Let God Be God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Fear in the front seat of an airplane
It’s not foolish to be afraid in a stall it’s foolish to think you are a better pilot with a better plan.
Moses has objections, but those objections are not a problem for God.
Resistant People are Not a Problem for God
Resistant People are Not a Problem for God
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.’ ” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
Question to Answer: Was this a righteous objection?
Question to Answer: Was this a righteous objection?
In some sense reasonable
Moses had already experienced rejection from Israel
Unbelief in the Hebrews is a persistent OT problem
Ultimately faithless
It’s speculative rather than real – no one has rejected this message yet; last time Moses was acting on his own
Moses objection was not, “How can I make them believe” but “They will not believe”
But God has already promised they would believe so his reasonable fear crosses a line into failing to rest in what God has already promised
18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
Three Signs
Three Signs
God gives signs which will authenticate his messenger.
This is a foreshadowing of God’s future deliverance.
Observation: The three signs aren’t random tricks but accomplish three things
Targeted opposition to Pharaoh/Egypt
Revelation of God’s ultimate power
Anticipate covenant faithfulness
Staff to Snake
Staff to Snake
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Observations
Uraeus on Pharaoh’s head, serpent/dragon
God has total power over the serpent (Gen 3)
Result: That they may believe that Yahweh […] has appeared to you.
Leprous Hand
Leprous Hand
6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.
Observation
Disease was destructive to ancient society
Medicine in Egypt was a mix of superstition and medicine, the sudden
Doctors were priests of the god Sekhmet
Anticipate covenant faithfulness
This sign explicitly ties in the covenant with its names for God
Anticipates how God will use his control of nature to bless the people in the future
Result: If they don’t believe the snake, they will believe this.
Water to Blood
Water to Blood
9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
Observations
The Nile is the heart of Egyptian life and mythology
Result: If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take
Summary
Summary
God will show his power
This whole account is a revelation of God as the ultimate power and one who is worth of worship
The Israelites will believe
The Egyptians will see
Application
Application
God has the power to accomplish his aims against all opposition
For some, these miracles may result in belief (Hebrews)
For some, these miracles may result in hardness (Pharaoh)
For some, these miracles may result in fear (Egyptians)
These miracles will certainly result in God’s purpose being fulfilled.
God’s kingly power is such that he can bring life and death from the same words and actions
Moses job is faith-filled obedience
Our job is faith-filled obedience
God is faithful when we are failures
God’s mercy is shown to Moses here
He should have obeyed ore asked God how instead of denying God’s power – yet God responds with mercy and answers the question he should have asked rather than judging him for his failure
Inadequacy is not a Problem for God
Inadequacy is not a Problem for God
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 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.”
Moses turns from his reservations about the Hebrews to reservations about himself
Moses claims he is not eloquent
Speech impediment v. just bad at public speaking is unclear
God responds with two counterarguments – Moses’s objection is irreverent and irrelevant (Tony Merida)
Irreverent
Irreverent
God is the one who made his mouth and gave it the ability to speak
Both the ability to speak and speaking disabilities are in God’s hand.
Even Moses’s base ability to make any sound at all is a product of God’s creative power
The author of the creation account does not believe the power of the creator
This response evokes the end of Job
Irrelevant
Irrelevant
God will be with his mouth
The success of Moses’s mission is not dependent on Moses ability but God’s presence and activity
His ability will be used but it is not decisive in determining whether he will obey and wether he will succeed
We never see an account of this inadequacy being removed – God me overcome your weaknesses or he may use you in your weakness (Paul)
God’s Full Response
God’s Full Response
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
Gives Moses responsibility.“Now therefore go”
Supplies his confidence.“I will be with your mouth”
Makes him dependent on God’s instruction.“And teach you what you shall speak”
Application
Application
Tension between passivity and pride
Tension between passivity and pride
There is a tension, Moses has a lot of work to do and is expected to participate meaningfully in Israel’s salvation, but God says he is the one who will accomplish it.
God’s purposes are not dependent on us, but we nonetheless participate in them.
There is another OT story that expresses this tension similarly. – Esther
13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
God will accomplish his purpose, but he commands and honors our participation.
See the tension
Moses was uniquely prepared to serve as leader and law-giver – that training wasn’t wasted.
Moses also was unable to do all God needed – he didn’t learn how to part the red see in Pharaoh’s school.
God used means – both ordinary and supernatural – to accomplish his purposes.
For us: God doesn’t need our obedience (he doesn’t need anything!), but he invites us into his plan.
Another moment of mercy
Another moment of mercy
God has already given Moses this same promise
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.”
18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
For us: God still bears with Moses’s faithlessness.
God provides for Moses’s/our inadequacy.
God bears with Moses’s/our distrust.
God calls Moses/us to go in dependence on that provision.
Therefore, Boldly Obey God
Therefore, Boldly Obey God
13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
“Please send someone else”
Moses is faithless
Moses is deferential
“Well, it’s about that time.”
Moses final objection is barely an objection at all – there is no argument made
Accordingly God doesn’t offer a persuasive case against his objection.
God assumes he will go.
“Can you preach on a Sunday night?”
“Can you ask someone else?”
“Here are the instructions for how to prepare.”
God offers him help
Aaron is not a replacement for Moses but will serve as the vessel through which Moses speaks (“you shall be as God to him”)
This final section serves as warning and encouragement
Warning: Don’t anger God by faithlessness (his nostrils are hot)
Encouragement: The merciful God send Moses an ally
Our weaknesses do are not reason for disobedience or fear, but God graciously provides for us in our weaknesses
Conclusion
Conclusion
What is God asking you to do?
Live on mission
Say no to sin
Devote yourself to Christian growth
Love your neighbor
What obstacles to obedience do you need to leave on God’s shoulders?
Others
Within yourself
How can you learn from Moses?
Before you refuse: trust God’s provision and obey.
When you have refused: receive his mercy, turn from your refusal, and obey.
The Willing Savior
Just As I Am
