A Man of Excuses, 3:11—14; 14:1—16

When Moses met God at the burning bush, God called Moses loud and clear to a mission: to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  It is interesting to note that God’s will was made plain to Moses, but as is so often the case, that was not the end of the matter.  For Moses, as well as believers today, may know the Lord’s will, but we, like Moses, are apt to look at ourselves and our talents and what we want to do and rather than get to work for the Lord; we stop and we question Him.  God’s greatest task in accomplishing His will is to get His servants to believe that He is able to work in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure! 

Moses offers five protests against accepting God’s commission.  Moses’ attitude reflects a change that came over him during the 40 sobering years he spent living in Midian.  In his younger years, he had fancied himself the rescuer of his people; a self-styled deliverer.  Yet now, we see Moses a tired old man, shy and timid, unsure of himself and content with his lot. 

It is also interesting that for all Moses’ protestations, he did not raise the obvious one: the feasibility of organizing, equipping, and sustaining such a massive undertaking.  Perhaps Moses could see God being capable of looking after the “big picture,” but he himself had serious doubts about his own qualifications.  Likely many believers are just like Moses; they believe God capable of great and mighty wonders, yet struggle with their own faith.  But as is always the case— 

[I]t is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Phil. 2:13, NIV) 

1.  Complain One: Who Am I?, verses 11, 12 

Four decades ago, Moses had offered himself of his own free will as a deliver and judge on behalf of his people.  Now, though, after all this time, his confidence has dissipated and perhaps he has learned humility the hard way.  He made a mistake, and now he fears making it again.  Failure has a way of taking the wind out of one’s sails.  Sometimes a failure can be so devastating that is cripples a person to the point where they would rather sit on the sidelines of life and whither and watch the world pass by than ever take a chance again. 

While it’s good have a sense of our own unworthiness, we should never use that as an excuse to say “no” to God.  God’s response to Moses’ alleged inadequacy was not to “encourage” him about himself, but God had a two-fold rejoinder: 

• He would personally accompany Moses, I will be with you.  Jesus promised His followers the same thing, [S]urely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20, NIV)  In fact, Jesus promised us something even stronger:  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18, NIV)
• He would give Moses a sign, And this will be the sign…  While some commentators believe the sign to be the burning bush, it’s likely the sign refers to the following clause:  When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^] will worship God on this mountain.

That second sign does not seem very comforting.  Why didn’t God give Moses a sign like the sign given to Gideon in Judges 6?  In that instance, Gideon prepared an offering as per God’s instructions and— 

Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread.  (Judges 6:21b) 

Simply, Moses didn’t ask God for a sign, while Gideon did  (see verse 17). God gave signs to His people freely, but in this instance God was asking Moses for simple faith and to trust in His word. 

This sign signifies something else; the mission of Moses went far beyond just delivering the Israelites from the Egyptians.  Israel was to be set free to “worship” God. (Kaiser, p. 319).  To worship God is more than merely offering sacrifices to Him; it is calling on God’s name in surrender and adoration and petition. 

2.  Complaint Two:  The repudiation of the people, verses 13—22 

Moses seems to have forgotten what we so often forget:  that God has taken into account the natural hardness and reluctance of the human heart.  God’s response was two-fold: 

• God revealed Himself to Moses not as the Creator (Elohim), but as the personal God of Salvation (Yahweh).  The “I am” is in the indefinite tense, so it can mean equally past, present or future.  The construction of this phrase may not seem exciting to us, but to the Hebrews, this is a thrilling revelation!  Their God, from this point on, would be with them.  Not only that, He was always with them in the past, He is with them now, and He will never leave them.  What’s more, God gave them His name “forever,” meaning, God’s Name was to be a memorial for all that He had done, is doing, and will do for them.  This must have seemed incredible to a people who had no experience with God and had felt deserted for 400 years.    
• God gave Moses two speeches; one to deliver to the Elders of Israel, the other for Pharaoh. 

In examining the God’s Word to the people, we find that Moses had nothing to worry about; God assured His messenger that the people would listen to him because the  hearts of men are in the hands of God.  

As far as the Pharaoh is concerned, if we were to take the time to study the requests made of him by the Israelites we would notice something striking:  God deliberately graded His requests of Pharaoh from easiest to more difficult in order to give Pharaoh every opportunity to make the right decision in the end.  At every turn, Pharaoh would resist, however.  But God gave his the chance, time and again.

3.  Complaint Three: The doubt of the people, 4:1—9 

As far as we know, God had not appeared to any man in over 400 years, and Moses being very human had weak faith.  It should have been enough to have had the assurances of the last few verses of the previous chapter, but Moses felt he needed to continue playing his “what if” game with God.  It’s a game a lot of us are skilled at playing, too.  In His endless patience and grace, God gives Moses three signs to be used as credentials with the people of Israel. 

• A shepherd’s staff, verses 2—5.  God’s messengers from the beginning were accredited by signs and wonders, or miracles, for the purpose of validating both the message and the messenger.  God would use an ordinary shepherd’s staff to show to Moses and everybody else His miraculous power by turning that staff into a serpent.
• A leprous hand, verses 6 and 7.  This miracle showed that God could take away health and restore health; that there were things out of the control of men.
• The water into blood, verses 8 and 9.  If the people couldn’t be swayed by the first two signs, then this third one would be performed: a river of water turned into blood when some of it was poured out on dry land.

In addition to their miraculous nature, these signs taught some important lessons.  The staff, symbol of the shepherd and common worker, when surrendered to God, becomes something special.  Leprosy, symbol of sin and defilement, can be instantly cured by the power of God.  The blood, sign of war and judgment, assured retribution upon the wickedness of the Egyptians. 

4.  Complaint Four:  The stutter, verses 10—12 

This is an interesting complaint in light of what Stephen said of Moses in Acts 7:22— 

Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. 

Moses’ problem was not so much his inability to communicate, but I believe it was his perception of himself.  He couldn’t see himself being able to do what God had commanded him to do.  God’s answer is stunning:  He made Moses’ mouth.  Any problem, perceived or real, is reduced to nothing.  Everything God does is perfect; His creation is perfect.  Besides, what did Moses have to be worried about?  God was going to put His words in Moses’ mouth.  The Hebrew is beautiful, for God says with compassion, not anger, “I will help you speak.”  Did Moses really think that God would make him do this all by himself?  Do you really think God saved you only to let you wander around by yourself? 

5.  Complaint Five:  Can’t you find anybody else?, verses 13—17 

Moses’ groundless opposition to God angered God, finally.  Moses could think of no more good objections because God had met and countered every one point by point.  Finally, and at last, God’s unwilling servant revealed the true nature of his heart.  Literally, Moses said this, “Send, I beg you, by the hand of whom you will send.”  This is kind of quaint Hebraism for, “Can’t you find anybody but me?  Anybody at all?” 

Nevertheless, God did punish Moses for his lack of faith by sharing the responsibilities of leadership with his brother, Aaron.  Aaron would be the spokesman and Moses would be the prophet.  Moses seemed pleased with this power-sharing arrangement, but it was arrangement that would later haunt Moses, for the arrangement was second-best.  Aaron would prove to be as much of a hindrance as a help. 

God is gracious.  God is merciful.  And God will not be deterred.  His will will be accomplished regardless of our attitudes towards it.  His will in your life will come pass, and there is nothing you can do about it.  The question is, will you be a willing participant it?  Or a reluctant one, like Moses, and have to deal with unpleasant consequences?