09.13.09 - Exodus 1 - 10

Don't you just hate it when people make excuses? Excuses mean that somebody is trying to avoid responsibility -- some job or task that rightly belongs to that person but when he or she considers too inconvenient to do. On the surface the excuse looks rights but closer examination reveals major flaws in the argument.

Moses made excuses because he felt inadequate for the job that God asked him to do (Exodus 3:10-4:17). It was natural for him to feel that way, because he was inadequate all by himself. But God wasn't asking Moses to work alone. He offered other resources to help (God himself, Aaron, and the ability to do miracles.) God often calls us to perform tasks that seem too difficult but he doesn't ask us to do them alone. God offers us resources just as he did to Moses. We should not hide behind our inadequacies, as Moses did but look beyond ourselves to God's great available resources. Then we can allow Him to empower our unique contributions.

Something really strange happened. The bush started talking to Moses!
Moses was tending his father-in-law's sheep in the wilderness when: "The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed" (Exodus 3:2).
That would grab your attention on a cold, dark night in the wilderness! The thorny bush just kept on burning and burning. How long we don't know. But when it stopped burning it was not consumed. You guessed it. There probably wasn't even any ashes and smut on it.
The glory of God was displayed before Moses. "The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush . . .”
Moses said to himself, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up" (v. 3).
That is when the bush started talking to Moses! "When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am" (v. 4).
Moses was then told to take his sandals off because the ground upon which he was standing was rendered holy by God's presence (v. 5). The place where he was standing was holy because the LORD is holy.
This was a manifestation of God Himself. Verse two says, "The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a burning fire from the midst of a bush. . . " Verse four tells us, "When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush . . . " In verse six he tells us the one speaking says, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses moves us in his writing from the angel of the LORD to the LORD (Yahweh) Himself and further identifies Him as the God of Israel. The transition from “the angel of the LORD” in verse two to “the LORD” in verse four proves the identity of the two and the interchange between Yahweh (LORD) and Elohim (God) in verse four.
What would you have done? "Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God" (v. 6b). He bowed and worshipped. The LORD is truly God. He is the same God who created the heavens and the earth and the One who cut the covenant with Abraham, and renewed it with Isaac and Jacob.
The same angel of the LORD had appeared to Sarah, Hagar, Abraham and Isaac four hundred years earlier. Now He appears to Moses as the burning bush and reveals Himself as the "I AM THAT I AM." The identity of the angel is not left in doubt. He clearly declares Himself as Yahweh.

What has God asked you to do? What excuses are you using to avoid this responsibility and work? Obey God by stepping out in faith. He will give you the resources to do His work.

If you've ever had to learn something you didn't want to learn, you know how much discipline it takes. No matter what the subject, you have to do some digging and some hard work. Learning isn't a a downhill ride; its more of a mountain climb. It takes work. God sends Moses to confront Pharaoh. Pharaoh's response is to make the Hebrews work even harder. Moses complains, God promises deliverance and the showdown begins. When you have feeble faith the effects are disastrous.

Moses didn't like Gods methods. Despite God's message -- indeed, because of it-- Pharaoh increased the Hebrews workload. Moses protested that God was not rescuing His people (Exodus 5:22 - 23). Moses expected faster results and fewer problems. When God is at work, suffering, setbacks, and hardships may still occur. We can be sure however that each hardship has a purpose - to teach, discipline, punish or accomplish another work of God. In James 1:2-4, we are encouraged to be joyful when difficulties come our way. Problems teach us to
1. Trust God to do what is best for us
2. Look for ways to honor God in our present situation
3. Remember that God will not abandon us
4. Watch for God's plan for us.

What tough lessons is God teaching me today? And more importantly what can I do to honor Him through my attitude, words and actions?