Exodus 4
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Moses received His assignment and we saw the difficulty of obedience.
Obedience- may we be obedient because God is God. Let us worship him, follow him and live for him because He is God. We believe He is the source of life and there is no other God but Him. We walk and live in obedience simply because He is God. Nothing more and nothing less. He is God.
God met with Moses in a bush that was on fire but would not burn up. Moses received his assignment that he would lead the Israelites out of slavery and in to a land flowing with Milk and Honey.
God has clearly spoken and Moses has heard.
Now watch the dialogue with God here in chapter 4 of Exodus.
Exodus 4:
Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
Moses begins this dialogue by looking to others. He says what if they...
The focus is not on himself (so to speak) but he begins to shift the blame to others and says ok God I am ready but what if they.
When God gives us an assignment, it can be easy for us to begin to look around and pass blame on to others as to why we don’t want to do what God has called us to do. “God I am ready but what if THEY”
What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me and question that the Lord did not appear to you.
As we blame others this appears to be spiritual
God I trust you but they are the problem for they do not trust you.
God I am ready to go but they are a big problem
God I love you but I can’t stand your followers.
We assume that we are spiritual but its the others who are the problem.
Who recieved the assignment from God? Moses or the people? Moses did and it was Moses whom God spoke to at the burning bush and it was Moses that the Lord told to deliver the people from slavery. When you break this down, this has nothing to do with others and this is all about Moses and His faith.
Passing blame can make us appear to be spiritual but this only drives us further from the one we claim to be close to.
Learn to identify and take responsibility for areas in your life that you are truly responsible for.
Is it really people who are causing you to doubt your faith or does it come back to you.
Caution: Some struggle to identify that which they are not responsible for. As you learn to take responsibility in your Christian walk, some of you will be tempted to assume full responsibility for everything to the point that you blame yourself for everything including that which is out of your control.
Identify that which you are responsible for:
Don’t blame others
Don’t take the blame for that which is not your responsibilty
Then Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
The Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied.
Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” He threw it on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, but the Lord told him, “Stretch out your hand and grab it by the tail.” So he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand. “This will take place,” He continued, “so they will believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Exodus 4:1-
This will take place so they will believe that the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has appeared to you.
Now is the crowd around when this happens?
Is anyone watching?
NO
Now what is interesting about this is that when they approach Pharoah in chapter 7 what does the Lord tell Aaron and Moses to do? Throw down their staff and it becomes a snake.
God met with Moses one on one and then used what he taught Moses one on one in front of Pharoah.
Christ followers exercise faith in private before it is put on display in public.
God is just confirming to Moses this call. No one else is around and Moses says what if they don’t believe me? God says Moses this has NOTHING to do with them. This is about Moses faith and belief in God.
Exodus 4:6-
In addition the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, his hand was diseased, white as snow. Then He said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” He put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, it had again become like the rest of his skin. “If they will not believe you and will not respond to the evidence of the first sign, they may believe the evidence of the second sign. And if they don’t believe even these two signs or listen to what you say, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the Nile will become blood on the ground.”
God continues to confirm this calling with Moses. Moses says what if they… God says if “they” don’t believe then here are some signs.
Lord I want to follow you and be obedient to you but what if they...
God says here are some signs. Here are some things that say that I am God. You trust me because I am God and not God in the open but I am God of your heart in the quiet. I am God.
Let me be clear if you want God so that he simply can meet your conditions of what you think a God should do then you don’t want God you want yourself.
To say that something is God, then everything yields to this supreme being. Desires yield, agendas yield, lifestyles yield, parenting yields, finances yield and everything yields to that which is God.
God shows Moses these signs and look at Moses response.
I know just like me that many of you can identify with Moses this morning
Exodus 4:10
But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant —because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”
Moses response gets us closer to the problem. Remember at this point he was saying them them them and now it gets closer to home as Moses says no I am the problem. I have never been eloquent either in the past or in the present or since you have been speaking to me. I am slow and hesitant in speech
This also appears to be very spiritual.
God you are not the problem its me.
We seem spiritual when we run ourself down. God you are so good and great but I am not able to do what you have called me to do.
Sounds spiritual but I would argue that it is full of the sin of selfishness. This has nothing to do with God but is all pointed towards self.
Reminder who is calling Moses? Is Moses calling Moses? NO Nor are you calling yourself. God called you and the moment you doubt yourself it may feel very spiritual but in fact you are doubting God himself.
God’s response
Exodus 4:11-
Exodus 4:
Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.”
God says who created you? Who made your mouth that you are doubting? I did
Now Go!
He not only says for him to God but he also says I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.
Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and He said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. He will speak to the people for you. He will be your spokesman, and you will serve as God to him. And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with.”
Exodus 4:13-
Then Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still living.”
Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go.
This is our story
God wants to deliver us from the slavery of sin. As God calls us out of this sin, we begin to say but God I can’t be delivered because of them. God my friends won’t believe that I have been delivered. God you want me but it’s them. God says I will handle them.
Ok God you can handle them and you want me but I am not good enough to be delivered. It’s me and I am the failure. I will never make it. God says “I am” I am God and you are not doubting you but you are doubting me. I want to deliver you so leave your selfishness and follow me. I want you.