Like
the commercial with the ‘most interesting man in the world,’ I think Moses is
one of the most interesting men in the Bible.
- He was adopted by a king.
- Raised in a palace with all the royalty that went with
that.
- Killed a man, and then ran from his crime.
- Hid out, and then started a humble life as a shepherd in
the desert.
- Was called by God in the most dramatic way, from a burning
bush.
Moses
saw the burning bush and knew it is God speaking to him. He took off his shoes
because he knew he was standing on holy ground. Then, when God told him what to
do, Moses argued with God! Not once or twice, Moses has five excuses as to why
he didn’t want to do what God called him to do.
I
have often said to myself and others, “If God would just send me a burning
bush, then I could be sure of what He wants me to do.” But the truth is, if God
asked me to something I thought was impossible, I would probably argue too. Of
course, it is ridiculous to tell the God who created the universe that
something is impossible. Since He can do anything and the Bible says all things
are possible when He gives us the strength to do them.
Moses’
excuses to God as to why He called the wrong guy to lead two million slaves out
of Egypt to the Promised Land are interesting.
First,
He tells God he is not qualified for
the job. This seems to be true because at the time Moses was tending sheep.
Then again, maybe herding sheep was the right skill, since he would be herding
people for many years.
Then,
he says he doesn’t know enough to do
the job. As an example he tells God he doesn’t even know His name.
Third, showing his pessimistic side, Moses says he doesn’t believe he can do what God
wants because he doesn’t believe the Israelites will follow him.
Then,
grasping for straws, Moses tells God this
can’t be his calling because he doesn’t speak well. This one is a little
hard to believe because he was raised in the palace and probably had the finest
education a king could provide. (And certainly in the movie, Charlton Heston
had no problem delivering eloquent speeches!)
Finally,
Moses tells God he doesn’t want to
do it and He should find someone else to do this huge job.
We
know from reading the book of Exodus God did not take no for an answer from
Moses. He equipped Moses to do everything He called him to do and Moses
liberated two million people from slavery in Egypt. It is an amazing story.
Do we use these excuses with God? I’m
not qualified to teach kids at church or home school my kids because I am not a
teacher. I don’t have a teaching degree.
I
often think I don’t have enough knowledge to do the task. I need to read,
study, ask questions and take a class before I feel I have enough knowledge to
do something.
Number
three is a biggy. We (I) just flat out don’t believe God. We say we do, but we
don’t trust that He can do what He says He will do.
I
wrote about giving my calling to someone else here, when I knew God was asking
me to do it. That was not one of my proudest moments.
We
don’t want to do it. We don’t want to stay home with our kids, when all our
friends have fun, fulfilling careers. We don’t want to work outside the home,
when we would rather stay home with our kids. We don’t want to move when our
spouse is offered a great job opportunity. Or when the going gets rough where
we are, we don’t want to stay and deal with it, when it seems easier to move.
Moses
reluctantly obeyed God and he became one of the most admired men in the Bible.
I
don’t want to be reluctant to do the things God calls me to do. I want to be
all in with God, and enthusiastically obey, knowing He will equip me and give
me the strength to do whatever He calls me to. It helps to start by making the
decision to say yes to God, no matter what the assignment. It is easier to do
what He calls us to do, if we have determined we will say yes ahead of time.
Have you ever been reluctant to obey what
God has asked you to do? Have you ever used one of these excuses?
We have all heard this
verse before,
“I can do all things through Christ
who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
but is it enough to
cause us to say yes when God calls us to a seemingly impossible task?
