Moses

He was born during a time when Israel was under servitude to Egypt, and the king wanted male Israelite children killed when born out of fear of their population.   His mother hid him, then she set him in a basket into the Nile where a daughter of the King saw him and adopted him.  He grew up in the royal court.  At 40, he saw an Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian whom he killed.  When the news of this was out, and the king sought to kill Moses, he fled to Midian.  He spent 40 years there as a shepherd, until God appeared to him and called him to deliver Israel from Egypt.

Acts 7.23-29 (25):  Stephen said that Moses thought he would be the one who would deliver Israel…”but they did not understand.”

Hebrews 11.24-26:  “By faith…he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he looked to the reward.”

This showed knowledge that he had about Israel, himself, and the hope of deliverance.  He chose God’s program over the temporal pleasures that were available in Egypt.  To identify with the people of God was to identify with God’s purposes which were of eternal consequence.

His Calling

Ex 3.1-10 (10):  God appears to him, by the burning bush at Mt Horeb, and reveals his plan to deliver Israel by him.

Moses 5 objections

1)  3.11-12   Who am I to do this? God’s Answer:  God is with him.  The sign: Israel will serve God at this mountain.

Your adequacy and authority comes from God.

2)  13-20:  What is the name of this God?  (The thought may be their questioning as to what God is this, who is he?   And think about the amount of time that has passed, being 430 years from the time of Joseph.)

 Answer:  I am who I am, and

The Lord God of their fathers, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.”   3:15: God’s first use of LORD which is Yahweh, standard third person form of verb “to be.”

LORD is Yahweh meaning “causes to be” or “He is.”

God is set apart from the gods of Egypt, and He is the God of their fathers and the promises.   According to Exodus 12.12, God says “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.”

3) 4.1-9:  What if they don’t believe me or listen?  

Answer:  You will perform these signs:  The rod becomes a serpent,  leprosy of the hand and restoration,  and then water from Nile become blood on dry land.

God gives a basis for faith.  Questioning is not wrong, when in sincerity. He did this for John the Baptist through the miracles of Jesus:  Luke 7.20-22

4)  4.10-12:  I am not eloquent.    (Though Stephen said Moses was mighty in words, Acts 7.22—loss of confidence or ability or ambition?)

Answer:  I’m God….I will give you the words.

Authority of the message is primary over ability.   Of course you need a message, but Moses had one—from God.     He had the word of God.

5)  4.13-17:   Send someone else.   

Answer:   God is angry—probably because Moses refusal was more a disobedience than fear.  God says:  “Your brother can speak well.  You can tell him what to say.  And you have the rod with which to perform the signs.”   You have no excuses.

You may not want to do it.  It may be a feeling of inadequacy or uncertainty of desire, but if it is God’s will, then it is a matter of faith and repentance and obedience, not ability.   You must serve according to his will and message.  

There is a will of God that applies to all believers in the areas of church ministry and sharing your faith.   Doing these things are a matter of obedience, and are to be done according to God’s revealed will and word in Scripture.   There is a certain ability all believers have available to them through the spiritual life, but it doesn’t guarantee eloquence.   It does require effort and being on message.

Mat 21. 28  " But what do you think? A man had two sons, ….  31  "Which of the two did the will of [his] father?"

God gives Moses a brief glimpse of what he shall do and what will happen:  4.21-23:  Do these wonders before Pharaoh…

(Eloquent means having or exercising the power of fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech: an eloquent orator.)

Every issue raised was to be addressed.  Even though the last issue was a response of disobedience, it was answered with the role of Aaron, who meeting the needs of the last 2 objections.  Moses was to represent God and lead.  Aaron was to follow instruction and speak.  Here is the pattern of the older shall serve the younger.

Moses first visit with Pharaoh made things harder for Israel. 5.2, 7-8, 19-21

Moses: "Why have you sent me?"  Ex 5:22

Why didn't Moses just ask God "so what's next?"

3.19: God said Pharaoh would not let them go.

Israel's bondage was made abhorrent, lest there be any adaptation or accommodation.

They weren't so believing when things got harder, 6.9.  

Don’t be surprised that when you are obedient to God, when you seek to do everything God’s way, that people or circumstances will turn out the way you want or expect them to.   However, in Moses case, God anticipated and planned for Pharaoh to resist and be difficult.  And of course, life was made worse for the Israelites, and they were not happy.

God reveals his plan to harden Pharaoh so God could bring Israel out by great judgments--leaving no doubt of divine involvement  and  election.  

A distinction is made between Egypt and Israel, 8.22, 11.7; and 10 plagues against the gods, 12.12, Nu 33.4

Burden of Moses

Nu 11.10  after leaving Sinai, the people complain again, about the 5^th time.   This time they are sick of manna and mish the food and meat of Egypt.  They cry in their tents.  Moses is distressed.

11.11:  Moses:  “Why Me?”  14:  This burden is too great.   15: Please kill me.

--Seems immature, but then, the burdeplaced upon someone for others who are unhappy can be distressful.   Though I wonder why Moses just didn’t petition God to provide meat for them and to help him.

--God’s answer was to distribute the burden onto 70 other men.   (All leaders of large groups need this kind of distribution of responsibility.

--Moses questions how God will provide meat:  21-23  The answer will be quail brought in by the wind (31-35)

--25-30: the 70 are enabled to prophesy as evidence of their divine role.  The 2 in the camp and Moses’ response to Joshua may explain the statement about Moses being the most humble man on earth in 12.3.

Moses is not self assertive, promoting or competitive.  His role was secure; it was in the will of God.  He didn’t need all the attention, and was pleased others were used of God in service.

In light of this account and the one that follows concerning Miriam and Aaron seems to support this understanding of Moses being the most humble man as being non self assertive or promoting.

12.1-3:  Side issue:  Mir and Aaron criticize Moses’ marriage.  Unless he remarried, of which there is no evidence, they must have been being derogatory concerning his Midian wife, calling her an Ethiopian or Cushite.   Unless this criticism was out of a fear of a threat of Moses’ wife to Miriam, it may have been just the result of a deeper issue that would surface.

Criticism can sometimes be due to a deeper issues that may or may not be known.

12.2:  They want equal status and or recognition.  Who were they really confronting here?  God chose Moses.  This is like when people want to know your view on a controversial issue.  Even though you seek to present the biblical view, they criticize you as if you are the source of the view.

12.3:  This is here in light of these events:  the elders who share the burden with Moses, and with this he is pleased; and his siblings who accuse him of getting all the glory.

6-8:  God vindicates Moses.  Vs 9:  consequence:  Miriam is made a leper.   The Bible tells it like it is. 

13:  Moses pleads for her healing.   He is not vindictive.

Moses knew his position.  He did not feel threatened.  He was more willing to give it up.  He accepted the role and was willing to share the burden.  He was not vindictive of those who were jealous.