Moses: Send Someone Else to Do it!
Exodus 1-4James R. Davis
How vividly I remember getting out of high school in the mid 1960's. About all most high school boys could think about in those years was being drafted into the Army. There were at least two options when facing the all but inevitable draft. We could choose to let Uncle Sam draft us into the Army for two years or we could join another branch of the armed service and serve four years. The difference in the choices was more than just the two year or four year commitment. It was a choice of you spending two years in the Army and have a great chance of living at least a year of that time in front trenches of Vietnam. To us at that time it seemed that those who were drafted into the Army always had a much better chance ending up in Vietnam than those who volunteered in the Army or some other branch of the service.
The other choice was to join a branch of the Armed Forces where you would most probably spend three to four years of your life way behind the front lines in a combat support group. It was really a gamble with your life, choosing a two year compulsory commitment with a great possibly of coming home dead or a four year commitment that tremendously increased the odds of coming back home alive. Those are heavy decisions for high schoolers. Many chose to avoid the conflict of the front lines by volunteering for another branch of the service. Which personally I have always thought was the only intelligent thing to do.
Usually our motto is "Avoid conflict" and to do this we usually choose the "path of least resistance." The vast majority of the world rather choose the "path of least resistance." This path offers a semblance of peace, at least as it is compared to our other choices.
Many choose to do the same thing when engaging the enemy in spiritual warfare. They rather be in a combat support group that is not intimately engaged with the enemy. Choosing to step out and obey God's call in the Lord's Army is like volunteering for the front lines in Vietnam. You can expect soul stirring conflict. And the rather surprising thing is that you don't have to step out to preach or lead to engage in spiritual conflict. All you have to do is tackle the personal spiritual problems that are preventing your growth as a child of God. Just tackle your besetting sin and watch what happens. The Devil will send his reinforcements and immediately our lives are placed out there on the front lines. And if we are not careful we will retreat to a place where we don't have to fight that intimately with the forces of Satan.
Moses was God's Man
Moses was drafted from birth to serve in God's army. He had been separated from his mother's womb, rescued from a papyrus basket, raised for the first 40 years of his life in the Pharoah of Egypt's palace and spoken to by God from a burning bush for the purpose of delivering God's people from bondage. Moses may have grown up enjoying the pleasures of Egypt but he never lost a heart for his people.
Exodus 2:11-15
And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.I have noticed in spiritual battles peacemakers always stay in trouble. They can't win. They will be seen either as compromisers or sticking their nose in where they have no business. They are condemned no matter what they endeavor to do. So having failed Moses fled to Midian. I wonder how many nights he laid awake thinking of himself as a coward and thinking, "But after all there is no use in getting killed for nothing . . . There is no need in asking for trouble." And of course I still believe that he did the only intelligent thing to do.
When we step out to do the right thing we think, "surely life should get easier?" We think that we should automaticlly be rewarded for doing the right thing. But that is not what happened to Moses. So Moses withdrew from the front line approach in Egypt and spent the next 40 years in a peaceful pastoral setting tending sheep. What bliss! Moses had 40 years to think of plenty of reasons why he shouldn't go back home to Egypt. And now at 80 he has observed and learned much. He is much smarter and wiser about those sorts of things. So the Lord appears to Moses in a burning bush and tells him that he is being sent to the trenches on the front lines.
The Lord spoke to Moses, "Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:9-10) And Moses did what the majority of us do when we are asked to come to the front lines.
"Who am I, that I should go . . ." (Exodus 3:11)
So Moses ask the only rational question that any thinking person could ask. In fact he ask the same question teenagers were asking in the 60's. "Who am I, that I should go?" Moses simply asked, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11)
There are reasons for Moses' doubts about going. Stephen relates the story in the book of Acts. "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. [Emphasis mine] And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Madian, where he begat two sons." (Acts 7:22-29)
If they didn't believe Moses 40 years prior, why should they believe him now. Who was he to tell them anything? After all he had led a priveleged life as Pharoah's grandson. There is not much doubt in my mind that Moses may have had a conflict with God. If God didn't show his hand to help 40 years prior, why should he trust him now? Again it is like Vietnam, if the government did that to young kids then can they be trusted now? Should we not be cautious when you have generals interested in their own glory. After all Moses had stepped out to do the right thing then and was left devastated should he not be even more cautious now.
Exodus 3:13-15
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.God said, "I Am who I Am." God told Moses it doesn't have to do with who you are but with who I Am. In any conflict it is important to know who is sending you into battle. Do they know what they are doing? This is especially true in spiritual warfare. Am I trying to accomplish God's work through the use of carnal weapons which the Devil is more than willing to give me or will I be sent to battle by God using the weapons he furnishes.
What shall I say?
Moses wanted to know something else if he did decide to go. There is another question implied by what is written in the text of Exodus chapter 3. It is certainly implied that Moses either was thinking it or asking it, "What shall I say?" If it didn't work then, "What do you expect me to say now?" What to say . . . that is always hard. The hardest thing about preaching is, "What do I say?" You have the whole Bible to preach from but should I be preaching Exodus or Revelation or somewhere in between. What will move this audience? Will anything move this audience? What areas are they willing to move in? What do they need to hear? Or will it do any good to say anything at this time?
So God said, "Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey." (Exodus 3:16-17)
God gives Moses something to say and assures him that after a little persuasion that the Pharoah of Egypt and the Israelite slaves would believe him.
