From the time of Joseph to the beginning of the story of Moses there was a lapse of over 300 years. The preparation for the Exodus to follow eighty years later begins in chapter one where we are told that Amram and Jochebed decided to hide Moses from a likely death at the hands of Pharaoh’s men. That act was in a direct violation of Pharaoh’s edict to have all male Hebrew babies killed at birth.
(Ex. 1; Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23)
God used two women to assure the continuation of the nation of Israel. For Shiphrah and Puah, Hebrew midwives it was more important for them to fear God and obey Him than it was to follow the dictates of the king of Egypt. God had already commanded the Israelites not to take a human life. Those two women understood to kill the babies was a sin against God. Because of their faithfulness God blessed each one of them. (Ex.1:17, 20-21)
When we come to the life of Moses and the role he would play in the history of Israel, there are three events or periods of time that should be considered defining moments for him. He could not have orchestrated them, but God used each of them to shape the man he became. The ones I reference in what follows are prior to his confrontation with Pharaoh. That discussion will come later. What I am talking about here begins with his murder of the Egyptian and ends with the encounter he had with God in the desert. The last of the three would have never taken place without the first two. The first shows us God uses even our failures to grow us
The path Moses took to becoming the leader of the Israelites is an important part of his life and must never forgotten. A defining moment came when he tried to develop a relationship with his people. What began in his mind as a good idea actually ended in disaster. On one of his visits he saw and Egyptian mistreating an Israelites. In his eagerness to help the man he killed the Egyptian. Of course, that kind of act cannot be hidden from others. When he tried to break up an argument between two Jews one of them confronted him with the what he had done the day before. Moses had assumed that they would understand that because of his position he would be able to help them.
(Ex. 2:11-14)
Because he killed an Egyptian, even though he was the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he would not be exempt from being punished by the Pharaoh for his crime. This was especially true since he was a Hebrew. The victim was a citizen of Egypt. At that point Moses had no choice but to flee for his life.
(Ex. 2:15)
His flight into Midian turned out to the benefit of Moses. Although he had to leave Egypt for all the wrong reasons, what happened to him over the next forty years would prepare him for leading the Israelites out of Egypt. In ways that Moses could not understand God was working out the future of His people in precise detail. It was no accident, but God’s ordained plan, that he would meet the daughters of Jethro, a priest in Midian. From his father-in-law, he would come understand the role that humility in one’s life and the skills that would be needed if he was going to accepted as a servant leader by his people. Gone were the self-confidence and arrogance that had led him to using brute force to prove what an important man he was. He would find the way back to Egypt in front of a flock of sheep. Here was a one-time prince of Egypt doing one the lowest dirtiest jobs that could be performed in society. Shepherds were looked down upon as unclean people in culture. One of the things that would be discovered is that it took a great deal of patience to take care of a bunch of dumb animals that have a mind of their own.
(Ex. 2:15-4:19)
Although a shepherd may be held in contempt by others it was to such men to whom the announcement came that a Savior had been born into the world. The lowly shepherds of Bethlehem became the first to proclaim the Good News to others. In fact, the most famous ancestor of our Lord began as a shepherd boy before becoming a king. One of the titles often used in the New Testament spoke of that king. Jesus was called the Son of David by Bartimaeus and even used the description for Himself.
(Matt. 20:29-34, 22:41-45; Luke 2:8-20)
In was while performing his duties as a shepherd that the encounter with God took place. That meeting would forever change the direction of his life. He would go from being a shepherd to the man God called to lead the people out of Egypt. Even here we see a process taking place that was needed to remove from Moses the mindset of a failure to one with God’s help could accomplish great things. Part of the defining moment was the honest dialog that Moses had with God.
It is not always an easy thing to move a person from acceptance of the status quo to one of a totally new direction of being willing to take risks. The former is always going to be comfortable while accomplishing little. The latter brings with it all kinds of exciting possibilities. For Moses fear of going back to the place from which he had fled was in a way paralyzing. To go where God was going to send him would take real faith, but in the meantime would free him from his past.
