The 7 Signs from the Gospel of John.

 

Moses and the Excuses he mad.

 

Moses and the Excuses He made.

     For the last two years I have completed reading the BIBLE end to end. During the course of last year, I got myself a new Bible which has extra margins for taking notes.  So, this year I have decided to meditate more closely on the word.  The following was highlighted to me while going through my morning routine of meditation on the word of God a week back.

    Before I get to that just a few quick pointers.
1 Moses was the great grandson of Levi       Exodus 2:1

2. Amram and Jochebed were his parents.  Amram married his father’s sister (aunt) Jochebed

3. Three children- Moses, Aaron and Miriam. What a privilege to have all your children working in the ministry.

4. Parents faith recounted in Hebrews 11:23

5. Shiprah and Puah, the two Egyptian midwives were blessed by God-because they feared God and did not obey Pharoah

 

 When we think about Moses the first things that come to our mind Is the mighty Man of God, standing at the red sea while it is being parted, Or Moses coming down with the Ten Commandments. Let us look now look at something else.

Moses lived 40 years with Pharoah and was being trained for a life of royalty. Somehow, he wanted to redeem the Israelites early and, in the process, ended up murdering someone. So, he had to flee and this brought him to become a shepherd. He was tending the flocks of his father-in-law Jethro. This also continued for 40 days.  So, he had decided to live his sedentary life of being a shepherd and taking care of his family, but God had plans for him when he was least expecting it.

 

One day he saw something strange – a burning bush, He might have passed that bush many times or even daily in the 40 years that he lived as a shepherd.  He turned aside to see what it was. I am sure if Moses lived today, he would be concentrating on his mobile phone and the social media and would not have looked at the bush.

 

The Bibe says that He was afraid to look at God and covered his face – Exodus 3:6 This is when God revealed who He was to Moses. God Explains to Moses that He has seen the oppression of His people and heard their cry and that He is going to bring them out of that slavery to a good and large land. Imagine Moses listening to this story being told to him from the bush. But he gets a rude awakening when God reveals to him “Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10.

 
He suddenly gets to his senses and like many of us today when something is asked of us to do it- we refuse.

 

This leads to the FIRST EXCUSE by Moses

And Moses said unto God, who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?    Exodus 3 :11

 

Moses probably because of the earlier failure in his mind. Thought that he could do nothing significant. He probably did not believe in himself and had poor self-esteem.

 

The FIRST ANSWER from God “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Exodus 3 :12

The answer form God was very straight forward and short and a promise.

 

Moses then comes up with Excuse no 2   And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name?    Exodus 3 :13

Moses during his 80 years of life had not encountered God. He knew there was God, but did not know God on a personal level.  He was yet to see and hear about mighty things that God can do.

 

The Reply from God  And God said unto Moses, I AM WHO I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you….. Exodus 3:14-22

 

God’s reply was a statement of His name and also telling Moses in brief about what is going to happen till they are redeemed from Egypt.

 

While listening to God tell him in brief Moses thought about his next Excuse. - Moses disbelieved God's Word and said, “suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice” suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”   Exodus 4:1

 

Moses like most of us today was assuming the worst or had unnecessary imagination. What if they thought about me…? What if they don’t believe??  

The Answer So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A rod” …. Exodus 4: 2-9

God answered Moses with two miracles, Rod being turned into a snake and also his own hand becoming leprous when put into the cloak that is he wearing. And also, the reversal of the same.
God is also telling him that I will show the miracles you just need to go there and present yourself and speak what I am telling you to do.

 

Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So, Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.5“This,” said the LORD, “is so 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.”

6Then theorised, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow….. Exodus 4:4-6

Excuse 4

Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”.. Exodus 4:10

Moses thought he did not have the ability

Answer

The LORD said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Exodus 4:11

Excuse 5

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”….Exodus 4:13

Moses did not want to go forward with this assignment -give up responsibility

Answer:

Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.   Exodus 4:14

Excuse 1   Did not believe in himself

Excuse 2   Did not know God

Excuse 3   Assumes the worst –unnecessary imagination

Excuse 4   Did not have the abilities or resources

Excuse 5   Shirk off responsibility

 

The bible later records Moses as being a transformed man.

1 He was humble.

 

Numbers 12:3     3Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.

 

2 He talked with God like a friend.

3 The glory of God was reflected on his face so much that he had to cover his face in front of the Israelite community

4 He used to intercede regularly for the people.

 

All this happened when he stopped giving further excuses and submitted to the PLAN OF GOD.

 

Are you today working up EXCUSES?

Are you today Shirking away from the plans that God has for your life?

God Bless you and guide you in thinking through the solutions for your life.

 

Email:  crowngeorgekoshy@gmail.com