What is in Your Hand?
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Pastor Dave and Cherie are scheduled to return on Tuesday this week, and on Sunday, I look forward to hearing part two of Pastor Dave’s message about the Hallowed Name of God.
In last week’s message, Pastor Dave told us about Moses’ burning bush experience in the wilderness. It was on this occasion that God revealed His name to Moses.
Today, I would like to look a little more closely at this experience which proved to be life-changing for Moses.
The title of my message is, “What is in Your Hand?”
Please turn with me, to Exodus 3.
Let’s invoke the Spirit of God on our study of His Word.
Today, I want to show you that Moses was an ordinary human being, much like you or me.
But, through the power of God, Moses had the responsibility of leading about 2 million people.
I submit to you that Moses was not up to the task, nor did he even want the task. Nevertheless, God chose him and empowered him, and Moses became one of the greatest and godliest men ever to walk this earth.
So, with God’s help, I hope to show you that
Moses was
Moses was
Doubtful of his abilities
Uncertain about the identity of God
Convinced that no one would believe
Ashamed of his inability to speak well
Resolute not to be God’s messenger
Obedient to God’s calling
We will begin by noting that Moses was tending his sheep on Mount Horeb, and became captivated by a curious wonder: a bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. As he approached the bush, God called out to him. Exodus 3, verse 4.
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.
Learning that it was God speaking to him, Moses immediately hid his face. This is a common human experience. Isaiah described how he cried out in anguish at the sight of God:
Isaiah 6:5 records his response:
5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Even the apostle John, who walked and worked on earth with Jesus, the “Son of Man,” was fearful when he saw a heavenly vision of the the glorified Jesus, the second person of the Trinity:
Revelation 1:17 (ESV)
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. ...
It is a fearful thing for a mere human to see even the slightest glimpse of the God of creation.
So, Moses was afraid, but he continued to listen as God spoke ...
7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,
8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
I imagine that Moses listened with great interest as God described His care and concern for Israel.
But hearing how God intended to use him, we discover that
1. Moses was Doubtful of his abilities
1. Moses was Doubtful of his abilities
Doubtful of his abilities
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Do you ever ask, “Who am I?”
Do you ever doubt your own abilities?
Do you ever feel that you are unprepared,
or too weak,
or too poor,
or not smart enough,
or not healthy enough?
You are in good company. Because Moses felt the same way.
In fact, I suggest that it’s actually a good thing not to think too highly of ourselves and our abilities.
I suggest that God would rather use people who trust in His sufficiency rather than their own self-sufficiency.
For example, think about Paul the apostle. Scripture says something extraordinary about him. Let me read Paul’s words for you
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Brothers and sisters, by all means, doubt your own abilities. Accept your weaknesses. Our strength, our sufficiency, our power; they all come from Christ, whose Spirit lives within us.
As Paul said in Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Remember, Moses was just an ordinary man.
Scripture gives us a little insight into his backstory:
First, Moses was a Hebrew child born in Egypt at a time when the Pharaoh wanted all Hebrew baby boys killed. But through the providence of God, Moses survived, when he was found and adopted by the Pharaoh’s own daughter.
We find evidence that he did spend time with his Hebrew family and he learned something of his Hebrew roots, but he grew up in the Egyptian palace.
This is totally conjecture, but I suspect that Moses was probably scorned by Egyptians and Hebrews alike. The Egyptians saw him as an outsider, and the Hebrews saw him as one receiving special treatment for no other reason but that the princess felt great affection for him when we was a helpless baby.
As he grew older, Moses begin to demonstrate a partiality toward the Hebrews. On one occasion, he avenged the beating of a Hebrew slave by killing the Egyptian taskmaster who was doing the beating.
On another occasion, he attempted to intervene when two Hebrews were arguing, but his intervention was spurned by those whom he thought he could help.
When Pharaoh discovered that Moses had killed an Egyptian, Moses became a wanted man.
So, at 40 years old, wanted for murder by the Egyptians, and not wanted at all by his own people, Moses fled from Egypt to the wilderness near Mount Horeb, and all he had to manage were his own thoughts and a flock of sheep.
