OPENING: It seems that, down south, some recent excavations for a new high-way had contributed to causing a flash flood. Volunteers risked their lives to rescue victims stranded in the deluge. One old man was up to his knees in the rising waters when a rowboat came. "Hop in, we’ll save you!"
"No thanks, the Lord will provide."
A short while later, a motor boat was sent to save him. By this time the swirling waters were over his waist, but again he declined: "No thanks, the Lord will provide."
Soon the water was up to his chin, so a helicopter was dispatched at the last minute. "Climb aboard, this is your last chance!"
"Thanks anyway, but I don’t need you, the Lord will provide."
Before the helicopter returned home, the old man was mad as a hornet, banging on the Pearly Gates. He bitterly complained to St. Peter, "I prayed & I prayed for you to help me, so why did you let me drown?"
St. Peter looked at him, shook his head, and explained: "Good grief, we sent you two boats and a helicopter. What more do you want?"
APPLICATION: How many of you want to do the will of God? Ephesians 2:10 tells us "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared in advance for us to do." That means that God has tasks designed specifically for you and I to do. He has a will for your life and mine. But in spite of the fact that God does have a definite "will" for our lives, we can run into obstacles that will make our obedience difficult unless we decide otherwise.
The story here of Moses and Zipporah hints at three basic obstacles that can cause us to stumble when it comes to obeying God’s will for our lives
Reread Ex. 4:19-26 again. Notice it was God’s will that Moses go to Egypt. And yet, while Moses was on his way to fulfill God’s will, we find "at a lodging place on the way, the LORD met [Moses] and was about to kill him" (Ex 4:24).
The LORD "was about to kill him?" Interesting.
How was Moses life spared? Zipporah circumcises their son... OK
Now, notice Zipporah’s attitude. Is she happy? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t look like it. When she declares "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me" (4:25), it’s almost like a derogatory comment from her lips.
This obscure story from Moses’ life can be confusing unless we consider some of the facts involved:
In Genesis 17:9-14 we’re told that God required Abraham to circumcise his family as a sign of the covenant:
"This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner-- those who are not your offspring." (Gen 17:10-12)
Now, centuries later, Moses comes onto the scene. As we find him now, Moses has been living in exile in the desert for 40 years. While there he has 2 sons by his wife Zipporah: Gershom (which means "Alien") and Eliezer (meaning "God is my helper"). Gershom appears to have been the eldest and was likely born while Moses was feeling alienated from his people and his home in Egypt. But Eliezer’s name may indicate that he was born about time Moses met God at the burning bush.
Now understand, I’m speculating here, but from what I know of people - this scenario makes sense: I believe Gershom had already been circumcised when he was born, perhaps several years before the incident we’re studying in Exodus 4. Gershom’s circumcision would probably have been a new experience for Zipporah - a woman who was raised in an entirely different culture than the one God established for Israel. I can imagine that when Zipporah saw Gershom’s circumcision, she was appalled and disgusted - too much blood and screaming from her baby. You can visualize her saying "Moses, I love you, but you are NOT going to do this to any of our other children." Thus, later when Eliezer is born, mamma puts her foot down. No blade of flint would perform that ceremony on this child!
(For substantiation, consider that Moses had 2 children, but only one was circumcised by Zipporah at the place of lodging AND that it was the circumcision of this child that solved the crisis).
I. If this is true, this would typify the 1st OBSTACLE man can have in obeying God’s will - a wife with her own agenda.
ILLUS: At a family gathering, a woman and her cousin were being teased by their husbands about how they always get their way. "Honey," the cousin said to her husband, "when I get my way, that’s a compromise."
"What is it when I get my way?" he was quick to ask.
She replied, "That’s a miracle!"
It’s natural, in a healthy marriage, for a husband to listen to his wife. Ephesians 5 tells us that a husband should be the head of his house, but this leadership in the home also includes treating his wife with respect and listening to her opinions.
However, there are times when a husband is trying to follow God’s will that he finds his wife doesn’t like the direction he’s going.
ILLUS: The Old Testament story of Rebekah is an excellent example of this. Isaac wanted to bless Esau, but that didn’t appeal to Rebekah… so she conspired with Jacob to deceive Isaac and steal the blessing. While that ultimately fulfilled God’s plan for Jacob, her plan of action created problems for her son that lasted for years.
Proverbs tells us "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is death" (Proverbs 14:12). That’s true both of husbands AND wives. That’s why Elder’s wives are advised in I Tim. 3:11 "In the same their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything."
In other words, these women should not be bossy troublemakers.
ILLUS: An older preacher told me of a time he was being opposed by the wife of one of the elders. She apparently wanted him to retire so the church could hire a younger man for the pulpit. She caused a great deal of trouble in the church thru gossip and back biting before preacher finally said to her husband "you’re an elder of this congregation and you can’t even control your wife?"