It might appear from what has been written that the defining moments just pop up out of no- where. Just the opposite is true. I discovered that quite often there is a process that occurs that brings a person to the fork in the road where decisions really do affect one’s destiny. In the case of Moses, we must not forget there, would have been no trip to the back side of the wilderness or burning bush without all of the challenges He face in the forty years preceding that moment when God met him.
In all of our lives where are today is dependent on all the steps we have taken along the way. Most of us do not even take the take to consider how even what appear to be baby steps have impacted who we are. Many of you may not be familiar with a tool called a “Spiritual ProfiIe” originally developed by Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California. It is used in conjunction with discovering a person’s SHAPE, which is an acrostic for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and how Experiences good or bad play a part in one’s spiritual growth. One of the exercises the participant is asked to do related to experiences is to go back to his/her earliest years and write down all the things that can be remembered. Those recollections are to be of those things in which he or she believes were done well. Taking those experiences, I would like to suggest another way of looking at them. Let’s view them from the perspective of what they would look like them if viewed as encounters with God. It is those encounters we have through His word, prayer, events, or associations with others that truly shape us to be what God desires for each of us,
Moses did not find the encounter easy because quite often the expression comes with personal risks. We have already mentioned that Moses to do what God asked his to do might end with rejection by his people to death at the hands of Pharaoh. We truly need to be prepared for the consequences of following him with full confidence that He will be with us every step of the way.
Let’s take a journey back to that encounter with God. How did Moses react? If you have gone through the exercise mentioned above, did you see God’s hand in what has happened in your life? What was your reaction and response to His calling? See if you can picture yourself in some of the arguments that Moses offered by to God. You might even come up with some variations of the same struggle he had with venturing into the future.
As we shall see in one of Moses’ most important moments, his encounter with God at the burning bush there was a certain process in play. I view it with four words beginning the letter E.
They are:
- Equipping- This is the preparation that takes place in one’s life. They are the lessons learned from different venues, whether education, spiritual life, family etc.
- Encounter- This points to the actual meeting that takes place with God.
- Expectations-What impact the time has on each of us in understanding His purpose for each of us.
- Expression- Once God lays before us the expectation, He has for carrying out His ministry, are we going to follow through with the plan He has for us?
Equip
To be equipped or prepared for the encounter or experience with God, what
criteria is to be used to judge equipping?
1. What has been your preparation for worship God this week?
a. Bible reading
b. Prayer
c. Or has it been to put the family in the car and show up at the front door
wearing your church face.
2. Even though it may appear that the experience is spontaneous God never
springs it on someone who He has not prepared for that special time. We
may see it as unexpected but there are years of growing, suffering, learning
etc. behind that encounter.
For example Moses, like David, had many hours to reflect on all of the events
surrounding his life as he shepherded the sheep during those forty years in the
desert.. How could he forget the way in which he was saved by the courage
and wisdom of his mother from certain death after his birth as was the fate of
so many of the Hebrew boys by order of Pharaoh. Then to have Pharaoh’s
daughter find him and for his own mother to nurture him during the formative
years had to make a great impact on his life. She possibly was his nurse
and caregiver for the first seven or eight years of his life. His
thoughts could have turned to the training he received in the courts of the
palace only to have to flee because of the murder he committed. Now after
40 years in the desert as a shepherd of his father-in-law’s sheep he was more
ready to do God’s bidding than he could comprehend.
Another way of looking at the
way we have been prepared to meet God is a different acrostic. It pretty much
presents the same criteria as was seen above in discovering one’s SHAPE. Wayne Codeiro in his book, “Doing Church
as a Team,” shares that each of us has a specific spiritual identity that
uniquely equips us for our relationship with God and His Church.
He calls it DESIGN.