And there he remained for forty years. That’s where he was in the text before us: an 80 year old shepherd living peacefully in the wilderness.
You see, he was comfortable. He lived a peaceful existence.
The last place Moses wanted to be was Egypt.
The last person Moses wanted to see was the Pharaoh.
The last people Moses wanted to help were the Hebrews.
So, when Moses responded, “Who am I,” he was simply being realistic.
Like most of us, he carried baggage that prejudiced his sensibilities. He seriously doubted his credibility, his effectiveness, and perhaps, even his survival.
But God answered Moses, verse 12:
Exodus 3:12 (ESV)
12 He said, “But I will be with you ...”
God promised to be with Moses. That should be enough, right?
But consider this: Moses did not yet have a personal knowledge of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Like Pastor Dave showed us last week, Moses surely knew of God, but he did not know God.
And anyway, these words came from a burning bush in the desert … What does it mean, “I will be with you”?
So I suspect that God’s promise may have felt hollow and unbelievable.
How would you feel if God said to you, “I have seen the affliction of my people in the world. They are harassed by the devil and caught in the net of sin and destruction. Come, I will send you to show them the way out of their self-destructive lives and into my love and provision for them.”
You would find yourself in uncomfortable surroundings.
You would be scorned by some of the very ones you try to help.
You would be scorned by the devil who has them.
Church, Jesus gave us this commission. It’s called the “Great Commission.”
Let me read it for you (Matthew 28:18-20)
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Yes, like Moses, we have been given a difficult task.
Like Moses, we are not equipped to do accomplish this task.
Like Moses, we do not want to accept this task.
Like Moses, God said to us, “I will be with you.”
Take courage, church.
Jesus is with us! To the end, Jesus is with us!
Now, those words may sound hollow and unbelievable, but they came from the lips of Jesus, Himself. He spoke those words face-to-face to our predecessors, and He gave us His spirit to live within us: to the end of the age!
Like Moses, we have no valid reason to doubt.
But Moses wasn’t there yet.
Let’s go back to the last part of Exodus 3:12
Exodus 3:12 (ESV)
12 ... 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.”
When I think of a sign from God, I think of something supernatural that reveals that God is really at work so that, in my wavering faith, I have something more tangible to hold on to. Something like Gideon’s fleece.
But this is not the kind of sign that God gave to Moses. God’s sign to him was a proclamation that when he had brought the people out, they would come to this mountain and serve God.
Carefully note God’s words, “When you have brought the people out ...” not “If you bring the people out.”
You see, God’s “sign” was His perfect foreknowledge. He was telling Moses precisely what will happen.
God sees the future as clearly as He sees the past.
This is His foreknowledge.
This is His omniscience.
Nonetheless, Moses must act by faith.
Serving God is always a faith venture.
Salvation is a faith venture.
" … Whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life ...” That’s faith.
We trust our eternal soul into God’s keeping.
We trust that He forgives us and redeems us.
He doesn’t hand us a receipt that says “paid in full.”
We have only His word, and we must accept it by faith.
But, Moses is not yet ready to accept this by faith because
2. Moses was Uncertain about the identity of God
2. Moses was Uncertain about the identity of God
Doubtful of his abilities
Uncertain about the identity of God
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”
Surely, the people of Israel would want to know if God really directed Moses to them. If so, he would certainly know his name.
The other reality is that Moses knew that the Egyptians had ten gods. The Hebrews had been in Egypt all their lives, like their parents before them and their ancestors before them for many generations. Moses certainly knew this. And he knew that the Hebrews might be confused about all these gods.
Moses needed to know God’s name.
In response,
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.’ ”
“I AM” — what a name!
That’s the first person singular of the verb, to be
As Pastor Dave explained last week, in Hebrew, that verb is pronounced “Yahweh”
The LORD God, is Yahweh, “I AM”
He always was.
He is now.
He always will be.
“I AM”
Moses, tell the people of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you”
Brothers and sisters, what reason could Moses possibly have ever to doubt the reliability of the always existing God?
Moses met this “I AM” about 3500 years ago. But the amazing thing about “I AM” is that 3500 years later, He still is!
