Answering God's Call

Exodus 3-4: Answering God's Call This morning, we will continue our new series in Exodus, by looking at Moses's calling in chapters 3-4. Last week, Loren Hawthorne reminded me of this story sometime last week about the drowning man: A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. "The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the motorboat went on. Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away. Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!" To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?" I agree that this story is somewhat funny, definitely ironic, and even a bit foolish, I think it's a good reminder for us today that we should always be looking for God's will and properly responding appropriately to that will. We'll do that this morning by looking at the story of Moses's calling. We can learn a lot from this, but unfortunately, just like the drowning man, there's much to learn from Moses's failures, just as much as his victories that we'll see throughout our sermon series. Let's start by reading the opening section of chapter 3: 1 NOW MOSES WAS KEEPING THE FLOCK OF HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, JETHRO, THE PRIEST OF MIDIAN, AND HE LED HIS FLOCK TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE WILDERNESS AND CAME TO HOREB, THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD. 2 AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARED TO HIM IN A FLAME OF FIRE OUT OF THE MIDST OF A BUSH. HE LOOKED, AND BEHOLD, THE BUSH WAS BURNING, YET IT WAS NOT CONSUMED. 3 AND MOSES SAID, "I WILL TURN ASIDE TO SEE THIS GREAT SIGHT, WHY THE BUSH IS NOT BURNED." 4 WHEN THE LORD SAW THAT HE TURNED ASIDE TO SEE, GOD CALLED TO HIM OUT OF THE BUSH, "MOSES, MOSES!" AND HE SAID, "HERE I AM." 5 THEN HE SAID, "DO NOT COME NEAR; TAKE YOUR SANDALS OFF YOUR FEET, FOR THE PLACE ON WHICH YOU ARE STANDING IS HOLY GROUND." 6 AND HE SAID, "I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHER, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB." AND MOSES HID HIS FACE, FOR HE WAS AFRAID TO LOOK AT GOD. Let's face it, Moses started off very well. God grabs his attention, and we see that Moses responds. Let's pause for a moment. God used a unique way of grabbing Moses's attention. Moses is simply working in the field. Probably something he's done for decades, likely in the same place at the same time. He's probably seen that bush countless times. But ... this time it's different. It's on fire. But it's controlled and not consuming the bush. As soon as Moses pays full attention to that bush, the Lord speaks to him. We see that Moses listens, because when the Lord told him that he was on holy ground, he listened - and when God told him who He was, He was in awe of God and His holiness. It says he was afraid. Now, the lesson for us is almost obvious. When we're in the presence of God - which is always because God is everywhere - we are to be in awe of Him. That means that in our everyday lives, we are to be in a state of worship and awe of the Creator God that we've been reading about in our daily reading plan. With this in mind, here's the main idea for today's passage: God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called Now, I can't take credit for this phrasing, as I've heard it from people here several times, as well as others, but it's hard not to have this in mind when we speak about Moses. Remember last week we learned that he was a murderer and he fled to Midian? According to the Scriptures, he was 40 when he killed the Egyptian, and was in Midian for 40 years before this encounter with God at the bush. Even if we don't read the rest of the story, this statement still holds true. Why would God call an 80-year-old murderer turned shepherd? That's the beauty with the Lord. The bush wasn't special, it was what God did with the bush. Moses wasn't chosen because he was special, He was chosen because that was his purpose, no matter how broken or weak he was. But, as I stated earlier, this doesn't automatically mean that Moses responded the way he should've. Let's learn from Moses on five ways ... HOW NOT TO RESPOND TO GOD'S CALLING What we'll see from chapter 3, verse 11 through chapter 4, verse 17 is the exchange between Moses and the Lord on this call. Moses begins to engage in excuse after excuse effectively trying to talk God out of choosing him. He begins with this from verse 11: * Who am I? o On one hand, I can fully understand why Moses said this. In my studies this week, many experts commented on this verse. Is Moses being humble? Or is Moses feeling inadequate? o I think it could be either or both. o I mean, he was effectively run out of Egypt, now working for his father-in-law for 40 years. o But, on the other hand, he