I always thought of Moses as a reluctant leader. He was a goodly child, we're told, and because of his mother's great faith he didn't suffer the fate of all of the other boy babies born to Israelite women at a time when fearful Pharaoh refused to see the great blessing the immigrants could have been to his country. History repeats itself, and people in power love to crush the powerless. It has always been this way.
Moses was nursed by his mother until he weaned, then grew up in the home of his adoptive mother, Pharaoh's daughter. He was given the best of everything, but he remembered his roots. Perhaps it was his pride that caused him to intervene when he saw an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew slaves. Maybe he really thought he could help the slave, but he went too far. He murdered the Egyptian, and hid his body in the sand. Did he think he could get away with it? Not for long. The very next day, he got involved when he saw two Hebrew men fighting. When he asked, "Why are you beating up your friend?" the man replied, "Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?" Pharaoh was angry, and Moses fled. He became a foreigner in a foreign land. He looked like an Egyptian, according to the girls he rescued from some nasty shepherds who would not let them water their flocks. But he wasn't an Egyptian at all. God appeared to Moses, and told him that He was sending him to Pharaoh, and that he would be leading the people out of Egypt. Moses' protested: "Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people?" God promised He would be with him, but Moses didn't even know God's name. "Who will I say sent me?" God replied, "...Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you." Moses kept protesting. "What if they won't believe me?" God responded by giving him various signs. Then this final plea from Moses... "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." After God reminded Moses that He had created his very tongue, He relented and said that Moses' brother Aaron could be his mouthpiece. This gave me the impression that Moses really was slow of speech, and had trouble talking. Yet, in Acts 7, we read "At that time Moses was born - a beautiful child in God's eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months. When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action." Moses was powerful in both speech and action. He was taught by the most brilliant of scholars. He was likely trained in self-defense and oratory, which would have been normal for an Egyptian raised in Pharaoh's palace. That's why he "assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them" when he killed the Egyptian who was mistreating the Israelite. But they didn't. And Moses spent 40 years tending sheep in the desert. Forty years regretting what he had done. He was a murderer. Forty years feeling like a failure. He couldn't even act as a peacemaker between two of his fellow Hebrews. No wonder he felt like he couldn't speak. He had no voice. He became a simple shepherd, no longer aspiring to be a leader or rescuer of the downtrodden. It was in the desert that he learned humility. In Numbers 12:3, we read, "Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth." It was exactly the character trait that Moses needed in order to fulfill his calling. When God called to Moses out of the burning bush and commissioned him to go and rescue His people, He knew Moses was ready, even though Moses didn't believe it. I love this story. I love the fact that God chose a little baby who would rescue His people from slavery. He did that twice, with Moses and with Jesus Who also came as a helpless babe Who lived a quiet, humble life and was the Saviour of the world. I love the truth that no matter what you've done in the past, the end of your story has not been written. God is still writing your story, page by page, word by word, and He isn't finished with you yet. Don't let regret or failure rob you of your voice. Be powerful in both speech and action. Speak up for truth, rescue the perishing, and use your gifts and talents to bless others. Be like Moses.
1 Comment
Anne
1/4/2020 12:37:04 pm
Good job retelling and sharing the story of Moses!
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January 2020
AuthorJanet Matthews Roth loves words. Categories |