Moses, an Egyptian prince born a Hebrew, slouches around in an area called Midian, just east of the eastern finger of the Red Sea. Moses had murdered a man and ran for his life, finally becoming a shepherd there, like his ancestors. He married and had a son. But God was not through with him, as the story goes in the bible's book of Exodus. No. Moses was to have a huge job given to him, even though he did not want it. God visited Moses in mysterious flames in a burning bush, and Moses, after quite a bit of discussion, agreed to lead God's people out of slavery. This was to be no easy task, and it makes quite a story, which we shall begin here today.
God, hearing the groaning of the Israelites under slavery, remembered the covenant he had made with them years before, and while Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, God came to him from within a bush that did not burn up. When the Lord saw that Moses had gone over to look at the bush, God called to him from within the bush, saying, "Moses! Moses!" Moses answered, "Here I am!" God stopped him from coming further, saying, "Do not come closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." And Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God.
The Lord spoke again, "I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I desire to rescue them from the hand of Egypt, and bring them to a good and spacious land, a land of milk and honey, which now is the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. So, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt."
But Moses, thinking, 'not so fast', said, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be a sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain."
But Moses still hesitating said, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites; "I AM has sent me to you." And God continued, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."
"Go, assemble the elders of Israel and tell them that I appeared to you and said, "I have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land I have chosen for you, a land flowing with milk and honey. The elders will listen to you. Then you and the elders will go to the Pharaoh 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."
But Moses, now really concerned about his the task before him said, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Then the Lord said, "What is that in your hand?" And he replied, "A staff." The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." And Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses did that and it turned back into a staff.. "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.
And the Lord showed Moses that he could make his skin become leprous and restore it again. Afterward, the Lord said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first or second miraculous signs, 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."
Moses said to the Lord, trying his last excuse, "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." And the Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
But Moses, in desperation and fear 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." And Moses did. (End of story today)
I asked myself: What does this story teach so far? Don't argue with God? Moses arguing that he was not clever enough in speech to do the job almost made me nervous, except I knew that God would have his way in the end. Moses had a deep sense of inadequacy, and deeply fearful that he would not be any better even with God's help. Did he not trust God? Did he not believe God knew what he was doing and trusted that he was the right man for the jobs? How much fear must have been in his heart, that there was no trust or faith even when he could hear God's voice? I know he wasn't raised in the Hebrew faith and I know from my own experience that not being raised trusting God can hamper one's faith as an adult. I hope this message from one of God's heroes can help us to see that each of us may have a charge from God some day. Help us to have trust in you, O Lord!
See you tomorrow,
Jo INMN
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