This shamed the Elder and it turned the situation around.
QUESTION: Wives, do you remember the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah? How many of you wives could do what Sarah did with Abraham when he told her God wanted him to sacrifice their only son?
I Pet. 3:4ff tells us "(your beauty) should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham any called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear."
II. The 2nd OBSTACLE, for those who would follow God’s will, is FEAR of potential risks.
Why hadn’t Moses performed the circumcision on Eliezer? I suspect it was because he was afraid of losing Zipporah.
FEAR. Fear of the consequences of Godly obedience. Throughout the history of Israel, fear has often been at the heart of disobedience.
Remember when the Israelites were about to enter the promised land for the 1st time? Twelve spies were sent in to scout out the land. And as the song tells us "10 were bad and 2 were good (Numbers 13:31ff ). Why did the 10 give a bad report? Fear. Why did the multitudes listen to the 10 and disobey God? Fear.
ILLUS: A preacher friend of mine named Jeff became a preacher in a congregation with a troubling problem. There was man in that church who taught the Wednesday night Bible Study and who didn’t believe in the deity of Jesus. When Jeff brought the matter up with the Elders he was told that this teacher had threatened that if he wasn’t allowed to teach what he desired, he would leave and take others with him. Jeff and the Elders had several meetings together discussing the Biblical doctrine and then the need to take a firm stand. Then they confronted the false teacher. He repeated his threats, but the Elders held firm. True to his word, the false teacher left their church… and succeeded in taking only one other family with him.
God tests us in these matters. As we’re told in Deut. 13:1-5 we’re told: "If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ’Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ’and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. THE LORD YOUR GOD IS TESTING YOU to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you."
III. The 3rd OBSTACLE to obeying God’s will (illustrated by this story in Exodus 4) is man’s refusal to sign God’s contract in God’s way.
In Genesis 17 we’re told that Circumcision was sign of the Old Covenant. Those who were not circumcised under that covenant were to be cut off from fellowship. In refusing to have her child circumcised, Zipporah was basically telling God "I know this is what Moses has said You wanted, but it doesn’t appeal to my religious background." But God doesn’t take rejection of His commands lightly. If circumcision was required as part of the Old Covenant - circumcision is what you had better do.
In the New Testament book of Acts, we’re told that God no longer had the intention of using circumcision as the sign of the covenant for Christians.
Circumcision was, in fact, replaced by something else. In Colossians 2:9-12 we’re told:
"… in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. IN HIM YOU WERE ALSO CIRCUMCISED, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, HAVING BEEN BURIED WITH HIM IN BAPTISM AND RAISED WITH HIM THROUGH YOUR FAITH in the power of God, who raised him from the dead."
In other words, according to Colossians, the mark of the New Covenant was to be baptism. It was to replace circumcision because it better symbolized what God wanted His people to remember: that when they became Christians, they died, they were buried and they rose again from a watery grave to a new life (see also Romans 6:1-7)
CLOSE: God’s will in our lives… too often people know what it is, but for various reasons they turn away or disobey. The only way that we can safe guard ourselves from the obstacles that often cause us to refuse God’s will for our lives is to allow Him to be the biggest influence in our lives. Bigger than any of the obstacles that can stand in our way.
God wants to do His will in your life, but the only way it can happen if your God is a big godder:
ILLUS: Old Dr. Wilson came in and sat down near the front. At the close of the meeting the old professor came up to his former student, cocked his head to one side in his characteristic way, extended his hand, and said, "If you come back again, I will not come to hear you preach. I only come once. I am glad that you are a big-godder. When my boys come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be." His former student asked him to explain, and he replied: "Well, some men have a little god, and they are always in trouble with him. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t take care of the inspiration and transmission of the Scripture to us. He doesn’t intervene on behalf of his people. They have a little god and I call them little-godders. Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast. He knows how to show Himself strong on behalf of them that fear him. You have a great God; and He will bless your ministry." He paused a moment and smiled, and said, "God bless you," and turned, and walked out.
IS YOUR GOD A GREAT GOD, or a small one
Women? can you trust your husband to God?
Men? can you obey even when you fear the outcome?
And (this is for all of us) is He a big enough God to ask something of you that you weren’t raised to do?
OTHER SERMONS IN THIS SERIES
Whose Will Be Done? = Exodus 4:19-4:26
The Fingerprint of God = Exodus 8:16-8:19
Stand Firm = Exodus 14:5-14:31
Thirst Quencher = Exodus 15:22-15:27
Strike the Rock = Exodus 17:1-17:7
Get Real = Exodus 34:29-34:35
Of Pride and Prejudice = Numbers 12:1-12:16
