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Conversations with the Culture: Helping To Answer the Question, "What Is Truth?" |
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Look, Brother, I told You That If You Don't Do What I say, God's Going to Lay 10 Serious Plagues On You!
Moses, if God Punishes Me, I'm Holding You Personally Responsible!
Digging Deeper
In the movie, The Prince of Egypt, we have an animated version of the story of the Exodus. Born a Hebrew, Moses was raised in the “strength and wisdom of the Egyptians.” He is raised as a son of Pharaoh, along with the Pharaoh’s true son, Ramses. As adults, the brothers are split by Moses' recognition of his true heritage and the suppressing system his brother is about to inherit, willing to carry it on. Fleeing from the city in despair, Moses finds himself being called by God. He is given the task of being the messenger in order to free the Hebrews and to lead them into a country where milk and honey flow.
Last month, we saw how God came to Moses when he was 80 years old and commanded him to go to Egypt and lead the children of Israel out of bondage. This month, I’d like to pick up on that message – if you’ve not read last month’s Conversations with the Culture, you might want to take a moment and visit Conversations Generations (May 2007) We saw that Moses spent the first 40 years of his life being raised in the Court of Pharaoh, and spent the next 40 years herding sheep for his father-in-law Jethro. When Moses was ready, God confronted him with the purpose of his life. At the burning bush, God told Moses that he was the man who would deliver the Hebrews from Bondage.
In Exodus 4:1-17, Moses gave three excuses as to why he shouldn’t go. What a difference from the self-confident man Moses had once been! God answered each of Moses’ objections – but God’s key point was that He didn’t want just anyone for the job – not even Aaron, Moses’ brother. It is important to recognize that God was going to use the experience which Moses had gained during his years in the Egyptian Court and combine that experience with the patience and humility God had taught him during his years as a shepherd. It is one thing for us, as students of the Bible, to read how God guided Moses more than 3,000 years ago. It is another thing entirely to realize that God told Moses up front exactly what was to come. In Exodus 4:20-23, God warned Moses of what he could expect. God basically said to Moses. 1. That He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. “Pharaoh’s not just going to lie down for you. You’re going to be in for a major confrontation over this.” 2. Before it’s all over, Pharaoh will lose his first born. “Don’t think for a minute that Pharaoh’s going to say ‘well, yes of course Moses, it’s not your fault my son’s going to die – no hard feelings.’ No, Moses, you’ve got to recognize you will come under attack.” What Moses was about to do would require courage – courage which only God can give. To drive this point home, God required a sign of Moses’ total commitment to what he’d been asked to do. Without total commitment to God’s calling in his life, Moses would not be able to succeed. As a sign of his commitment, God required that Moses’ son be circumcised.
For some reason which the text does not specifically state, Moses had not yet done this. Some have speculated that Moses hadn’t done so at the request of Zipphora, his wife. However, when God threatened to kill Moses if His command was not carried out, Zipphora took a flint knife and performed the circumcision herself, stating in Exodus 4:25 that “you are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me. Through this experience, God taught Moses to have courage and to obey God without question. From this Moses learned that trusting the Lord and gaining courage to face the unknown is the first ingredient of a Godly leader. With the lesson of this experience firmly etched in his mind, and with the knowledge of the trials that awaited him, Moses returned to Egypt. God prompted Aaron to meet his returning brother, whom Moses told of all God was doing (Exodus 4:28).
Moses accompanied Aaron, who assembled the elders of Israel to tell them of the mission God had sent Moses to accomplish. Note the people’s response in Exodus 4:31 – that “when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped” God.
Here is the key question which must be asked: Would this have occurred forty years earlier if the people had risen up when Moses decided to take things into his own hands? I believe the answer is “Not a chance”! Because Moses at age eighty sought to honor God, and not himself, his courage came from the Lord and not his own abilities. That is why, at the end of his life, Moses could say (Deuteronomy 31:6):
“Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you.”
And that’s a lesson for our lives as well. ____________________________________________________ This e-mail has been sent to you by David Lantz, dlantz@buyingtechnology.com Snail Mail: David Lantz, 7802 Cannonade Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46217 If you would like to be removed from this list - click here Picture source:
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