, & you will eat the fat of the land. Now you are commanded--do this: Take carts out of the land of Egypt for your little ones & your wives; bring your father & come. ‘Also do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’” Then the sons of Israel did so; & Joseph gave them carts, according to the command of Pharaoh, & he gave them provisions for the journey. He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver & five changes of garments.”
Judges 14:12-13—“Then Samson said to them, “Let me pose a riddle to you. If you can correctly solve & explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, then I will give you thirty linen garments & thirty changes of clothing. “But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments & thirty changes of clothing.” And they said to him, “Pose your riddle, that we may hear it.”
This promise was honored as the Israel was hurried/ushered out of Egypt. They would be well-compensated & their compensation would used in preparing their ceremonial service(:12) to God.
Ex. 12:35, 36—“Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, & they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, & clothing. And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”
“Woman”—hva ish-shaw'—1) Woman, wife, female—1a) Woman (opposite of man), 1b) Wife (woman married to a man), 1c) Female(of animals), 1d) Each, every(pronoun).
“Ask/Borrow”—lav shaw-al’—Qal Perfect—1) To ask, enquire, borrow, beg. Strong—a primitive root; To inquire; by implication--To request; by extension--To demand.
“Neighbor”—Nkv shaw-ken’—Adj.—1) Inhabitant, neighbor. Strong—A resident; by extension--A fellow-citizen.
“Dwells near”—rwg goowr—1) To sojourn, abide, dwell in, dwell with, remain, inhabit, be a stranger, be continuing, surely; 2) To stir up trouble, strife, quarrel, gather together; 3) To dread, fear, stand in awe, be afraid. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To turn aside from the road(for a lodging or any other purpose), i.e. Sojourn(as a guest); also--To shrink, fear(as in a strange place); also--To gather for hostility(as afraid).
“Articles”2X—ylk kel-eey'—1) Article, vessel, implement, utensil. Strong—Something prepared, i.e. Any apparatus(as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon).
“Silver”—Pok keh'-sef—1) Silver, money. Strong—silver(from its pale color); by implication--Money.
“Gold”—bhz zaw-hawb'—1) Gold. Strong—from an unused root meaning to shimmer; Gold, figuratively--Something gold-colored(i.e. Yellow), as oil, a clear sky.
“Clothing”—hlms sim-law'—1) Wrapper, mantle, covering garment, garments, clothes, raiment, a cloth. Strong—perhaps by permutation for the feminine of lmo;[from an unused root meaning to resemble]; A likeness(through the idea of a cover assuming the shape of the object beneath); A dress, especially--A mantle.
“Put...on”—Mws soowm—Qal Perfect—1) To put, place, set, appoint, make. Strong—a primitive root; To put(used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, & elliptically).
“Plunder/Spoil”(See :8—“Deliver...out”)—lun naw-tsal’—Piel(intensive/intentional) Perfect—1) To snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder—1b) (Piel)—1b1) To strip off, spoil, 1b2) To deliver. Strong—a primitive root; To snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense.
Argumentation:
Prov. 16:7—“When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
Prov. 16:8—“Better is a little with righteousness, Than vast revenues without justice.”
Gen. 39:1-6, 19-23—“Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The LORD was with Joseph, & he was a successful man; & he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him & that the LORD made all he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight, & served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, & all that he had he put under his authority. So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house & all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; & the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house & in the field. Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, & he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form & appearance.”.....“So it was, when his master heard the words which his wife spoke to him, saying, “Your servant did to me after this manner,” that his anger was aroused. Then Joseph’s master took him & put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were confined. And he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph & showed him mercy, & He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; & whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.”
Though fearful of parroting Joel Osteen, ‘God DOES want to prosper you.’ He wants you to be successful—yet prosperity on His terms, not those of the world.
1Cor. 7:29-31—“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, & those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.”
Php. 4:10-20—“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, & I know how to abound. Everywhere & in all things I have learned both to be full & to be hungry, both to abound & to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving & receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once & again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all & abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God & Father be glory forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:
Gwen was a Christian lady who was destitute, having no husband or family/ She openly, verbally prayed to the Lord God every day to help supply her with groceries/Her atheist neighbor knew of her plight but despised the fact that she asked of God/In order to prove to her that God didn’t exist, Betty underhandedly would place a bag of groceries at Gwen’s door every week for several weeks/Gwen never knew how the groceries got there/One day Betty heard Gwen praying so she enters Gwen’s apt. & tells her that all along it had been her atheist neighbor Betty who had been bringing the groceries!/Gwen was flabbergasted!/She immediately cries out to the Lord God in thanks for His faithfulness to meet her need—& adding “Thank you especially using an atheist to do it!”/Our PLUNDER
The world gladly complies(surrenders) with Christian compassions—Feeding the starving, Helping the helpless, Caring for the hurting, Being a voice for the voiceless, etc./We in turn, gladly accept & walk away with those ‘blessings’ knowing that we will meet them in Christ & thru them give witness to Him!/Our PLUNDER
Application:
?God’s call present a challenge to Your AVAILABILITY?
?When is the last time you were AVAILABLE to God?
?Has God’s call Challenged you?...Or do you Challenge God’s call?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
God’s call presents a challenge to...
15. Our JUDGMENT(:20)
16. Our PLUNDER(:21-22)
1. Our OCCUPATION(:1)
2. Our OBSERVATION(:2-3)
3. Our AVAILABILITY(:4)
4. Our APPROACH(:5)
5. Our AWE(:6)
6. Our COMPASSION(:7-9)
7. Our INABILITY(:10-11)
8. Our POWER(:12a)
9. Our FAITHFULNESS(:12b-13)
10. Our PROBABILITY(:14-15)
11. Our COMMITMENT(:16-17)
12. Our LEADERSHIP(:18a)
13. Our DEMANDS(:18b)
14. Our REJECTION(:19)
Presented 03/22/2015pm to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
