June 28, 2003 Exodus 2:11-22
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” “And where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.”
If you had the power of God Almighty, what would you do with your power? Would you end starvation in the world? Would you eliminate all diseases in the world? It’s an interesting thing to contemplate. There would be a lot of tough decisions to make if you were God. But the fact is, as much as you may want to be, you’re not God. You’re a weak and limited human. One fish in an ocean of thousands. Chances are that your name or reputation or acts will not make a big difference on our world. That’s hard to accept, because most of us want to make a difference in the world.
Moses was no different. He wanted to make a difference - for his world - his people - the Israelites. Day after day, for forty years, he had witnessed his people be beaten and abused under the tyranny of his very own stepfather. He wanted to make a difference. But how could he?
You may not want to change the world - but your self, your church, your family, or your co-workers. Maybe you feel that they need to learn more about the Bible, to be more loving, or to have some hope. You may have and intense desire to bring about some change. But how? That’s the question we’ll look at today, as we ask -
How Can I Make a Difference?
I. It’s not about ability
Moses wanted to make a difference. He wanted to help his people get out from the abuse and slavery that they were being subjected to. He was tired of seeing them beaten and abused. If anyone had the ability or opportunity to free them - it was Moses. Chapter two said that he was literally “good”. That word can mean morally good, wealthy, something that has good qualities, or beautiful. Stephen also said that he was asteios to God - which means - elegant, beautiful, or well formed. (As well as Hebrews 11:23) Since Moses declared that everyone is born only thinking about evil from childhood, (Genesis 8:21), we would have to assume that this was talking about his physical looks and health. Moses was a nice looking baby - a beautiful baby. But this wasn’t all. Stephen also declared that as Moses grew up he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. (Ac 7:22) Not only was Moses a nice looking and healthy person, he was also a powerful, educated, and articulated man. He grew up under the “system” of the Egyptians - and he knew how to handle himself among the “royalty.” So if you look at the man on the surface, he was a natural born leader. He had the very things that people look for in their leaders - good looks, great speaking ability, and a royal family - an inside track.
Moses wasn’t blind to this. So the picture we get of Moses in today’s text is of someone who was confident in his heritage, abilities, position and looks. His confidence is exuded in the action he takes. He went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” . . . Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. He wasn’t afraid to step in and come to the rescue of those who were being oppressed. Since he knew God had given him courage and strength, he wasn’t afraid to show it. If he was strong enough to kill an Egyptian task master, he must have been quite strong indeed. He must have assumed, “since God gave me my health and my position - he must want me to use it! Therefore, I’m going to help my people.” It seems like a natural conclusion to make.
It may be a natural conclusion, but is it a God pleasing conclusion? God’s Word says, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (Jas 1:19). Even though you have a mouth that can speak, and even if you have a lot to say, God actually says that you should still be “slow to speak.” Even if you have been given a wonderful body that could turn heads, God still says that I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety.(1 Ti 2:9-10) God’s Word says that the sacrifice of Christ has set you free from guilt and shame. Yet Paul also said, You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. (Ga 5:13) In other words, here’s my key point - JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DO IT, DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD.
II. It’s about humility
Why not? Proverbs 26:9 says, Like a thornbush in a drunkard’s hand is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Even though a fool may know a proverb, it doesn’t mean he would say it, because he’ll probably misapply it in some way. So often you hear about someone winning the lottery - maybe even millions of dollars. More often than not these seemingly lucky people end up broke - because they don’t first learn how to MANAGE their money. Just because they have it, doesn’t mean that should USE it.
That’s what happened with Moses! Here he had all these abilities - and he just couldn’t wait to use them - so he did - in a wrong way! He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. Instead of using his mouth to dissuade the Egyptian from beating the Israelite, he used his strength to murder the Egyptian and then bury his carcass. As a result, what happened? When he tried to bring his people together, what did his own fellow Israelite say to him? “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” His own people looked at him like a self appointed murderer instead of a man sent from God. Also, When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian. All of Moses’ strength was used to flee from the very people he wanted to free. You have to wonder, “why did Moses go and do that?” He very likely could have thought to himself, “God, why are you allowing this to happen! If you aren’t going to do anything, then I am! I can’t hold off anymore!” But just because he had good intentions, the end didn’t justify the means, and his own talents were his downfall.
That’s the problem with gifted people. They know that people could use their talents and they are so eager to use them that they end up using them without being trained. There once was a young man who felt a great urge to spread the gospel and care for people - to be a pastor. He wanted to do it, and do it now. But when he looked into the requirements to do it within his church body, he realized he would have to go through eight years of schooling - learn Greek and Hebrew, take religion classes, and learn the catechism and the Triglotta. He thought to himself, “that’s too long.” So instead of going through all of the training, he decided to join a different church body that only required two years of training, even though the church body didn’t hold to God’s Word as much as he would have liked. As a result, he rushed into the ministry, but didn’t have much knowledge or experience to teach on. He joined a church body he really wasn’t in fellowship with, and ended up resigning after only three years. All because he couldn’t wait.