And consider this also, Jesus said to the Jewish leaders of His day, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” Yes, the same Jesus who said, “I will be with you always ...” Is the great “I AM”!
The everlasting God has promised to be with us! We have no reason to doubt His reliability.
There will come a time, in Moses life, when he has an intimate knowledge of God. He will speak to God, as it were, face-to-face, as a man speaks with his friend.
But not yet. At the moment, Moses was convinced that no one would ever believe him.
3. Moses was Convinced that no one would believe
3. Moses was Convinced that no one would believe
Doubtful of his abilities
Uncertain about the identity of God
Convinced that no one would believe
We won’t take the time to read all of it, but let me summarize the remainder of Exodus 3.
God was very clear with Moses. He told Moses to tell the people that God will bring them out of their affliction in Egypt.
The people would believe him, and they would go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the people go.
And God told Moses that Pharaoh would not allow Israel to go “unless compelled by a mighty hand.”
See verse 20:
20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.
Now, let’s go Exodus 4 and verse 1.
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.’ ”
Moses was thoroughly convinced that the people of Israel simple would not listen to him or believe him.
Moses was still stuck in his original mire of doubt.
He was still stuck with the question, “Who am I”
He was still unwilling, perhaps afraid, to go Egypt.
He was still unwilling, perhaps afraid, to stand before Pharaoh.
He was still unwilling, perhaps afraid, to help the people of Israel.
He would much rather return to his simple existence with his simple thoughts and his simple flock.
But, God intended to give him a MUCH larger flock.
And he arrests Moses’ attention with what appears, at face value, to be a random question. But, of course, God doesn’t ask random questions.
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
Moses had used a staff for half of his lifetime. With it, he directed, nurtured, and protected his sheep.
Of course, God did not ask this question because He didn’ know the answer.
He asked the question because Moses didn’t know the answer. At least, not the complete answer, and God was about to reveal that to him.
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—
God just demonstrated what He now explains:
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.”
Moses had said, “They won’t believe me.”
God just gave Moses a sign to convince him and the people of Israel that God was with him and with them.
Let’s read on:
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.”
But, half a lifetime of doubting was still troubling him, and Moses raised another concern.
4. Moses was Ashamed that he could not speak well
4. Moses was Ashamed that he could not speak well
Doubtful of his abilities
Uncertain about the identity of God
Convinced that no one would believe
Ashamed that he could not speak well
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.”
Now, this is understandable.
Moses had spent much of the last forty years speaking only to himself and the sheep. I can understand his concern.
But actually its kind of amazing when I think about it. I never picture Moses as being scared, shy, or lacking words.
I typically picture Moses with his arms outstretched.
In my mind, I see him speaking the words of God with authority.
We picture him thus at the red sea as God parts the waters giving Israel dry land on which to cross.
We picture him talking with God on Mount Sinai, even interceding with all his might for the people of Israel.
We picture him smashing the tablets containing the ten commandments because of Israel’s sin.
We picture him striking the rock to bring forth water for Israel.
We never picture a simple man who is reluctant to speak to a crowd.
Ah, but that Moses, is still developing.
Let this be an encouragement. Moses was 80 years old when God sent him to Pharaoh. And still, he was not yet fully developed into the man God will make him to be.
Who is Moses right now, and what are his thoughts?
He is the Hebrew baby who was given up for adoption to protect him from being killed.
He is the young man who grew up in the Egyptian palace, scorned by others.
He is the Hebrew who avenged his fellow Hebrew by killing an Egyptian.
He is the interloper who tried to intervene in a quarrel between two Hebrews.
He is the fugitive sought for killing an Egyptian.
He is the broken man who has spent half of his long life taking care of sheep in the wilderness.
Moses has found comfort and peace in the desert. He doesn’t have the will to step out of this “comfort zone.”
Do you?
Are you so comfortable that you cannot conceive of stepping into something else?
Something different?
Something new?
If you’re like me, you can easily relate to Moses.
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.”
But,
5. Moses was Resolute not to be God’s messenger
5. Moses was Resolute not to be God’s messenger
Doubtful of his abilities
Uncertain about the identity of God
Convinced that no one would believe
Ashamed that he could not speak well
Resolute not to be God’s messenger
13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”
His words were polite. He said, “please.” But his sentiment was foolish. How can he say, “Lord” and “send someone else” in the same sentence? Lord means “master.” And master means “the one who makes the decisions.”
