September 17, 2008
Moses - Week 3
This weekend we will continue our series on Moses and learn how God helped Moses save the Israelites when he parted the Red Sea! If you want to study up before this weekend, you can read the story in Exodus Chapter 13.
Exodus 5:22--6:12
How low have you ever felt in your life? Some of us have been pretty low if we were honest with one another now wouldn't we? Moses felt as low as he could go. He was supposed to be the deliverer, and yet it looked as if he was failing.
Ex 5:22 Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
Exodus 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." 2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.
5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11 "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." 12 But Moses said to the LORD, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?"
How many times had God explained it to him? Yet, like many of us, he had trouble remembering the Lord's assurances.What was Moses to do now? The message was a rerun of the last one: "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land" (v. 11).
Can't you just hear Moses saying to himself, "Go to Pharaoh, Lord? My own people just bought me a one-way ticket caravan back to Midian, and You want me to go back to Pharaoh? R-r-r-e---m-m-m-em---ber m-m-me? I'm the guy who can't t-t-t-talk. Shoot, I'd mess up a rock fight, Lord. I can't get it together. I'm at the end of my rope. How in the world are You going to pull this off?"
Moses didn't know it at the moment, but he'd put before the Lord the best proposition yet. I'm at the end of my rope. Lord, how are you going to do it? I'd like to underline a major truth in this world of ours that I don't pretend to understand. Here it is: the best framework for the Lord God to do His work is when things are absolutely impossible and we feel totally unqualified to handle it.
In spite of the Lord's assurances, things kept going from bad to worse for Moses. The Israelites would no longer listen to him. Moses was at the end of his rope and yet that is when He will discover again that God is faithful. Time after time, He brings us to our absolute end and then proves Himself faithful. Moses was told to follow God's plan - to be faithful no matter his circumstances no matter what people may say - follow God's plan. You and I must do the same - the question is - are you following God's plan for your life?
I found a devotion online that draws from the story of Moses and the concept of following God. (Follow is our key word this week.) Hope you enjoy.
Are you following God's plan for your life?Exodus 5:22--6:12
How low have you ever felt in your life? Some of us have been pretty low if we were honest with one another now wouldn't we? Moses felt as low as he could go. He was supposed to be the deliverer, and yet it looked as if he was failing.
Ex 5:22 Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
Exodus 6:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." 2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.
5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.10 Then the LORD said to Moses, 11 "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." 12 But Moses said to the LORD, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?"
How many times had God explained it to him? Yet, like many of us, he had trouble remembering the Lord's assurances.What was Moses to do now? The message was a rerun of the last one: "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land" (v. 11).
Can't you just hear Moses saying to himself, "Go to Pharaoh, Lord? My own people just bought me a one-way ticket caravan back to Midian, and You want me to go back to Pharaoh? R-r-r-e---m-m-m-em---ber m-m-me? I'm the guy who can't t-t-t-talk. Shoot, I'd mess up a rock fight, Lord. I can't get it together. I'm at the end of my rope. How in the world are You going to pull this off?"
Moses didn't know it at the moment, but he'd put before the Lord the best proposition yet. I'm at the end of my rope. Lord, how are you going to do it? I'd like to underline a major truth in this world of ours that I don't pretend to understand. Here it is: the best framework for the Lord God to do His work is when things are absolutely impossible and we feel totally unqualified to handle it.
In spite of the Lord's assurances, things kept going from bad to worse for Moses. The Israelites would no longer listen to him. Moses was at the end of his rope and yet that is when He will discover again that God is faithful. Time after time, He brings us to our absolute end and then proves Himself faithful. Moses was told to follow God's plan - to be faithful no matter his circumstances no matter what people may say - follow God's plan. You and I must do the same - the question is - are you following God's plan for your life?
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