was telling God, "Are you sure you have the right guy?" o Let's look at the passage to see how God responds in verses 11-12: 11 BUT MOSES SAID TO GOD, "WHO AM I THAT I SHOULD GO TO PHARAOH AND BRING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT?" 12 HE SAID, "BUT I WILL BE WITH YOU, AND THIS SHALL BE THE SIGN FOR YOU, THAT I HAVE SENT YOU: WHEN YOU HAVE BROUGHT THE PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT, YOU SHALL SERVE GOD ON THIS MOUNTAIN." o Did you see it? o God says, "I WILL BE WITH YOU" o In other words, "it doesn't matter who you are, Moses, I will be with you" o We've all seen the commercials or the movies, where one guy tells the other, "hey, tell 'em Frankie sent you" He has the pull. He has the influence. He's the one calling the shots. o God reminds Moses - and you and I today - it's not about you. It's about Me. o Moses's next response is interesting. * Who are You? o Moses goes to God with another hypothetical situation. The latter part of verse 13 says: what if they ask me, "'WHAT IS HIS NAME?' WHAT SHALL I SAY TO THEM?" o God responds in verse 14: GOD SAID TO MOSES, "I AM WHO I AM." AND HE SAID, "SAY THIS TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL: 'I AM HAS SENT ME TO YOU.' o This Name, "I AM" is the name of all names. It is the "ultimate statement of self-sufficiency, self-existence, and immediate presence." o It's the idea that when God identifies Himself in this way it means that He is always there, no matter when or where. o So, when Jesus uses the same designation for Himself, it affirms that He and the Father are one. That is why we are only able to come to the Father through Him. o You'll notice in verse 15 that He then identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is a call back to His promises to them. A reference to the fulfillment of those promises to the forefathers through Moses. o I don't know about you, but I'd like to think that "I AM" would be enough for Moses, but it's not ... Moses then asks: * What if they don't listen? o This takes us right into chapter 4. o The wording and progression of questioning implies more disbelief than a misunderstanding or seeking answers. o Here is how Moses frames the question in verse 1: THEN MOSES ANSWERED, "BUT BEHOLD, THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE ME OR LISTEN TO MY VOICE, FOR THEY WILL SAY, 'THE LORD DID NOT APPEAR TO YOU.' o Why is this considered disbelief? Because, back in 3:18 God told Moses that they will listen to his voice. o Moses knew his people were stubborn, and maybe he thought he was doing God a favor by telling Him not to waste His time with them. "They won't listen, God. Don't bother" o So, once again, God had to respond. This time through signs. * The first sign was Moses turning the rod into a snake. * The second sign was Moses turning his hand leprous with his cloak. * The third sign was turning the water into blood. o Not entirely sure how the first sign wouldn't be enough, but there you have it. o Careful inspection of these signs shows that the first two are transformative of something good and useful into something evil, and the third is a sign of judgement. o This not only tells us, once again, that Moses had some serious doubt, it also shows us what we are to expect from Israel during this exodus o Once again, Moses had more issues to get through, in verse 10 Moses tells the Lord ... * But I don't speak well. o Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, and I'm paraphrasing: studies show that the thing American's fear most is public speaking. Second? Death. This means, most Americans would rather be in the casket, than perform the eulogy. o Moses seemingly had some sort of speech impediment, or another type of issue with his speech. Here, he gets a little snarky in his response, effectively telling God, "nothing has changed since you came along, I'm still a poor speaker, and you want me to be your spokesperson before Pharoah?" o God's response here is perfect as seen in verses 11-12: 11 THEN THE LORD SAID TO HIM, "WHO HAS MADE MAN'S MOUTH? WHO MAKES HIM MUTE, OR DEAF, OR SEEING, OR BLIND? IS IT NOT I, THE LORD? 12 NOW THEREFORE GO, AND I WILL BE WITH YOUR MOUTH AND TEACH YOU WHAT YOU SHALL SPEAK o This hits hard. Think about all that we've seen so far from God. * I will be with you. * I will vouch for you * I will give you signs and wonders * I will be your voice and teach you to speak o Surely now, Moses is on board, right? No, verse 13 reveals where Moses was all along: * I can't, please send someone else. o Faithfully, God does, but not before His anger is made known. o At first glance it may appear as though God has given in, or given up on Moses, but He is actually giving Moses a ministry partner. He's not allowing for more