Exodus 2 ended with Moses in exile in the Midianite desert. By his show
of sympathy to his enslaved nation, he had traded his lofty place in the palace
of Pharoah with its attendant pomp and
privileges to become a lowly shepherd in the deserts of Midian. He could have
chosen to live a sheltered life of ease in the palace of Pharoah, but he chose
instead to remain loyal to his people. God honoured Moses’ loyalty by choosing
to use him as an important agent in His plan of deliverance for the embattled
nation of Israel.
With his detailed knowledge of the harsh desert terrain,
Moses would be the ideal candidate for God to use to lead His people out of the
land of Egypt. God sought to attract his attention by appearing in a flame of
fire in the midst of a bush. The bush burned, but was not consumed and Moses,
with great curiosity, turned aside to examine it. (Ex 3:1-3)
The Lord conversed with Moses from the burning bush,
ordering him to remove his shoes for he was standing on holy ground. It was God’s
Presence that made the ground holy for only God has the ability to sanctify and
make anything holy. God introduced
Himself as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”, divulging to Moses His great
plan of deliverance for the Israelites which He had aforetime shown in vision
to Abraham in Gen 15. He then commanded Moses to go to Pharoah to speak on
behalf of His beloved people.
Moses was a shepherd in the desert. He had no desire to
be a leader. The responsibility seemed too great and he counted himself unworthy to be chosen by God for such a task.
Little did he realize that it was God, the omniscient and all-powerful One, who
was choosing him and God does not make mistakes. God comforted Moses with a
promise that both he and the people he would lead would know that he was sent
by God once they were out of Egypt worshiping God on Mt Horeb. Moses was not content
to believe, despite God disclosing to him the entire plan of deliverance,
including its victorious culmination. “What will the people say?”, he asked
God. “They will not believe me.” God demonstrated to Moses the signs that He would
use to cause the Israelites to believe his words. At the Lord’s command, Moses
threw down his rod and it became a serpent and when he picked it up, it became
a rod again. At God ‘s command, Moses’
hand became white with leprosy and then whole again. Moses was still
afraid.
He complained to God, citing his speech impediment as a
problem which would render this a “mission impossible”. Little did he realize
that he was talking with the Supreme Creator of the Universe, the one who knew
him intimately before he had even been born. God knew Moses’ limitations and
still called him into His service despite them. Is God calling you into His
service today? Remember, he does not call the equipped but he always equips
those He calls!
Scripture refs: Exodus 3:1-22, Exodus 4:1-13
