The Moses Problem

Have you ever felt "YOU ARE DONE".

There is nothing you could do anymore?

There is a total weakness in you….

You feel, you had inner peace before, but now it is lost….

Moses knew that feeling. I call this "The Moses Problem"

Feeling inadequate is what Moses felt…..

When God gave Moses a greater task to perform, Did he take it up immediately?

When God called Moses to lead…. There was "TWO sides to the story"

1. God's supreme power made Moses feel great… Miracles - Testimonies - Witnesses.

2. Moses' own failures - Guilt - Incapacity - Inadequacy.

Before we come to our story, Lets go back a little bit…

1. Why did Moses leave the land of Egypt? Was it because God called him to free the Israelites? Exod 2:11-15

No…It was because he was afraid of the Pharaoh. Pharoh was chasing him to kill him because of what Moses did…

Exodus 2:15 New International Version (NIV)

15 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.

How can we feel inadequate?

1. Our past failures can make us feel inadequate…

This could have been true of Moses. God made him the leader.

This was a big responsibility.

Moses was unable to accept it at first. Maybe this was because he did not trust himself.

He remembered a terrible event. He had killed an Egyptian man. Then he had buried him in the sand.

Our past failures sometimes hold us back.

They make us feel that we have no power.

But it does not need to be like this.

They need not stop us from doing great things for God.

But listen carefully….

Moses had another serious problem here.

Read Exodus 2:11-15 again…

What was Moses intention - Good or bad? But what did it finally end up with? He did bad. He was chased to be killed. He earned the anger of the pharaoh.

We have our good qualities and bad qualities. Mostly we watch at our bad qualities. But God is telling us… Also watch at your good qualities. It can sometimes cause bad endings.

Remember Elijah. He was full of courage at Mount Carmel. (1 Kings 18:17-40.)

Then he became a complete coward.

This was when he heard Jezebel’s evil promise to kill him. (1 Kings 19:1-4.)

1 Kings 19:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beershebain Judah, he left his servant there,

Moses had a good intention… He had sympathy and pity for his people.

All was good, but murder was not the solution.

Today, to lead a Christian life could be harder - Even harder than choosing our way.

I have heard believers saying " I have been faithful all my life". But why is this happening to me? Why must my family suffer?

Moses was unable to control his temper. His anger surpassed his faith in the Lord of Abraham.

We can also see another instance when Moses did not listen to God's voice when he struck the rock to get water. God said SPEAK TO THE ROCK. But what did Moses do? HE STRUCK THE ROCK - NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE.

The event there may suggest something. Perhaps he was impatient sometimes. Maybe he became annoyed at times.

HOW CAN SUCH IMPATIENCE REFLECT IN OUR LIVES?

IMPATIENCE LEADS TO REFUSING TO ACCEPT GOD'S WORD.

God was very crisp and clear to Moses when he spoke from the burning bush….

Exodus 3:6 New International Version (NIV)

6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

BUT STILL….

WE SEE AN EXCUSING MOSES IN EXOD 4

Initially Moses did not say "I CANNOT DO IT". What did he say

Exodus 4:1 New International Version (NIV)

Signs for Moses

4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Moses was impatient? Was God impatient…. He was patient….

He showed two miraculous signs to show himself to Moses another time…

Lets not go into those details…

God taught Moses He can change his inadequacy into adequacy……

Lets read from V 1 -2 again

Exodus 4:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

4 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

When it was Moses' staff, God had to show many miracles to proove himself..