SERIES: RECOVERING STOLEN IDENTITY & RECLAIMING MISPLACED DESTINY: PART 5: THE MOSES STORY: WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT?
1. Exodus 2:11 Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. 16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. 21 Then Moses was content to live with the man (Jethro), and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.” 23 Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
2. Exodus 3: 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, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” 4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.”
INTRO: “RECOVERING STOLEN IDENTITY & RECLAIMING MISPLACED DESTINY (PART 5): MOSES, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT?
ABOUT STOLEN IDENTITY AND MISPLACED DESTINY AMONG GOD’S PEOPLE.
Identity: Answers The Question: ‘Who has God called me to BE?’ Destiny: Answers The Question: ‘What has God called me to DO?’ Identity Theft - When information about you is stolen by someone else and used without your permission. Identity theft also occurs with Christians. Satan steals your true identity through defeat, discouragement, delay, denial and deception about your real destiny. Moses Will Be Another Example Of This.
ILLUSTRATION ON IDENTITY THEFT
Illustration: Farmer, Eaglet, Naturalist (Outside Barn, Roof Of House, Mountaintop Sun)
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT DESERTS?
Deserts Are Places Ill-Suited For People That Are Unprepared To Deal With Extreme Geographical climates. Many biblical passages speak of literal deserts & wildernesses such as Sinai Desert, Judean Wilderness, Arabian Desert, Paran Wilderness. The dangers deserts present to human survival can be a warning of what life becomes when we evict God from our lives to do our own thing. Deserts can be the very places where God finally finds, shapes and calls us back to Himself.
LESSONS FROM THE LITERAL DESERT
1. A Place Of Very Harsh Conditions: They lack abundant water, so vegetation is sparse and the creatures that dwell there are often predatory and poisonous.
2. A Place Of Solitude, Being Separated From Other People To Contemplate. Jesus was tempted in the desert before he began his public ministry. He was hungry and angels came and ministered to His needs. “Going into the desert” means more than daily prayers, weekly church gathering, reading a Bible chapter, attending spiritual workshops, etc. It’s a serious examination of life before God – away from distractions, demands, preconceived ideas of Christianity.
3. The Desert Is A Place Full Of Hidden Surprises & Potential. The desert seems empty and void of life, but things are not always what they seem. Adaptable animal life thrives in the desert - many species of insects, birds, reptiles, mammals. Individuals have potential, but we become so accustomed to interpreting things in a certain way that we miss the treasures hidden in us.
4. The Desert Is A Place Of Extremes In Temperatures That Is Rarely Comfortable. Most people think of the desert as a dry, hot climate. While temperatures can soar to high degrees, it can also be very chilly at night with temperature dropping to about 100 degrees in one day. Being prepared for the climate necessitates an odd array of clothing & protection. Desert experiences teach us that anything can happen suddenly to us – Be ready.
5. The Desert Is A Land Of Endurance In The Face Of Hardship. To survive in the desert, one must be constantly vigilant. Sunburn, heatstroke, dehydration and the dangers of frostbite at night. To drop your guard for even a short time can have debilitating consequences. However, you can survive in the desert if you are prepared for the climate & remember to wear appropriate clothing, protect your eyes, drink enough water. There, you learn not to take things for granted.
6. The Desert Demands Obedience To Its Rhythms Of The Day For Survival. During the hottest part of the day, nearly all creatures seek some kind of shelter and rest. When the coolness of evening arrives, activity picks up and the desert animals venture from their hiding places to forage for food. It is suicidal to try and search for food in the scorching sun. Desert experiences teach us to live on the minimal of life, utilize out time, and not be carried by greed & ego.
MOSES ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT
1 Corinthians 10:11: All These Things Are Written For Our Example. Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 34:10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. But If You Had Passed By Midian In Those Days, you would see a homeless, old man keeping sheep for his father-in-law in a desert. He might not stand out. But 40 years earlier, that unknown shepherd had been a prince in Egypt. But now, the most recent entry on his resume reads: "40 years as shepherd in the desert." At 80 years of age, he is forgotten, a has-been, leading sheep around a forsaken desert, dependent on his father-in-law for survival. Once a young & handsome prince, now an old and forgotten shepherd. He has moved from Prince to Pauper. Moses did not want to go back to a place where his wanted poster hung on every bulletin board. He had no more desire to be a mighty man of God. He just wanted to be left alone. But God did not leave Moses alone.
Moses In This Condition Is The Picture Of Waste - The Example Of A stolen Identity & Misplaced Destiny. He has gone from the highest to the lowest, because in Egyptian culture, a shepherd was as low as you could go. Exodus 2:21 Then Moses was content to live with the man (Jethro), and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. 22 And she bore him a son. He called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a stranger in a foreign land.” He appeared content, but when you listen to the name of his 1st son, you know he is troubled. He is so depressed that he names his son Gershom meaning “driven or thrust out”.