Moses’ doubts have now crossed over to stubborn refusal.
And for the first time, we read that God begins to be angry with Moses.
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.”
We’re not told exactly what happened in Moses’ thinking, but we do know that he immediately stopped finding excuses.
God is never thwarted by men. God will do what He will do. Just as He knew how to convince Jonah to go to Nineveh, so He knew how to convince Moses to go to Egypt.
And God knows how to convince you.
Here’s an interesting aside:
It turns out that Moses didn’t really need Aaron to do his talking for him.
Perusing the remainder of the Book of Exodus, I found only 1 occurrence of Moses telling Aaron what to say to the people.
But I found 18 occurrences where Moses spoke directly to the people of Israel, or directly to Pharaoh.
Just like God had said: “... I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
Yes, Moses found it difficult to overcome his doubts and fears, but in the course of a few minutes interacting with the always existing God,
6. Moses was Obedient to God’s calling
6. Moses was Obedient to God’s calling
Doubtful of his abilities
Uncertain about the identity of God
Convinced that no one would believe
Ashamed that he could not speak well
Resolute not to be God’s messenger
Obedient to God’s calling
Look at Exodus 4:20
20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
Did you notice that Moses’ staff is now called “the staff of God”?
We are further told that Moses and Aaron did meet up.
They went together to the leaders of Israel.
The leaders went with Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh refused again and again to let the people go.
With each refusal, God sent a plague.
With each plague, Pharaoh would relent.
With each relenting came Pharaoh’s hardening.
With the hardening came another plague, and on and on.
Until much of Egypt had been destroyed.
Pharaoh hardened again, and lost his own son in the Passover.
So he relented and finally let the people go.
But Pharaoh hardened one last time and sent his army to bring the people back. He lost his army in the Red Sea.
Moses was an ordinary man. He didn’t think much of himself or his abilities. He was exactly the kind of person God would use to do something extraordinary.
Let me ask you something ...
What is in your hand?
Have you given it to God?
Have you thrown it down?
Have you taken it up again?
Symbolically, Moses’ throwing down that staff represented a new direction in his life.
An unpredictable direction.
A dangerous direction.
When Moses released his staff, it became something dangerous that caused him to draw away in fear.
But he reached out and picked up that dangerous serpent, and it became a staff once again. But that staff was now different. And yes, that staff was dangerous.
With it he wielded God’s power.
And because of it, he became the object of scorn and ridicule.
And using it in Moses’ hand, God delivered his people from Egypt and brought them circuitously to the promised land.
That stick was never again just a simple shepherd’s staff.
It was the “staff of God,” and with it, Moses’ led a much larger flock that was way more difficult to love and protect than his original flock.
Yet, he did love, protect, and lead them: the children of Israel.
Whatever it is in your hand that God is telling you to throw down, be aware that your life will change when you do so.
Life will probably be more difficult, maybe even dangerous.
Perhaps you will draw away in fear. But don’t let the fear get the better of you.
When God tells you to take it up again, grab it with all your strength, even if it is dangerous. Take it, sanctify it to God’s use, and worship God with it.
You will do things that you cannot do apart from God’s enablement.
Change is scary. We have doubts. We have fears. So did Moses.
Moses’ doubts caused him to try to get out of serving God. But ultimately, Moses’ doubts caused him to depend wholly on God. I pray that your doubts will have the same effect.
I encourage you, then; if you’ve been arguing with God, it’s time now to repent and accept his call on your life.
Friend, if you have never accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior from sin, I pray that you will do so today. But, beware, He will begin to change you from the inside out, making you a new person. Christ never leaves us in our sin. He never leaves us the same way he finds us.
God is working here at Cornelius Community Church. Pastor Dave and I both believe that God wants to do something more in us and through us. And whatever that is, we believe that He wants all of us to use the resources and gifts He has given us.
Moses was a shepherd. He became the shepherd of God’s flock.
Who are you? What is in your hand? What does God want you to do with it?
Let’s pray.