"Send someone else"
Evangelistic Series • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsMoses felt afraid, unworthy and not capable.
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A 14 year old teenager was in the middle of night suffering, crying and living the the worst days of his life. It was 2 am and after drinking and using several drugs with his friends, he came to a park decided to end his life. Coming into a park close to his house, He sat in front of a tree and with a gun in his head he thought, “who am i?” “i’m worth nothing” “Nobody cares about me” “There is nothing for me in this world” “I’m better dead!”
You see, these thoughts are usually associated with a young adult who has different types of problems: depression, anxiety, family issues, personality concerns, etc. These thoughts are also related with adults who have suffered a great loss in their life. Either work, a loved one or even all of their financies. Still, this thoughts are related with people who are having issues.
One of these thoughts, probably not as severe as the one from this teenager, passed through the mind of Moses.
After escaping from Pharaoh in Egypt, Moses stay with a priest in Midian who had seven daughters. Moses stayed there for quite some time but there was one instance where he really doubted about who he was.
God’s people, the Israelites, were slaves in Egypt for centuries and cried out to Him for help. God answered their prayers through Moses, who had fled Egypt to the wilderness. While tending his sheep, he witnessed an amazing phenomenon—a burning bush not being consumed. When he came closer God spoke to him saying, “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 to rescue them...So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:7-10)
If you have heard the story, the people of Israel was in captivity and after many years, God decided to deliver them. The question that I will ask myself was, why Moses? Why not someone who had a great army or someone who was willing to set them free by all means? After all, Moses says at one point “Send someone else”
There is something interesting, that after understanding the story of Moses, specially in chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus, came into my mind and this is the focus of today’s sermon.
Moses was shocked by God’s words. He found the command to deliver Israel hard to believe. Immediately Moses objected to God’s command because of his lack of ability (v. 11) and his lack of authority (v. 13).
In verse 11, Moses said to God “Who am I”? Wasn’t Moses part of the leadership team in Egypt? DIdn’t he understood how Egypt function? His question “Who am I that I should go to Pharao and brings the Israelites out of Egypt” was the psychological, emotional and mental consequence of a certain event in the past.
If we come back to chapter 2:11-14, the story says,
11 “One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”
You see, when Moses answered God “who am I?” was probably saying “God, look, the people of Israel do know what I did in Egypt. They know that I killed someone and that probably I mean’t harm to them too. They don’t even like me because of my position in the past. If I go back, they are going to reject me, they are are going to say ‘who are you to rule over us?’ I can’t do this God. I’m the least worthy to go back into my past and specially to deliver the same people who I saw for many years suffer and I did nothing.”
I asked before, why did God wanted Moses to set free the people of Israel? Because by sending Moses, God was delivering Moses from the doubts, hurts, insecurities and specially from His past and allowing Moses to change his own perspective of who he was. He was perfect for the job!
You see, when God asks you to do something, He doesn’t asks you to go do His will without giving you one of the best promises that It is given in the entire Bible “I will be with you” This was the same answer given to Moses in verse 12 of chapter 3.
When you go get into your home this afternoon, I want you to read chapter 3 and 4 of the book of Exodus and see how many signs God provides to Moses assuring the success of the deliverance of Israel even when Moses had many questions about what his ability to show a level of leadership to the people.
Both chapters will allow you to see that even when you and I feel unworthy, incapable, not ready, too young, too old, poor and without knowledge, God’s is willing to be there with you in every aspect of your life as long you are willing to His will. And even when you may say “Send someone else” He will still be there with you to realize that His calling will bring you closer to Him, will change your perspective of who you are and will equip you to rescue from suffering those who have been calling upon His name for many years.
After God answering all of his questions on how he will deliver them or if they believe him after all, the last question from Moses was probably an excuse. In chapter 4 verse 10 Moses says to the Lord ““Pardon your servant, 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.”
According to Matthew Henry , in his commentary to the whole bible, he said “
He (Moses) was a great philosopher, statesman, and divine, and yet no orator; a man of a clear head, great thought, and solid judgment, but had not a voluble tongue, or ready utterance, and therefore he thought himself unfit to speak before great men about great affairs, and in danger of being run down by the Egyptians.
Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (pp. 100–101). Peabody: Hendrickson.
Even when Moses had many abilities, He only saw one aspect of himself that, according to him, will disqualify him of the task.
Moses feels his “I” is inadequate for the task; Yahweh responds by saying that it is his “I” that is to be reckoned with. Verse 12 is particularly striking. The clause “I will help you speak” literally translates, “I will be [ʾanoki ʾehyeh] with your mouth.” The crowning rebuttal to Moses’ complaint is an unmistakable allusion to the earlier conflict between the “I” of Moses and that of Yahweh (see esp. 3:14–15). Moses has nothing to argue about; “I am” is with his mouth.
Enns, P. (2000). Exodus (p. 111). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
You see, it is not about you and I, is about Him. When we receive God’s calling, we often think of ourselves and see our capabilities or our qualifications. We probably see our degree, our work, even how much money we have. But one think is sure. God’s calling to you is all about Him.
I like when Peter Enns writes in His commentary.
Exodus Moses Doubts His Reception: “I Am Ineloquent” (4:10–12)
Moses seems to resist God’s call because he assumes that he is playing the central role in the deliverance of the Israelites, whom God calls “my people” (3:7). What Moses does not yet understand is that God cares more about Israel’s deliverance than he does, and God is fully capable of directing the means to bring this about. It is God who will bring his people out of Egypt. He will display his might precisely by working through weak and ordinary means. Moses has not yet learned that salvation is of the Lord
What does Moses answers at the end? Let’s read verse 13 “
But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else”
The New International Version. (2011). (Ex 4:13). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
We can clearly see that despite of all of the miracles, signs, answers, and even the presence of the Lord, Moses felt unworthy, unprepared, not ready.
I will like to ask you today, specially you who are soon to graduate, do you feel unworthy? Do you feel unprepared? Let me tell you something that I wish stays with you the rest of your life. God will be with you in every circumstance, in every word, in every doubt, when you ask “who am I?” regardless of your own personal perspective, and even when people tell you “who are you?”
Just when the teenager was about attempt for the 3th time to take his life, he saw in one of the trees a flyer that said “Do you feel unworthy?” Do you feel like you have no purpose in life?” Moses felt the same. Come this Saturday for help and to learn more about how God has heard your suffering
Seventh Day Adventist Church.
Brother and Sisters, I want you to know that there is people out there who is constantly calling upon God for help, and if you feel unworthy and not ready, come up next Sabbath to learn more on how Moses actually succeed to deliver Israel from Egypt and how Himself understood His purpose in this journey.
Oh, and by the way, this is my story.
Let’s pray.