Moses Came To Horeb Which Means "Desolate Wasteland." He probably felt quite comfortable there because a desolate wasteland pictured his life. What looked to be a promising life, ended up being a failure. Egypt was a lifetime ago. Now, his life was just about wasted in the wilderness. Nothing seemed to be happening and it had been this way, day in, day out for the last 40 years! True he had a wife and family now, had learned to live in the wilderness and tend the sheep. But he had never fulfilled his dream. God saved him from the Nile to save others, but now he had run away from the future and was fetching water and climbing mountains.
Most Of Us May Probably Understand What Moses Is Going Through At This Point In His Life. If we were to look through the scrapbook of our lives, we have pictures of dry, barren, empty, desolate, wasteland called Horeb - a place we feel all alone. The last place Moses expected to meet God was at Horeb. The last place we'd expect to meet God is waiting in the dry, barren, lonely places in our lives. Pro. 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord tries the hearts. Ecc. 3:1: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
MOSES COULD HAVE BEEN LIKE SOME OF THESE CHARACTERS
1. King Saul Never Accomplished His Purpose. He died on the battle front at Mount Gilboa without ever making any headway for Israel. He was killed not too far from where he was inaugurated as king.
2. Samson Did Not Accomplish His Full Purpose. The Bible Says It. He was sent to obliterate the Philistines and set Israel free. He forgot his identity and started befriending the enemy and marrying their daughters. He is rendered powerless, blinded and died with a partial fulfillment.
3. John The Baptist’s Destiny Was To Usher In The Christ. When it was over, he was put in jail and kind of lost his identity especially when he saw his followers defecting. He got into throne matters and was quickly executed. His destiny was over long time. You can be created to give birth to a nation, you don’t have to be its president.
4. David, Saul’s Successor, Went Far Beyond That. Acts 13:36 says: He accomplished his purpose in his generation. His Achievements Were Notable: Expanded Israel’s boundaries from 6,000 to 60,000 sq. miles. He set up extensive trade routes. He unified the nation. He subdued Israel’s enemies like no one since Joshua. He shaped a national interest in spiritual concerns.
MOSES’ WAITING WAS TIED UP IN GOD’S PREPARATION OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
1. Part Of Moses’ Waiting Was Tied Up In God’s Mercy Toward The Amorites. In Genesis 15:16, God speaks to Abraham in the Promised Land: “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." God told Abraham that his descendants wouldn’t enter their promised inheritance until the Amorites had been given every opportunity to repent and turn to God.
2. God Had To Also Prepare The Israelites Before They Would Follow Moses. People don’t want to move if they’re happy where they are. The Israelites would have never followed Moses without first being prepared by the harshness of their circumstances.
3. Moses Himself Had To Be Prepared By God: Acts 7:23-25: Stephens reveals: "When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.” Moses felt prepared to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt 40 years before we meet him at the Mountain of Waiting. He was a 40 year old mature product of one of the best educational and military system available in the world. With such experience, such knowledge, such skill, who wouldn’t consider themselves ready? But he wasn’t ready. Moses would be leading about two million people through a wilderness for 40 years! There were more things to learn.
4. He Was Also Learning How To Shepherd Sheep (Humility), Which Was A Necessity Since He Would Be Shepherding God’s People. God Uses The Humble, Not The Proud: Number 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth”. How would you like that to be said about you? The Bible records that Moses is the meekest man on Earth. Because of this, God chose Moses to be the physical leader of the Israelites. But not 40 years before in Egypt. Every day he lived out in that wilderness, doing things that he thought were meaningless, but in reality, he was earning his 2nd degree - this time from God, not the University of Egypt – learning Sheepology. Characteristics Of Sheep: Sheep Drop Their Mess Anywhere; Not Careful In Drinking From Rivers; Very Dependent; Easily Get Lost; Good Followers & Bad Followers; Herbivores - eat plant-based food; Must Have A Leader; Very Vulnerable To Fear, Frustrations, Pests, Hunger, Panic, lightning; Dumb, Stupid, Gullible; Little Or No Means Of Defense; Constantly Need Fresh Water & Fresh Pasture; Stubborn; Easily "Cast”; Don't Like To Be Sheared or Cleaned; Must Constantly Be On The Move; Slow To Learn; Demanding; Unpredictable; Copycats. But this is us Christians.
5. It Was Necessary To Gain Experience & Build Character. After all, leading two million stubborn, grumpy Israelites for 40 years wasn’t your average job. It took 80 years of time and experience - 40 years in Egypt & 40 years in the wilderness - to get Moses ready. In Acts 7, Stephen says Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them. He was off by 40 years! As a result, the Israelites didn’t see Moses as God’s deliverer.