What did the man need? What do talented people need a lot of? Humility and patience. Just because you HAVE abilities, doesn’t mean that it’s always the right TIME to show them. Just because you HAVE a million dollars, doesn’t mean you don’t need ADVICE in how to use it. Just because you HAVE good looks, doesn’t mean that you don’t need ADVICE in how to use them. Think about how difficult that is though - to be told HOW and WHEN and WHERE to use the gifts that WE HAVE! But we have to remember - these are GIFTS. It takes humility to remember that since they are GIFTS of God that HE can tell us how and where to use them. Whether it be kicking a soccer ball, playing the flute, giving a speech - or whatever - we need to let God tell us how and where to use them. To think otherwise, to say, “I’ll do what I want with them” - is just plain arrogance. It’s an outright sin against the 1st Commandment, and we’re all guilty of it.
Jesus was not too arrogant to hold off on using his talents. He had the ability to talk his way out of being crucified. He could have easily defended himself and convinced Pilate and the crowd to free him. Once he got to the cross, he easily could have taken on the challenge of the scoffers to “come down and prove He was the Christ.” But He had the call from God to save the WORLD. So the only way he COULD do that, is if he didn’t use his powers. Just because Jesus had the POWER to do something - didn’t mean that He did it. God’s Word says in Philippians 2 that, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Php 2:6-8) Instead of grasping onto and displaying his divine nature - He didn’t show it off. Instead, he said to the Father - THY will be done with MY talents. If you want them to remain hidden - I will do so - to the glory of YOUR name. It was through that selfless act of NOT using his talents that Jesus gave the greatest glory to God. For through that sacrifice God gave wiped away our sins of arrogance. It’s through that sacrifice that God gave us the gift of forgiveness, patience, and humility. Because Jesus didn’t use His gifts, we now have more than enough to serve Him.
III. It’s about God’s will
Moses wanted to make a difference, he wanted to use his gifts, and he wanted to save his people, but it backfired. He had to run to Midian and live with people that he had never met before miles and miles away from the very people he was trying to free. This was no mere bump in the road for Moses. He ended up in Midian for forty years. Instead of living as a statesman in the palace, Moses lived as a shepherd in the desert. It wasn’t until Moses was eighty years old that God would finally call him for the work that Moses felt he was ready to do forty years earlier.
Yet there were blessings from God, even in the midst of this exile. While he was there, God gave him a wife by the name of Zipporah and an intelligent priest and father in law by the name of Jethro. As he lived like a shepherd, he was able to experience what his people had done for 430 years in Egypt. Later on, when he would lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he would then be traveling through land that he was familiar with and used to. But most importantly, this forty year hold on his mission taught Moses humility. He had many years to think about and regret the murder that he committed. Numbers 12:3 actually says that Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. The time in the desert taught him that even though he had talents, they were to be used under the direction of God - not at his own discretion. With that humility, Moses would then be able to handle the ridicule and rejection of the Israelites - without taking it personally. He would be able to be patient with them and pray for them when needs be. With these gifts, he would then be able to make the difference he wanted to.
God ended up doing a similar thing with Paul. I might call it putting a cruise control on him. Paul said, To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Co 12:7-10) With all of the gifts God gave Paul - he had to keep him humble - in order that he would remember WHO those gifts were going to be used for. With these limitations, Paul was able to make a difference by spreading the gospel throughout the world.
So if you’ve been given great gifts that you really want to use for the glory of God’s kingdom and you want to make a difference, what’s the main lesson in today’s story? You need to wait for the call to use them! If people really like your voice and think it could edify a service, they’ll ask you to use it sooner or later. If people really think you would make a good elder, then just wait. If you really think you have talents that could be used to a greater capacity, JUST WAIT. If God is willing, the call will come. It’s so easy to get angry or frustrated or even quit and leave when you feel you have talents that aren’t being used. But it takes humility and patience to WAIT for God to call. It might even take until you’re eighty years old! That might have seemed like too long - but Moses still served God for forty more years of his life. So don’t worry - God knows when and how and where you should use your talents. The story of Moses shows us this.
There’s a commercial out for a car, that shows two young men driving a souped up red hot rod with the power to do zero to fifty in no time at all. But the young men have dumbfounded looks on their faces, as they are driving a beauty queen through a parade going only five miles an hour. They look at each other and say, “this is so wrong.”
I would compare every day to like driving in a car. Sometimes you might feel that life is cruising along at breakneck speed and everything is going great - you’re getting promoted - working good hours - making big bucks. But then sometimes you might hit a speed zone where it says, “ten miles per hour.” So you creep along with a broken arm, a run down car, or a spouse or children that seem to be making your life much slower than you wanted. You want to do so much more - you want to do more and “make a difference”, but you can’t. It seems “so wrong.”
My friends, God knows what kind of a car you’re driving. He’s set the speed limit of your life. You may want to go a hundred miles an hour. But your car may only go fifty. Or your car may go a hundred, but the problems in your life aren’t letting you go over ten. Don’t worry about it. God knows what speed you should be going. He knows where he wants you to go and what he wants you to do. As he told the Israelites through Jeremiah - God also says to you - I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. So just wait. God will use your talents. You will make a difference in the way God wants you to. Amen.
