Intro: We are told that when John Huss was arrested and informed that he would be burned to death for his faith, he purposely practiced holding his hand over fire to prepare for his final test. He burned himself in preparation. He wanted to be faithful to the end. Moody Monthly, April, 1990, p. 76.
This entire passage is about God preparing Moses to be the deliverer for Israel. Before we look at how God prepared Moses we have to ask for what purpose does God prepare us?
1) Worship – This is the bowing of our selves before another who is worthy
2) Work -- Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” God has prepared things for us to do so that others will see Him in us
3) Witness -- Moses and Pharaoh were to be a witness to God. Listen to what Paul says about Pharaoh in Romans 9:17 “For the Scripture tells Pharaoh: I raised you up for this reason so that I may display My power in you and that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”
Paul is quoting Exodus 9:16 “However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth.”
4) Walk -- A call to a different lifestyle and way of living than the rest of the world.
There is a very important question that we must ask ourselves as we continue to and through the exodus. It will be raised by Moses response to God, Israel’s response to Moses, Pharaoh’s response to God and the plagues, Israel’s response to hardship in the wilderness. The ultimate question of the Exodus is (Wed night people), “Who is in Control?”
Is Pharaoh in control or is God? Is Moses in control or is God? Is Israel in control or is God? Am I in control or is God? When we take control of situations in our life it often leads to mistakes, failure and frustration. It can also lead to others getting hurt because of desire to do what God should do. Today we can learn from Moses, What to do when faced with failure.
I. The mistakes that Moses made
A) Moses misunderstood the timing of God’s call
Exodus 2:11-12 Years later, about the time Moses was 40 he went out to his own people. Went out is the word used when Israel went out of exodus. Moses is beginning to identify with the people of Israel in order to save them. He is leaving the things of Egypt behind. What a beautiful picture of Jesus. He left His home in heaven all the position and power in order to identify with you and me!
He sees some of his people being mistreated. The word used for mistreated is actually a word that can be translated beat or kill. Moses is most likely saving the life of one of his Hebrew brothers. Stephen tells us in Acts 7:27-25 Moses murdered the Egyptian and thinks Israel will understand he is to be their deliverer. Moses mistakenly thought that it was his hands that would bring deliverance to Israel.
B) Moses misunderstood methods of God’s call
Moses resorted to man’s methods to accomplish God’s work. What did that lead to?
His Hebrew brothers rejected Moses, his leadership and his plans to free God’s people were frustrated. We must understand God’s work is never accomplished by man’s methods.
Moses resorted to murder to save His Hebrew brother, was murder His only resort? Most likely not as a son of Pharaoh he could probably have dealt with the overseer in many different ways.
Passion is very useful for us to do God’s work unless that passion is misdirected. Moses resorted to murder. Why was this not God’s plan?
Murder is ultimately a result of hatred.
Betsie Tenboom and her sister Corrie Tenboom Placed in a concentration camp for giving safe haven to Jews. One day at Ravensbrück, a guard was savagely beating Betsie for not meeting her work quota. Corrie imagined taking a pick axe and hacking the Nazi to death. That is not God’s way for His people. As Betsie said to her sister, “No hate, Corrie, no hate.” Hatred is not the way of the cross; nor is violence the way of Christ, who said, “You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt 5:38, 39)
Moses crime of murder stands a permanent warning against anger or any other out of control emotion. Moses was trying to accomplish God’s goals man’s way and that always leads to a mess.
What was it that caused Moses to flee? Fear another out of control emotion.
I think Moses had a pep talk from a football coach who gave advice how to deal with failure. "When you're about to be run out of town, get out in front and make it look like you're heading a parade."
Moses was not wrong about God’s call but was wrong about the timing and method that God used.
C) Moses understood the reality of God’s call
All of us are called by God and there are at least three types of calls.
1) The call to salvation
2) The call to service
3) The call to leadership
Mistakes do not always disqualify us from service and leadership but they often delay us!!
God however will use our failures to prepare us for faithfulness.
What is the worst thing we can do after a failure? Sit down and quit. No matter what it is or how bad the failures we must be willing to get up brush ourselves off and go at it again!
II. The adjustments that God made to Moses
Now that Moses jumped ahead of God and ran away from God into the wilderness we begin the preparation time of Moses. Understand this God is in no hurry to prepare His servants to do His will. Moses spent 80 years preparing, Jesus spent 30 years preparing, most of us spend a good portion of our life preparing for one moment that God has prepared for us.