6. It Takes More Than A Desire To Serve God Successfully. Hebrews 11:6 It is impossible to please God unless we do it by faith. Moses was just trying to stop the abuse of the Egyptian, which was a godly thing, and his efforts went terribly wrong. Many Christians today try to serve with the right intentions, and the right desire, but end up with disastrous results. Why? Because they think they’re acting in God’s interest, but they’re not. If God has not sent you, don’t go.
7. Choose The Treasures Of Heaven Rather Than The Treasures Of This World: Though born a slave, Moses grew up in the royal palace of Egypt and become one of the mightiest men in the land. He has riches he could ever wish for and a comfortable life any slave would dream of.
8. Developing A Personal Relationship With God: Like any other faithful believer, Moses had a very close relationship with God. We need to realize that it is impossible to be faithful to God if we don’t have a close relationship with Him.
9. Moses Was In The Wilderness & God Was Right There In The Mountain: God never goes far away from us no matter the situation we go through. Moses thought he may have run away from God, but he had just moved into God’s front yard.
THE EXCUSES OF MOSES
Excuses: That which extenuates or justifies a fault. “Excuses are one of our greatest enemies, they can slow us down, prevent us from action, and they are false reasons for inactivity.”
1. Excuse No 1 : (Exodus 3:11) – Who Am I? Moses felt useless and a failure. Egypt had a great king that was able to defend the country. They could easily prevent the Israelites’ leaving. Response No 1: (Exodus 3:12) God’s response was quick – He would be with Moses to encourage and strengthen him; to protect and defend. We do the same saying we are nothing.
2. Excuse No 2 : (Exodus 3:13) – What Shall I Say? Moses doesn’t know how he will convince the children of Israel that he is God’s ambassador. They will ask for God’s Name – a test to his claim. What did he know about God? Any Bible School? Response No 2: (Exodus 3:14-15). “If they ask who sent you; tell them my name – Jehovah – I AM THAT I AM. I AM has sent you to them.” This name of God expresses the absolute, unchanging and eternal being of God. We use the same excuse today by saying we don’t know the Bible.
3. Excuse No 3: (Exodus 4:1) – Suppose They Will Not Believe Me? He is afraid of failing. Response No 3: God gives Moses the power to perform miracles - the Rod turns into a serpent; his hand turns leprous & whole again; the water will turn to blood. We hesitate to share the Gospel for the same reason. Suppose they won’t believe me? This is fear of failure.
4. Excuse No 4: (Exodus 4:10) I Am Slow Of Speech And Slow Of Tongue. Moses ignores the miracles God just performed. Maybe he had a speech impediment; was worried about his accent. He was an Israelite, brought up in Egypt, living in Midian! Response No 4: (Exodus 4:11): God is not moved by this excuse. He knows the inability of those He calls and can make up for any shortcomings. He promises to be with Moses & arranges for Aaron as his mouthpiece.
5. Excuse No 5: (Exodus 4:13) – Send Someone Else. Bottom line: “I don’t want to go.” All previous excuses were just a smokescreen to hide his “No”. This show a lack of faith in God. In Hebrew, he is saying: “Send a person more fit for the work than I am. Response 5: (Exodus 4:14). God’s anger is kindled against Moses.
CONCLUSION TO THIS BACKSIDE OF THE DESERT STORY
1. It Is The Place God Strategically Allows Us In Order To Prepare Us For His Work. It Is A Place Of: Refreshing (well he sat down by); Preparation (make ready for a task); Pruning (trim by cutting away dead or unwanted parts); Solitude / Obscurity (aloneness not loneliness); Development (build up; make usable or profitable); Lowliness (Moses went from royalty to shepherding); Growth (emotional maturity sets in); Instruction (lessons will be taught & learned); Transition (passage from one state or stage to another).
2. Backside Living Will Teach: Patience (wait on God); Reliance (all reliance on self taken away. God is source of all); Trust (all faith in Him); Humility (To consider oneself less).
3. The Darkside On The Backside: Satan is busy there. He Will Attempt To Bring: Doubt; Confusion; Opposition; Persecution; Oppression; Temptation.
4. The Mountain On The Backside: Exodus 3:1b: ...and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. Well, it pays to know that on the backside of the desert, there is a mountain. Thank God for the mountain of God. There I will find: Revelation from God; Assurance from God (His promises); My Purpose in God; The Power of God; Peace of God.
INTERCESSORY PRAYERS
1. You May Be In The Backside Of The Desert But There Is Still A Prince / Princess In You.
2. That you will stop running to and fro. That answer we need to destiny is not out there – but in here – your heart and God. No one can push it in. Paul encouraged Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6-7: 6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
3. That You Will Begin To Ask The Questions At Any Age: “Identity: “Who Has God Called Me To BE?” Destiny: “What Has God Called Me To DO?”
4. That God Will Cause This Place Of 'Waste' & 'Desolation' (The Meaning Of Horeb), To Be A Place Of Holiness & Destiny (The Mountain Of God)
5. That God Will Use The Backside Of The Desert To Make You Discover You Identity & Destiny