Again, each letter refers to
the way God has wired us for His purpose. They are:
- Desire. Are passions, drives and motivations
- Experience. Unique experiences that specially equip us to serve God
- Spiritual Gifts. There are at least 16 service gifts listed in the Scriptures. Each follower of Christ has a least one
- Individual Style. Personality
- Growth Phase. The path you have taken in becoming a mature follower.
- Natural Abilities. Examples would be math skills, writing, athletic etc. God-given talents.
Once the preparation has been
made then there is the experience itself and the lessons God wants us to learn.
From Moses’ burning bush experience there are certain things that can be
discovered.
It is all about God
1. It is God’s agenda. It is He who sets the conditions. Moses was
told to take off his shoes.
2. God made the spot where Moses was standing holy. Can you imagine that
a sandy, hot, desolate place could be declared holy?
3. It is God who speaks. He spoke out of the burning bush
4. It is He who gives the instructions, the directions the challenges. I
am going to send you to Egypt.
5. He does not have to listen to us any more than He would accept the
sacrifices of the Israelites when their hearts were not committed to
Him. Most of our responses are but weak excuses when we are in His
presence. Moses said I cannot go because I do not speak well.
6. He determines the place and the time. Moses surely would have walked over
that same ground many, many times before, in his 40 years in the desert.
In all that time he had never seen a burning bush before. When the cries
of the Israelites reached their peak, God said it is time.
When God approaches us as we come into His presence, we discover worship is not
about us it is all about Him.
Do we really think that this was a comfortable situation for Moses?
1. He was told to take his shoes off. Out there in the burning desert in
the heat of the day God says remove your shoes.
2. Would it not be disconcerting to realize that the God of the universe was
actually talking with you?
Expectations.
God has a plan and purpose and part of the experience must always be to try and
discern what that purpose entails. This is the hardest part to understand
about experiencing God. He never allows the person to leave that time
unchanged. He truly wants a
transformation to occur in each person’s life.
Because this may all be new to us, He never expects anything but baby
steps at first. For those who have been
in His service for a while He calls for greater commitment
Moses was going to be no
different. He was going to leave that
time spent alone with God with a tremendous responsibility for the nation of
Israel. He was going to be God’s leader for that time and the next forty
years. Moses did not believe himself to
be equipped to face the uncertain future. God however did not allow Moses
to escape his responsibilities with a false sense of humility and
inadequacy. God held his feet to the fire.
Expression.
God has spoken since time began that to experience Him will always result in
service or sacrifice. There is a cost
In Ephesians 2: 8-10 we are told. “For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a
result of works, so that no one may boast, for we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus for good works.
Paul in Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the
mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so
that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable
and perfect.
In Phil 3: 10 he writes, “that I may know Him and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death;
In order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Wayne Codeiro writes, “that God is worthy of our very best.” He
goes on to say, “Because everything we do is for an audience of One,
everything matters!” (Page 83)
Moses responded by going to
Egypt. This service did not come without pain and suffering. He had
to deal with the same kinds of attitudes and situations we face.
So how do we equip ourselves for this experience?
The first prerequisite is to come into that personal relationship with God
through His Son Jesus Christ. Then and only then will you experience that
true encounter.
Learn your SHAPE/DESIGN
Listen to God through His word
Come before Him with an attitude of service. Someone has written that
there is no such thing as a non-serving Christian.
(Ex. 3:1-4:19)
There is one more incident that occurred before Moses arrived in Egypt that must not be overlooked. It took place on the trip back. Remember Moses had been in Midian for forty years. During that time to sons were born to him Being a Jew he was to follow the covenant given to Abraham. All male children who were descendants of Abraham were to be circumcised. Whether Moses forgot or did not believe it necessary to do so since he was living in a foreign land we shall never know. One thing for sure God had not forgotten the covenant and it was important to Him. His people, especially Moses who was to lead a whole nation out of Egypt, was to be obedient to God’s commands. How could he be the leader of his people if he was disobedient to God. Luke wrote something that applied to this situation. Jesus said, “From everyone who has been much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” (Luke 12:48) It was his responsibility and his alone to circumcise his sons not his wife’s. What almost took place could have changed what God had planned. As a consequence of his disobedience, God was about to kill him. If it had not been for quick action of Zipporah, Moses would have died never carrying out the purpose of God for His people. Her rebuke of him was necessary. She called him “a bridegroom of blood.
