Excuses
Exodus • Sermon • Submitted
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Moses has received a call from the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Moses is an apostle, an ambassador, and the nation’s promised Messiah. Forty years before he wanted to do this, and he knew that the Lord had destined him for this very task.
Acts 7:23-25.
“But when he was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.
“And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.
“And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.
Now he does not want to do it and he offers a series of five excuses in which he contends that he is not the one for this work.
Each excuse of Moses is answered by God, and Moses is given either a sign or signs whereby he and others may know that his excuses are no problem to God.His objections are overruled by the Lord.
Forty years earlier, Moses thought he could deliver the children of Israel. Now, forty years later, he though he could not do it, even with the Lord’s help. The pendulum has swung too far to the other extreme, and the Lord has to deal with the very opposite problem in his life. In this regard, we must never forget the backwardness of the flesh may be just as great a hindrance as the forwardness of the flesh. The flesh is wrong however it manifests itself.
How true of human nature this is. When we think we can, we can’t. When we think we can’t, we can but we don’t know it. In ourselves we can do nothing; in Christ we can do all things.
It is not able men that God is looking for; it is willing men that He can make into able men. God cannot use the strong while they are strong or else they would glory in their strength rather than the Lord’s power. Yet whenever the Lord calls us for a task, we never have to worry about the ability to perform it. That ability is never in us in the first place but is always in the Lord. When He calls, He qualifies with the enabling that comes from him.
1. The First Excuse: The Problem of Personal Inferiority for the Task, 3:11-12.
1. The First Excuse: The Problem of Personal Inferiority for the Task, 3:11-12.
A. The Excuse: “Who am I...?”, 3:11.
A. The Excuse: “Who am I...?”, 3:11.
Exodus 3:11.
But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses asks God a question. “Who am I…?” speaks to his perspective, that he considers himself insignificant. Yes, he was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter in the courts of Egypt, being educated in the ways of Egypt, but he also in his own strength took on the task of deliverer and failed miserably. Forty years later, he is given a task that, from a human perspective looking at his current life setting, he is unqualified for. What lowly shepherd would be able to sway the King of the world, the Pharaoh of Egypt, considered the physical embodiment of the Egyptian god Horus? As for bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, well, that didn’t go very well forty years ago – why should this time be any different?
What Moses is saying is “I do not have any human assets that qualify me for this position.” God has spent forty years showing Moses that he could not use them anyway even if he had them (1 Cor. 1:26-29; 2:1-5).
B. God’s Answer: “I will be with you,” 3:12a.
B. God’s Answer: “I will be with you,” 3:12a.
Exodus 3:12.
And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
God’s response: “Certainly I will be with you.” Here God tells Moses that success is not dependent upon him but on God, who calls him and who goes with him and before him. Moses is being assured that things will be different this time because God Himself will be present with him. He is Immanuel! His presence, His ability, His strength, His providence is for Moses because God has determined to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, and He has chosen Moses as His agent.
Moses comes to learn this lesson so well that later he refuses to travel with the children of Israel without the LORD going with them. The time this happens is after the sin of the people during the golden calf incident. God said
“But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
“I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.
And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.
“For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”
God asks us to be partners with Him as laborers together with God, yet we are nothing and He is everything.
1 Corinthians 3:7.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
We need to get our eyes off ourselves, and off the Lord’s servant, whoever he may be, and keep our eyes on the Lord. He alone is everything. The servant of the Lord is nothing.
How wonderful it is that the Lord has never called his disciples to go alone. Think of his call, power and presence for us today (Matt. 28:18-20). He is still Immanuel.
C. The Sign: “You shall serve God on this mountain,” 3:12b.
C. The Sign: “You shall serve God on this mountain,” 3:12b.
Exodus 3:12.
And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
The sign that God gives to Moses is a culmination of God’s active work of deliverance through Moses. It was a sign that required Moses to believe, to have faith and that the outcome would be secure. He doesn’t know how all this would come about, but God knows all that will transpire and assures Moses that not only will he draw the people out of Egypt, thus fulfilling the name he received from the daughter of Pharaoh, but that the people with Moses will worship God at this very place where Moses is standing, barefoot, before the bush aflame but not touched by the flames, where God is present amidst the bush.
The implication here is that Moses, as he writes this down, is now before this very mountain with the children of Israel. The Lord gives us promises and fulfills them to further encourage us in the ways of the Lord. How gracious, loving and wonderful He is.
2. The Problem of The Message, 3:13-22.
2. The Problem of The Message, 3:13-22.
One problem is solved, but Moses has another difficulty. In this case, the problem is what to say to the children of Israel when he goes. A messenger cannot go without a message, and this message is from a certain One.
A. Excuse: “What shall I say?”, 3:13.
A. Excuse: “What shall I say?”, 3:13.
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”
Moses realizes he blundered once before and does not want to blunder again. He wants to be fully informed before he goes. Do not rush over this verse for it is full of significance. The Lord had previously said to Moses that He, the Lord, was his father’s God (3:6) besides being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, this One was not the present God of the children of Israel, and therefore Moses can only say to the people: “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” He cannot say to them: “Your God sent me.” Why? The fact is that the children of Israel in Egypt had left the true worship of the Lord and were worshiping idols and the many gods of Egypt.
See Joshua 24:14.
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
See Ezekiel 20:8-10.
“But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
“But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
“So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.
This is why the nation is so quick to go back to idolatry at the mountain when Moses is gone for 40 days and nights. They were steeped in idolatry, and it is pure grace on God’s part that keeps His word with Abraham and His covenant promises.
Compare Deuteronomy 7:7-8.
“The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Compare Deuteronomy 9:4-6.
“Do not say in your heart when the Lord your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you.