God is not in the business of making assembly line disciples.
God uses failures, frustrations, rejection, depression, and many other tions to form and fashion us for His purpose and His ministry. What exactly did God use to transform Moses into the meek servant that is still remembered in the History of the People of Israel?
A) His living situation
There is no precise location for the Midianites. It seems that they were a nomadic people with no permanent place to lay their head (Jesus). When we come to barren places and wildernesses life they are the best place to meet an all sufficient God. If you have never had a barren wilderness experience in your life understand it is in places like this that you find the only option you have is to cry out to Jesus.
Jacob saw a stairway to heaven in the wilderness (Gen 29 and Elijah heard the still small voice of God (1 Kings 19). The wilderness is where John the Baptist preached repentance (Matthew 3). Jesus won his first triumph over satan in the wilderness (Matt 4). Paul searched the scripture for Christ in the wilderness (Gal 1:17) Before any of these Moses went to the wilderness to meet God.
There was a practical aspect to Moses’ wilderness wandering. He learned the geography and topography of the land. Even greater than the practical education was the spiritual instruction. Moses made an exodus of his own. He learned to be an outcast. He was identified by the daughters of Reuel as an Egyptian. It was his wilderness situation that taught him to identify with the suffering of God’s people Israel. God takes us into wilderness times so that we can identify with others suffering!!! He named His son Gershom which means, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” Exodus 2:22
B) His family situation
Moses was single when he fled Egypt. Moses had wandered into a man’s house that had seven wives. You can almost read the priest of Midian’s mind in verse 20, where is he, why didn’t you invite him in. He must be thinking finally I can get someone to take one of these girls off my hands. What on earth were they thinking not inviting a bachelor in?
Why on earth does the family situation of Moses get shared in the story? His family life was part of his preparation to fulfill God’s calling in His life. There is an old saying if you can’t be a follower of Christ at home then you can’t be a follower of Christ anywhere. As a husband he was learning to love and appreciate His wife. As a father he was learning how to care for and discipline his child. This situation was used of God to teach him to be a servant leader.
It was in the relationship to his wife that Moses relationship with God grew. Zipporah’s father was priest of the Most High God. His name even means, “Friend of God.” Moses probably received instruction from his father-in-law, it was no accident Moses heard God’s voice at the burning bush.
C) His work situation
Last but not least God used the adjustment of Moses work situation to prepare him. Can you imagine the job market in the wilderness? The jobs might include Lizard lassoer, dust sweeper, cactus juicer, sheep herder.
Moses actually is found tending his flock in Exodus 3:1. My how the great have fallen. Grandson of Pharaoh to despised sheep herder. It could have been the nomadic way of life. It could also be the way that Egyptians looked down on manual laborers.
Why would God choose for Moses to be a shepherd to train him for the exodus? The children of Israel acted like and were called sheep.
Tending the flock taught Moses how to feed, defend and rescue the lost sheep of Israel. It was in the lowly menial job of being a shepherd that God trained Moses to deal with people. I know today why I worked in so many customer service jobs.
When Asaph meditated on God bringing Israel out of Egypt, he said, “You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” Ps 77:20, Ps 78:52, Isa 63:11
God had prepared a specialized training plan for Moses because of the special call in his life. Do you look at your life as though it were unimportant to God? Can’t you look back and see the hand and heart of God preparing you for His call and His work in your life! He has personally prepared a plan for your life for His glory and someone else’s rescue.
God uses our mistakes and failures and designs a training plan to reveal to us it is “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.”
Philippians 2:13
If you don’t desire to do the will of God get ready for failure and frustration because God will maneuver you into a place where the only way out is to depend completely on His grace!!
God uses our living situation, our family situation, our work situation to prepare us for His good work!
If you are dissatisfied with your situations in life maybe you should pray what John Wesley prayed, “I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.”
The Methodist Service Book (London: Methodist Publishing House, 1975), D10
Do we learn from our mistakes? True failure is never learning from your mistakes. So how do we know?
On the back of your bulletin insert write these short statements down. (Number them 1 to 10 1 being worst 10 best)
1) The development of a servant attitude
2) The willingness to be unknown
3) The patience to wait and rest in God
You may not be a Moses but all of God’s children are given a program or preparation. Whether you are in the 1st year or the 40th of your wilderness wandering. Or you are already walking toward the one or ones you are to rescue. God will use your failures, frustrations, wanderings, etc to make you into one who worships, witnesses, works and walks with God!