excuses. Just as He had done with Moses's other excuses, He says, "take Aaron, He will be your voice, but you are still my instrument." I didn't mention this earlier because I wanted to get through this section first. But this passage is very personal to me. Back in May 2017, Pat and I were cooking breakfast for one of our monthly Men's Breakfasts. He asked me if I had ever thought about full-time ministry. I had told him, and I recall sharing this with some of you in December 2020 during my ordination service, that I had always wanted to be in ministry as a vocation. In fact, I had taken a couple of course at Calvary Chapel's Bible College, I was teaching in the youth ministry at 17 years old and was going to pastor's conferences with my old pastor. But after nearly 20 years in hospitality, that seemed like an old dream. Sometimes we need a little nudge. In many ways throughout my life, I felt like Moses. I felt that I wasn't good enough. I felt that I wasn't smart enough. My voice sounds weird. All the excuses. All the reasons that I'm just not enough. And even though I've been public speaking since 1994 (essay contest, I have proof!), I still never felt confident speaking in front of a group. So, shortly after my meeting with Pat, I came across these two chapters, and when God told Moses in verse 12 of chapter 4 that He would be his voice, and that He would teach him to speak, I was sold. It was at that point that I knew that under my own power, my own qualifications, my own abilities, I couldn't, but with God, I could. You see, it's not about you and me, it is about God. What is God going to do with you? And how will you respond? Will you attempt to go toe to toe with the Lord, or will submit to His will for you? This is why I said earlier: God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. It's widely known throughout the Scriptures that each of us is called. Each of us is given gifts to use. Each of us have a skill or ability that allows us to be used by God. It doesn't matter if you had a bad past. It doesn't matter if you committed a terrible sin. It doesn't matter. God can and will use you for His purpose. He is the potter; we are simply the clay. He will mold us and give us purpose. Let's quickly run through the rest of the chapter to see how this unfolds. First thing we see is Moses returning to his father-in-law. Here, Moses gets his blessing to return to Egypt. Along the way, the Lord reminds Moses that Pharoah's heart will be hardened. Then God mentions the firstborn, which is an important hint of things to come. Then we come to a very obscure passage in verses 24-26. In short, this calls us back to the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17 of circumcision. The text implies that one or both of Moses's sons was not circumcised. This was significant because it was a physical mark of them belonging to God, and this seemingly caused God's wrath to be upon Moses and required the issue to be resolved before they could proceed. More than likely, since Zipporah (Moses's wife) was a Midianite, this is why they weren't circumcised. This also may explain the anger displayed in Zipporah's carrying out the circumcision. Later, in chapter 18, we see that she and her two sons were with her father, so some suggest that this is when she left. From here, Aaron arrives via the command from the Lord, and they come before the elders, just as they were commanded, and the people believed. That leads us to our final thoughts. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR US? There are three things that come to mind as we close out chapter 4 and consider God's call and purpose for you and me. First, * Stop making excuses o It's seemingly easier to find the reasons not to do something, than it is to just accept what God is calling you to do o If God has called you to do something, then it is so. There is nothing we can do to change His mind. We cannot talk Him out of His plan for us. That's actually an encouragement. He will make it happen. He will see it through. Next, this means that we are to ... * Trust God o Do we trust God enough to be obedient to His call? o Do we trust God enough to know that He will equip us for the call? o When you are compelled to share the Gospel with someone, do you trust God to give you the words. This is one of those things that every Christian is called to do, share the Good News o Finally, we are to ... * Do what God has called you to do o It really boils down to this. When Moses finally went to Jethro, then met with Aaron, then met with the elders, he finally took this step towards his calling. So, what's holding you back? It's more than likely, you. So, now is the time that you must surrender to the Lord's call for your life. Will you do that today? Let's pray. 2