“It is not for your righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
“Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.
The spiritual truth is evident. It is pure grace that saved us when we were unlovely and enemies to the Lord. Ephesians 2 and Romans 5 gives us something of the picture.
B. Answer: “I AM THAT I AM,” 3:14-15.
Exodus 3:14.
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
God answers Moses’s need and gives him the message of His person. It is not possible, in a message like this, but to scratch the surface of the tremendous truth in a verse like this.
In the ancient world, the name of the deity told about that deity. The name gave the character, attributes, and work of a particular deity. Thus, to believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is to believe in His person and in His work. This is why believing on the name of Christ saves a person (John 1:12; 20:31; Acts 3:6, 16; 4:16; etc.).
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”
“And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
The Israelites knew the names of the many gods of the Egyptians, but they would ask the name of the God of their fathers in order to understand something of His person and work. God chooses to reveal Himself in a new way because of the new need. The people have a need and God answers to all their need so that He now reveals Himself as the I AM.
The full name is I AM THAT I AM. It is the expanded title of the KJV Jehovah (Hebrew Yahweh) even as “I AM” is a shortened one. The “I AM” is first-person imperfect of the verb “to become.” The tense is indefinite so that it may be translated “I am,” “I was,” “I will be” together with any combination of these. It may be translated: “I am because I am” or “I exist because I exist.” Dr. Dwight Pentecost says: “It contains each tense of the verb “to be,” and might be translated, I was, I am, and I shall always continue to be.” The doubling of the verb “to be” signifies perfection. The Lord is perfect existence.
The Septuagint translates this, “I am the existing One.” That it definitely is a reference to Jesus Christ is clearly seen in the New Testament (John 8:58; 18:6; etc.). Revelation 1:8 definitely is a reference also to the Lord Jesus Christ which says . . .
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
This name signifies that the Lord is, was and always will be the same. He cannot change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).
Since He cannot change and everything is the eternal present with Him, it signifies that He cannot go back on His word. He cannot enter into a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and then say, after they are off the scene, “Sorry, but I cannot keep My word.” He must keep His word in spite of the sin and idolatry of the people or their unloveliness or unfaithfulness. This is who the I AM is. This is who our God is. He is faithful. Not one word will fail.
Moses was sent by the great I AM, and so are we! He was faithful; let us be also. The Lord says to each one of us, “I AM all you need.” Our need is His person and His power. God can say: “I am that I am”; but Paul as the Lord’s servant can only say: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”
Exodus 3:15.
God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘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, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.
The Lord identifies Himself in a new way but He is still the same God. The Lord is equating Yahweh (Jehovah) with the covenant promise to these three men—the fathers of the nation. God has made a promise and He will keep it. He is the God of the unconditional promise and every time Yahweh is used this is what it signifies to the nation of Israel.
C. Sign: Fulfillment of the Prediction to Abraham, 3:16-22.
Verses 16 to 22 reveal the truth that God, who has entered into a covenant promise, will keep His word. And His keeping his word is a sign for their trust and confidence
Exodus 3:16
“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
The children of Israel were living all in one area of the country. Over them were elders or leaders who were governing as heads of the tribes and families even during their servitude.
Joseph said, “God will surely visit you” (Genesis 50:24, 25). Moses now comes with a message from God: “I have surely visited you.”
Exodus 3:17
“So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’
The promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-21 will now be kept. The land is a good land flowing with milk and honey. In order to have milk, you must have grass and the needed rain, and then cattle to feed on the grass; in order to have honey, you need bees feeding on the nectar of the flowers. It is a wonderful place.
Redemption is not just for the purpose of taking us out of slavery, but to cause us to anticipate the blessings of all whole life before us.
Exodus 3:18.
“They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
The leaders of the nation will accept you, but the Pharaoh on the throne will not. God has a program and a plan in it all. The Lord’s program is never without opposition and problems. Yet He knows the problems and is working just as much in the problems as in the no-problem situations. Both will ultimately glorify him. This is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2:14...
2 Corinthians 2:14.
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
God wants Moses in the children of Israel to first request a three-day vacation trip to the wilderness, in order to sacrifice. Since many animals were considered sacred by the Egyptians, it was necessary to go this far to avoid giving offense to the Egyptians. Some of felt that it was not unusual for parties from Egypt to hold festivals across the border in the wilderness. A temple, where such sacrifices were held, has been discovered.
The initial request was mild in order to show the rebellious heart of the king. When the Lord finishes they will leave for good.
Exodus 3:19.
“But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion.
The Lord knows the reaction of this man before he reacts. The Lord has decreed it, for Pharaoh was raised up for this purpose (Romans 9:17), but the man is responsible because he is doing exactly what he wants to do.
Exodus 3:20.
“So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.
God knows the end from the beginning. He is able to say to Moses: “This is the way it will be.”
Compare Numbers 23:19.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Compare Isaiah 46:10.
Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
Exodus 3:21-22.
“I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed.
“But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”
The promise made to Abraham will then be complete. The Israelites will “ask” and receive everything from the Egyptians. This is God’s work, not theirs. A spoil is lawfully taken of a conquered people (compare Genesis 14:21), and these people have been conquered by God. God is seeing to it that they have their wages for their labor. We need to realize that with God no labor will go unrewarded.
See 1 Corinthians 15:58.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
When Israel comes out of Egypt, she has the wealth of the nation. As Moses pens this book at Mount Sinai, he can see that the sign of the complete fulfillment of the prediction to Abraham and what was stated here at the burning bush has been fulfilled.
Two excuses are over, and yet Moses has three more to give. He still is not convinced he can do it. But how patient and gracious the Lord is with us. If He wasn’t, who among us could be used by Him?