Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, 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. The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you.” (Exodus 3: 1-11)
I’ve been teaching in our Rooted and Grounded Sunday class about Moses (then Joshua) and the Israelites. I tell you, I am fascinated with all the happenings in this story that spans 5 books of the Bible. If you read this epic account with an eye for the practical lessons for yourself, you will be talking to God for a while about them.
I want to focus today (and probably more) on Moses’ call, his fears about the call, and God’s practical school of faith. Have you ever believed or known there was something that you were supposed to do, but you were quaking in your boots about it? I certainly have. When you compare the assignment with your abilities, the scales are tilted far away from your natural capabilities. All your insecurities rise up within you, and you ask, “Who, me, God?” Or you are facing a life challenge that is way beyond your pay grade. Then what?
Well, Moses found himself in just such a predicament. And mind, you, Moses had been living in a bit of a predicament for a very long time. Once the adopted son of Pharoah’s daughter, living in the Egyptian palace, Moses had let his temper get the best of him, and he had killed an Egyptian who was abusing a Hebrew slave. Good motive, bad choice; very bad choice. Then he learned that he’d been seen. So Moses had fled to the wilderness to get himself out of trouble, and there he’d been a lowly shepherd for about 40 years. Day after day, Moses tended the sheep of his father-in-law, Jethro.
Exodus 3 picks up with Moses doing what he did, tending those unruly, stinky sheep on the back side of the wilderness in Midian. Not exactly a fulfillment of the dreams he must have entertained while in that luxurious palace.
Listen, don’t be surprised if God shows up to call you in a new direction when you least expect it. Even if you’ve made some big mistakes in the past, God is not through with you. It could feel for all the world you are on the backside of a desert, and you feel your life is essentially over as you tread through the dailyness of a dull or painful life.
BUT He has given you certain gifts and talents, and all of your experiences (yes, even those) help to develop your abilities to prepare you for each new moment. This about it. God was calling Moses to go and bring His people out of Egyptian slavery. Moses had been trained in Egypt, so he knew that culture. He had now spent much time in the wilderness. Can you see how each experience prepared him for the calling God was placing on his life? He could talk to Pharoah in light of Egyptian beliefs and culture, and he had valuable skills for leading approximately 2 million people through such a barren terrain. God’s Hand on our lives is like that. If you really look, you can see how He has prepared you for each new experience. Have you noticed this?
Despite all of that preparation, when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, Moses was anything but thrilled about the assignment. He immediately began to look at his own self-perceived inadequacies. And Moses began a series of protests and dialogues with God that just may ring a bell with each of us.
Hmmm…I warned you this might “take a minute.” I managed to get us to the beginning of this experience at the burning bush. We will continue tomorrow.
In the meantime, please embrace this encouragement. You can’t go too far in your foolishness for God to forget about you. We’re told in Romans that the gifts and callings of God on your life are irrevocable. Stop in your tracks. Hear the Voice of Almighty God, calling you, beckoning you to the amazing adventure of being in over your head with Him!
Lord, I stand in awe of Your persistent Love and Purpose on each of our lives. May I never give up on me before You do. You are so faithful to keep on working with me, even when I fail again and again. Thank you, my God.
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