The Challenge Of God's Call-1 Series

The CHALLENGE Of GOD's CALL-I—Exodus 3:1-22

Assistance/Discovery/Significance

Attention:

New Year’s Challenges.

Me, As a young driver I can remember having my learner’s permit with Dad in the passenger seat/We were traveling up US Hwy 601 from Salisbury, NC toward Mocksville, NC.

There was a ‘narrow’(my opinion at the time) two-lane bridge over the South Yadkin River which we had to cross in order to get to Mocksville.

My confidence was minimal on the road, but I was totally frightened to cross a bridge, particularly if another vehicle was in the opposite lane of the bridge/I dreaded that happening.

As we approached the South Yadkin Bridge I tensed up—white knuckle time—& wouldn’t you know it, my worst nightmare happened!/An 18 wheeler enters the bridge from the opposite end as I entered from the other!/I could have stopped & waited for the truck to pass but I did not/Dad remained calm, etc...& we passed each other on the bridge uneventfully—Everyone survived!/I realized I could do it & that I shouldn’t fear the passing distance!/As I crossed more bridges & gained more experience, my confidence grew.

As Christians, many of you/us are fearful of God’s plan for your life. It is at the minimum, uncomfortable, untested, & uncertain. And because of our fear, we don’t allow ourselves to hear God speak because of what ‘might happen’ if we were to answer, so we avoid God altogether. We convince ourselves that we are content in doing what we know best & have always done.

For those who have not committed to God in Christ, God calls & challenges you to trust His Divine only-begotten Son Jesus.

God calls us & challenges us, not because He wants to see us sweat or fail, but because He has chosen us for a vital part of His plan for the ages!

Will you meet the Challenge?

Exodus records the significance of God’s call to Moses.

Answering God’s call is a significant challenge.

To What does God’s call present a challenge?

16 challenges of/to answering God’s call.

1—God’s call presents a challenge to...

Our OCCUPATION(:1)

Explanation:(:1)Current tasks

: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, & came to Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Moses had previously(~40 yrs. prior, per Acts 7:22-30) attempted to bring deliverance/vengeance in his own power, by killing an Egyptian slave-driver(2:11). Which action drove him to leave Egypt in fear of his life by Pharaoh(2:15).

Moses fled to Midian where he married Zipporah & had a son, Gershom by name(2:21-22). Moses was 80 yrs. when he & Aaron spoke to Pharoah(Ex. 7:7; Acts 7:30). Moses was 120yrs. at his death just prior to Israel’s entering the promised land(Deut. 31:1-2; 34:7).

“Midian”—was “mainly east of the east fork of the Red Sea”[Western shore of Sinai Peninsula]—“In the Arabian Peninsula along the eastern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba”[Eastern shore of Sinai Peninsula]—NAC/EBC. Thus “Midian" must have been located in the northwestern corner of Arabia & encompassing much of the Sinai Peninsula.

Moses had traveled some distance from “Midian" toward Egypt(west) in his feeding the “flock.” He led the flock “to the back of the desert.” This would entail a potential distance of 20-50mi?

“Moses had gone no small distance” “in his cattle drive”—NAC

Though Moses was nearing 80yrs. of age, he was a shepherd for his father-in-law & not of his own flocks. Moses was a very unassuming man(Num. 12:3).

Num. 12:3—“(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)”

Deut. 34:7—“Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.”

We don’t know if “the mountain” was known as “the mountain of God” prior to Moses’ going there or if it is named from Moses’ experience there, both before & after the exodus.

?Where is your OCCUPATION taking you?

?Are you ready for God to move/work/call, or are you content to maintain?

?What if God comes into your life & ‘changes the game?’

“Tending/Kept”—her raw-aw’—Qal Perfect—1) To pasture, tend, graze, feed; 2) To associate with, be a friend of (meaning probable). Strong—a primitive root; To tend a flock; i.e. Pasture it; intransitively--To graze(literally or figuratively); generally--To rule; by extension--To associate with (as a friend).

“Flock”2X—Nau tso'n—1) Small cattle, sheep, sheep & goats, flock, flocks. Strong—from an unused root meaning to migrate; A collective name for a flock(of sheep or goats); also figuratively--of men.

“Jethro”—wrty Yith-row'—Jethro = “His abundance”—1) Father-in-law of Moses; also ‘Jether.' Strong—=“His excellence”; Jethro, Moses' father-in-law.

“Father-in-law”—Ntx khaw-than’—Qal Participle Active—1) To become a son-in-law, make oneself a daughter's husband—1a) (Qal) Wife's father, wife's mother, father-in-law, mother-in- law(participle). Strong—a primitive root; To give(a daughter) away in marriage; hence generally--To contract affinity by marriage.