top of page
christopherrk7

On the Shoulders of Giants: Moses (Session 4)

 

How to do this

  1. Read the scripture(s) provided

  2. Answer the questions on your own or in your group

 

Scripture


Exodus 3:4-22 (ESV)

When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”


13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[a] And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,[b] 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 thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand.[c] 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbour, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewellery, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”


Exodus 4:1-17 (ESV) 

1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”[a] And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous[b] like snow. Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”


10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”


Questions


It is sometimes difficult to believe that God wants to work with us. We turn away from His call because we feel inferior. We have experienced failure, loss, sin and so we falsely believe that God would never want to partner with us again. You are not alone. Even the greats felt that way. God gave Moses a clear and easy to understand calling (Exodus 3:10). First, "I will send you to Egypt". And second, "You will bring my people out of Egypt." But Moses, from a place of inferiority, objected in a number of ways to this call. Today, we are going to look at those objection and then look at how God dealt with them. Perhaps you could apply some of it to your situation too...


Objection 1 - I am not worthy to do this assignment

The objection: Exodus 3:11

Gods response: Exodus 3:12


Moses responds to the call by saying he cannot achieve it. God responds by saying, you don't need to. I will do it, you just need to be in the right place at the right time, and I will work through you. If you have received a call from God - did you answer? If no, or if you are yet to receive the call from God, how does God response to Moses change the way you view what is possible?


Objection 2 - I don't have all the answers

The objection: Exodus 3:13

Gods response: Exodus 3:14-20

"But Lord", Moses was saying. "How can I be your spokesman. If your people start firing questions at me, I won't know what to say and I will look ridiculous. I can't do it Lord. Sorry." Gods response, "I am who I am", may not make a lot of sense to us until we see that these characters in Hebrew spell, Yahweh. This word is the most intimate term for God in the Hebrew vocabulary so in effect God was saying, "Moses, when you stand before the people of Israel, you let them know that the intimate God of Israel has sent you to be His representative." God then gave Moses two promises (v.18 and v.20) to aid him in his introduction to the Israelites and the Pharoah. Being sure it is God that is sending you to your task is vital in giving you the confidence to take action. How can you be sure it was God that is sending you?


Objection 3 - They won't respect me

The objection: Exodus 4:1

Gods response: Exodus 4:2-9


i) Moses deeply fears ridicule. You can understand why. He is an 80 year old man, weathered by the desert, wearing rags and he is now expected to walk into the sophistication and glamour of Egypt and try to convince two cultures to listen to him. He might be alone, insignificant and winding his life down but at least he was safe, free from people laughing at him. How much do you fear man? Is it a problem for you and holding you back in life?


ii) God uses miracles and signs to convince Moses of His power and to provide some evidence for the people Moses has to speak to. What testimonies of Gods miracles can you look back on to strengthen your confidence that God will be with you going forward?


Objection 4 - My weakness will hold me back

The objection: Exodus 4:10

Gods response: Exodus 4:11-12


i) Moses was not done with his objections. This time, he is concerned his lack of eloquence or, as in some translations, his speech impediment will get in his way. God responds with a promise that he will be Moses voice and He will give Moses all the necessary words. But not on credit. At the exact moment Moses needs it. Give an example of a time you were under pressure and God delivered you the answer you needed.


ii) What insecurities do you have that may be holding you back? Are you comparing yourself too much to people that seem to have it all together? How does, for example, Winston Churchill having a stutter yet becoming one of the worlds greatest ever orators strengthen you? How does Pauls claim in 1 Corinthians 2:1-3 give you a new perspective on your insecurities?


Objection 5 - Other people would be better qualified

The objection: Exodus 4:13

Gods response: Exodus 4:14-17


i) Moses now goes to the place we all tend to. "Surely, that guy over there is better qualified for this?". "I am an old, wrinkly shepherd who speaks to sheep all day. Surely there is a young stallion in Egypt better suited to your needs here God? Why not do a job posting on LinkedIN so you can see all the qualifications a person has before you choose them?" But this misses the point. God knows everything about everyone, and He still chose you for his assignment. How does that change how you feel about tackling something?


ii) God pivoted on his perfect plan - to just use Moses - as He could see Moses needed some encouragement. So, he enlisted Aaron, who ended up being a problem later on for Moses but at least it got him moving. Do you rely fully on God or do you lean on others more than you should?


End in prayer

5 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page