Exodus 3:18-22
"The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.' But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
Why Should They Believe Me?
So Moses ask the only reasonable question, "What if . . . they say, "The Lord did not appear to you?" (Exodus 4:1) Personal testimonies always seem a little weak to me. In fact most seem sort of self-centered.
Exodus 4:2-9
Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-- has appeared to you." Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow. "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."There is no doubt that Moses is thinking of his own efforts and sins 40 years prior. The Pharoah sought to kill him then and the Hebrew brethren were the ones that made the murder known. Why should I go back? What difference can I make? Traumatic experiences piled on top of traumatic experiences can leave one believing that one is incompetent. We conclude after all our lives are irrevelant, so we don't even try. We give up on life and on people.
The belief that we are incompetent haunts us and holds us back. It keeps us from moving forward in life. We're not alone; Moses felt incompetent. Who am I? What can I say? Why should they believe me? I have already failed in this effort once. And now he says, "I am not an eloquent speaker and I talk funny?" "Lord, couldn't you send someone else?"
Peter reminds us today that God's divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)
Divine Deficiencies and God's Power
Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Whatever Moses had when he left Egypt he had been stripped of after spending 40 years in Midian. Stephen indicates in Acts chapter 7 that when he was in Egypt the first 40 years of his life that he was mighty in words and deeds. (Acts 7:22) Some make the claim that Moses learned in Egypt the skills needed to lead God's people out of Egypt. Some contend that he learned military stratagies to help him win the battles after he crossed the Red Sea.
Others believe that he was left Divinely deficient. It seems that the Midian experience was to strip him of whatever he may have had in Egypt. Whatever self-confidence he had when he left Egypt he lost in Midian. I believe the latter. I don't think you find Egyptians fighting the way Moses fought as recorded Exodus 17:9-13. Winning a battle by holding up the rod of God. As long as Moses held the rod up Israel prevailed and when his arms grew tired and drop Israel lost.
Francis Frangipane wrote, "The Lord took a self-assured world leader and reduced him to the point that he became a useful servant. After first convincing Moses of his unfitness for leadership, God then was able to fit him into His plan." (Francis Frangipane in Charisma, Mar 1995)
Here we arrive at the heart of the matter for Moses, the reason he thinks he can't enter into the area of conflict. He is not naturally gifted to tackle the task at hand. He is not persuasive. Even if he knew what to say, he wouldn't know how to phrase it.
"And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. [Emphasis mine] And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." (Exodus 4:11-16)
"God has done many things for Moses up to this point on Mount Horeb. God has revealed himself, told Moses of his holiness, faithfulness, compassion and activity; promised success; and given him three signs that the people will believe him. Despite all this revelation, it's not enough for Moses." (Scott Grant, Divinely Deficient, http://www.pbc.org/dp/grant/exodus/exo004a.html)
It is amazing that on Pentecost God gave the apostles the ability to speak so that Jews from every nation under heaven heard them in each of their languages. Yet here God leaves Moses Divinely deficient.
Moses is stripped of anything he may have learned or earned in Egypt. He is left void of any natural ability to lead in such conflict. He has been leading sheep in Midian. There is probably not a more docile role in the entire world. Sheep aren't like people; they naturally follow. Moses has absolutely nothing to offer much less any self-confidence. He has been out of touch for 40 years. Who would want to hire a CEO who had been out of touch for 40 years?
Deep down this is the crucial heart of the matter for each of us . . . we are convinced, deep down, that there is at least one absolutely crucial attribute that we lack. We think that if we are to be received by people, something about us has to be more compelling. But God doesn't give us what we think we need. Amazingly God is not interested in furnishing what we think we lack. His only concern is to give us what we need and that is faith. Today the church is in a headlong pursuit of what we think we need to make God's plan work. All we really need is faith in God. God's work is not dependent on your competence. If it were it would not be of faith. We would depend on our own competence. And too many of us do.
"O Lord, please send someone else to do it." (Exodus 4:13)
Exodus 4:12-17
Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."It is little wonder that Moses ask God to send someone else. Yet, we don't need someone else to do what God is calling us to do. If we let others do what we are afraid to do we are probably letting them do what God is calling us to do. Do you realize the harm you are doing God's cause when you retreat in fear? Do you realize how this discourages others? (Scott Grant, Divinely Deficient, http://www.pbc.org/dp/grant/exodus/exo004a.html)
So God gives Moses his brother Aaron to be his mouth. Any time God ask you to do something for him it is more of a demand on him than it is you. This is true because he must provide a way to do whatever he is asking you to do. He must give you the means to do it. He must enable you. He must protect you. He must provide physically whatever is needed to do it. So God tells Moses that Aaron is already on the way to meet him. It seems as though God was in the process of bringing Aaron to Moses before Moses began asking the questions.
Conclusion:
Commenting on our need for patience, M.H. Blount has said, "God's best gifts come slowly. We could not use them if they did not. Many a man, called of God to...a work in which he is pouring out his life, is convinced that the Lord means to bring his efforts to a successful conclusion. Nevertheless, even such a confident worker grows discouraged at times and worries because results do not come as rapidly as he would desire. But growth and strength in waiting are results often greater than the end so impatiently longed for. Paul had time to realize this as he lay in prison. Moses must have asked, `Why?' many times during the delays in Midian and in the wilderness. Jesus Himself experienced the discipline of delay in His silent years before His great public ministry began." (Via, InfoSearch Database, http://www.infosearch.com)
Ephesians 6:10-15
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.