(Ex. 4:24-26)
Although he had been warned by God that Pharaoh would not allow the people go except under duress, Moses was called off guard by his reaction. God had to intervene to keep Moses and Aaron from giving up the cause even before God begun to deal with the king and the Egyptians. How easy it is to quit when the going gets rough. The old saying that says, “When the going gets tough the tough get going.” This certainly was going to true for Moses, so it was good that he learned that lesson well early in the process.
(Ex. 3:19-20; Ex. 5:1-2)
The moment everything changed in Pharaoh’s life did occur when he commanded the Egyptians to enslave and oppress the Israelites. (Ex. 1:10) It also did not happen when he gave the order to have all of the male babies killed. (Ex. 1:16,22) When, however, he said to Moses, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go,” began his downfall. With that one statement he set in motion the devastation of his nation and loss of his own firstborn son. He reached, by his actions, the point of no return. We are told in Scripture that God hardened his heart. I believe what really took place was God’s confirmation of the condition of Pharaoh’s heart that already existed.
(Ex. 5:2; 10:7; 12:29)
Each plague that took place in Egypt which were judgments against all of the gods of the Egyptian people accomplished two things. First in help to increase Moses’ faith in God’s ability to carry out His plan. It also demonstrated God’s power over false gods that the people in the land worshipped.
(Ex. 7:1-10:29)
Although all of the previous plaques did not get the desired results for the Jews, the final one would break the will and spirit of the people. Because of his stubbornness Pharaoh would see all of the first born of Egypt die on the night of the Passover. Egypt would never be the same again but would always be a second-rate nation.
(Ex. 12:29-30)
The Passover was to be a day of national identity for the Israelites. It was a sign of salvation from the oppression of the Egyptians and the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land.
(Ex. 12:2, 11-14, 17,27,42, 51: Heb. 11:28)
Pharaoh’s continued stubbornness had cost him everything. Now as a last act of defiance toward God he sent his entire army to total destruction in the Red Sea.
(Ex. 14:2-31)
Aaron listened to the voices of the people and gave into their demands for a god to lead them back to Egypt. He rather than proving he was a leader of men. If was obvious that even if Moses did not return, he was not capable leading the people forward into the Promised Land. He lacked the important attributes of courage, commitment to the goal or understanding of who God was. Instead his place would be as a follower not a leader.
There was another man Saul who listened to the demands of the people and lost a kingdom. (1 Sam.) Aaron certainly proved here that he could not be trusted with the responsibility given him. Never again he would have such an opportunity and always live in Moses’ shadow.
(Ex. 32:1-5: Acts 7:39-41)
As a result of worshipping the golden calf three thousand of the Israelites were killed by the sword at the hands of the Levites. Many more had their names removed from the Book of Life.
(Ex. 32:27-28, 32-33)
It took the sin of the people to bring Moses to the point of understanding his purpose in what God was doing with the Nation of Israel. His identity was now bound up in the future of his people in a way that he had not allowed himself to be before this test. The first indication that a shift in his thoughts had taken place was his willingness to have his name removed from the Book of Life if God did not forgive His people. We see this same commitment in Romans 9:3 where Paul was willing to give up his own salvation for his brethren and kinsmen among the Jews.
Secondly, He was unwilling to leave Mt. Sinai without the leadership and presence of God. Moses understood that he could not lead the people unless the Lord was with him. When a person reaches a moment of ultimate commitment there comes with it a different mindset. Moses desired
- To find favor with God
- To know His ways
- To truly know Him. The first two will never occur without the intimate knowledge that each of us need so badly.
- To find favor in God’s sight
- To identify himself with God’s people.
(Ex. 32:32; 33:13, 15-16; 34:9