It happens to all of us. Our faith is strong and powerful after hearing a great message or while serving in ways that are making a difference in lives. But then the tide changes. Everything seems to all fall apart, (to us) and then our minds try to explain it—in unhealthy ways. We first think, surely this is not the way it is. As troubles seem to mount, we think; has God left us to wallow in this? As the misery or attacks become harsher, we assume God is not there and we begin to blame others because He is not. We turn on each other! We try to fix it. Then we blame ourselves with self-loathing for who we are not.
God knows this about us. God knew this about Moses. God called upon a man who stutters. But, get this friend, we need to realize that God wasn’t concerned at what Moses didn’t have, God’s purpose was for Moses to know God so well that His power would be evident to Moses. Moses was learning, slowly like all of us, that what He has been commanded/called to do is not about him—it’s about God! This is God’s story. It is about I AM, who provides the exit path, the Way to bring his people out. It is about God who will display His power in the rescue from slavery. God is the One and Only who can redeem the “sons of Jacob”, the Israelites, while showing the rest of the unbelieving world how great God is as He intervenes with “great acts of judgment. Yes! “I AM will be their God, taking them in as His own, under His protection. “Ill be God to you.”
And that’s not all! The Promise to Abraham and his descendants is still intact. God is eternally faithful. God never changes in His great love for His people. God will do what He promises. God does what He says He will do. Always. God was, is and always will be God. And they are not. And we are not—God.
Genesis 6, The Message
God said to Moses, “Now you’ll see what I’ll do to Pharaoh: With a strong hand he’ll send them out free; with a strong hand he’ll drive them out of his land.”
2-6 God continued speaking to Moses, reassuring him, “I am God. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as The Strong God, but by my name God (I-Am-Present) I was not known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the country in which they lived as sojourners. But now I’ve heard the groanings of the Israelites whom the Egyptians continue to enslave and I’ve remembered my covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites:
6-8 “I am God. I will bring you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I will rescue you from slavery. I will redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I’ll take you as my own people and I’ll be God to you. You’ll know that I am God, your God who brings you out from under the cruel hard labor of Egypt. I’ll bring you into the land that I promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and give it to you as your own country. I AM God.”
9 But when Moses delivered this message to the Israelites, they didn’t even hear him—they were that beaten down in spirit by the harsh slave conditions.
10-11 Then God said to Moses, “Go and speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt so that he will release the Israelites from his land.”
12 Moses answered God, “Look—the Israelites won’t even listen to me. How do you expect Pharaoh to? And besides, I stutter.”
13 But God again laid out the facts to Moses and Aaron regarding the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he again commanded them to lead the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
The Family Tree of Moses and Aaron
14 These are the heads of the tribes:
The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi—these are the families of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Saul, the son of a Canaanite woman—these are the families of Simeon.
16 These are the names of the sons of Levi in the order of their birth: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
17 The sons of Gershon by family: Libni and Shimei.
18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived to be 133.
19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi.
These are the sons of Levi in the order of their birth.
20 Amram married his aunt Jochebed and she had Aaron and Moses. Amram lived to be 137.
21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.
22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she had Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.
25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel and she had Phinehas.
These are the heads of the Levite families, family by family.
26-27 This is the Aaron and Moses whom God ordered: “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt clan by clan.” These are the men, Moses and Aaron, who told Pharaoh king of Egypt to release the Israelites from Egypt.
“I’ll Make You as a God to Pharaoh”
28 And that’s how things stood when God next spoke to Moses in Egypt.
29 God addressed Moses, saying, “I am God. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I say to you.”
30 And Moses answered, “Look at me. I stutter. Why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
The message is clear and understandable. God is God and we are not.
God’s love is evident to us throughout His story. God’s love is the same now and forever for He also provided The Way for us to be free from all the sin that enslaves us to this worldview thinking and behaving. His new plan and promise to redeem us was fulfilled in sending His Son to take the punishment for our sin and in that act reconciled and restored us to God’s family, His people.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.” 2 Corinthians 5:18
God has called and commanded all of us, (Jesus in Matthew 28) to speak for Him, pointing people to know, believe, repent and be reconciled to God through Jesus. God gave us His Son as the example of how to love, what it means to be a servant, with His power working in and through us (comparable to Moses!) to bring people OUT of where they are and INTO His Holy Presence.
“Believe and be saved” is what God has called all of us to say to our world of Pharaohs.
“But I stutter, God.”
And God says; “What does that have to do with my call on your life?”
Lord,
You are God and we are not. Realizing this every day actually releases us from the stress we put on ourselves for trying to be you to other people. That is clearly not our work. You commanded us to go and make disciples as we serve as your followers ourselves. We are simply telling your story for your glory so that others might know you, believe in You and be saved from sin. We tell, You save. We go, You provide the ways and means. Help us to always remember our place in your work. Thank you for all you are and all you do.In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 