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| Exodus
3 Moses, an interesting character. He went to all the right
schools, and was trained in the ways of the Egyptians. Yet he had
learned humility in the forty years that he had spent shepherding sheep.
Can you imagine, knowing full well what he had done to the Egyptian, and
now a Holy and Righteous God was speaking directly to him? It's hard
to keep this one short. Moses was commissioned to be His spokesman
for the deliverance of Israel from slavery. The character change is
notable. Moses was willing to go back to Egypt to speak in the name
of God, without considering his past history. Although the argument
is not over between Moses and God, it is clear that he is not refusing to
go, only that he wants more instruction. Joe Turner ****** Exodus 3 Touching again on my remarks regarding Moses when we were dealing with Stephen, the reasons Moses fled Egypt and the further humility learned in the subsequent 40 years with his father-in-laws' household tempered him. I remarked that he who was mentioned to be quite well with words is a reluctant spokesperson now, albeit not unwilling to accept the task the Lord has put forth. Maybe once he would have not hesitated to feel adequate and now (as we come to realize fully who we are in Christ) willing but inadequate - a quite useable trait for the Lord. Quite the opposite of the arrogance that sometimes creeps into "leadership" in the Church. Shelley ****** Exodus 3 I find it interesting that the majority of this chapter addresses Moses' call, being God's messenger to deliver Israel from slavery (vs. 7-10 and 16-19) and also the difficulty that lies ahead (vs. 19-20). This is what I call reality living. God doesn't sugarcoat what he's calling Moses to do. He reminds Moses of the oppression of the Israelites that Moses himself may have forgotten as he "rests" in Midian, as well as the difficulty that Moses will face with the Egyptians, but God says, despite the reality that we both know Moses, I will use YOU to deliver my people. As I reflect on this text, I am reminded of the 'reality' sermon given by Pastor Phil this past week. He didn't do any back flips, or stand on his head, he just simply told it to us where we live. And this is what God did with Moses. After he captured Moses' attention with the burning bush, God went on to expound on the situation in Egypt and that it was time for something to be done. In these last and evil days, we surely need more reality preaching and reality living. Not trying to sugar coat or whitewash what is, but having the simple believe that despite the odds: "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Mt. 19:26) Reggie |
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Exodus 3 November 10, 2004 Reading through the Bible in one Year: 1 Peter 1-3 Weekly Memory Verse: Galatians 2:20 Good Afternoon Brothers and Sisters, Shelley is doing very well in the ICU recovery unit. She is expected to be in there for at least two more days. Thanks for your continued prayers. Exodus 3:1-9 (NASB95) A lot of songs have been written commemorating this event. It is just too fantastic for us to pass up. God called Moses out of a burning bush, using it as a object to draw Moses to speak with Him. Have you ever wondered why? We aren't given the answer in the text, so in order to figure out the reason there have been many conjectures on the subject. I feel that the reason was simply to draw Moses away from his flock and to cause him to realize that something very different was going on. God was on the move, and Moses was called. Exodus 13:21 (NASB95) Acts 2:3-4 (NASB95) Another place that a fire is mentioned in the Bible that does not consume is the Shekinah Glory of God where God led the people with a pillar of fire, and in Acts where God placed tongues of fire on the people to indicate they were His people. He used fire as an indicator that He was present, just like He did later when He led Israel, and much later when he verified the mission of the believers at Pentecost. God was waiting for him in the burning bush. When Moses drew near, he was made aware of the fact that God had called him to something special. Remember the scene, Moses had spent 40 years in the land of Egypt, then went to the backside of the desert to hide out due to an unjust act of passion where he had murdered a fellow Egyptian. Another forty years had passed by, at this time Moses was an old man. Many of us have discussed about how that Moses was schooled in Egypt under the finest of teachers, and should be a ready trained statesman. The truth was that Moses was trained as a youth in the Land of Egypt, and many years had passed by where he did not use his training. Can you imagine being called to an executive position after working in the fields for forty years after you received your degree? Moses did not have any opportunity to use the knowledge that he had gained as a youth. God loves to pick out people who are seemingly weak and lacking in order to perform His great works. He wants to make sure that everyone knows that God does not need help from man. It is all about the story of how that God delivered the Jews, not Moses. He was simply a washed out old man who was living in fear on the back side of the desert. Exodus 3:10-22 (NASB95) God picked out Moses to carry the message for Him to Pharaoh. At the response of who sent him, look at God's answer. How can God identify Himself in a land where there is a god on every corner? If He called His name God, then wouldn't it be confusing to the people? His answer established that He is a God who is, and who is in the present. No question about His existence, God exists now. This was different from the stone gods that the Egyptians worshipped, or even the theoretical gods. There was no evidence that the false gods existed. God simply stated that no evidence was needed for Him to establish His existence. He simply is, and He stood behind Moses. He was a God who established His name forever, and who had a history with the Hebrews. Jesus raised a lot of trouble when He insisted on referring to Himself as the "I am". There are many, many references in the Gospels where Jesus stated simply that "I am", and did not bother to add any other words to the statement. He claimed to be the "I am" of the Old Testament." Remember, the "I am" exists forever, even today. Imagine hearing those words at the age of 80, and trying to figure out what God wanted. God gave Moses heavy words, and established that Moses would lead His people out of Egypt. Moses reacted with shock, in verse 13 he started setting the stage for later objections, God was patient with him. One of the interesting quirks in this passage is from verse 12, "you shall worship". The Hebrew word for "worship" is the same as the word for "slave". We think of worship as going through some sort of religious exercise, God looks at worship as our serving Him. Look at these verses that use the same word: Exodus 4:23 (NASB95) Exodus 7:16 (NASB95) Exodus 8:1 (NASB95) Exodus 8:20 (NASB95) Exodus 9:1 (NASB95) Exodus 9:13 (NASB95) Exodus 10:3 (NASB95) Exodus 10:7-8 (NASB95) Exodus 10:11 (NASB95) Exodus 10:24 (NASB95) Exodus 10:26 (NASB95) What do you see worship as? Is it a spiritual gyration, singing a song at church, going to service? Or is worship according to these verses simply being a slave to God. Remember, the Hebrew people knew what slavery was all about, God did not call them into a life of freedom, but a life as spiritual slaves. God said that the Egyptians would not release them willingly, and that they would plunder the Egyptians when they left. We will find out later that that prophecy was fulfilled. I am going to close here, if you wish to add anything to the study be sure to write in. I will post all responses. I also hope to catch up on my mail today so please be patient with me. Father, as we consider Your word today, inspire each one of us and enable us to understand Your word. Teach us what true worship is all about. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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