Moses was born in Egypt to an Israelite family and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. He killed an Egyptian thinking God would use him to deliver God’s people, but instead, Moses ran for his life. He ends up in Midian where he marries the daughter of the priest of Midian and shepherds the priest’s flock. Finally, God calls Moses.
Exodus 3:1 tells us that Moses what pasturing the flock and led the flock to Horeb (or Mt Sinai), the mountain of God. This is where he sees a burning bush that is not consumed by the fire. Moses was amazed that the bush was not being burned up, and he turned aside to see it closer up (Exodus 3:1-3).
When God saw that Moses turned to look at the bush, He called out to Moses. God told Moses to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. Then God tells Moses who He is (Exodus 3:4-5).
“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. — Exodus 3:6
God tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people. He has heard them crying out to Him, and He is going to deliver them out of Egypt to a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7-9).
Then God says something that probably surprises Moses.
“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” — Exodus 3:10
Moses had five different excuses or objections to being the one to go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from slavery.
First, he said, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) Moses doesn’t understand why God would use him. He doesn’t feel adequate for such a task. But God replies, “Certainly I will be with you…” (Exodus 3:12) God wasn’t calling him to do it alone. He was calling Moses to be obedient and do everything that He commanded. God wasn’t going to tell Moses to free the Israelites and then just leave him to figure it out. God promised to be with him.
Second, Moses says that the Israelites will ask “What is His name?” Moses asks God how he should answer them (Exodus 3:13). God answers, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14) so that the Israelites would know He sent them.
Third, Moses says, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” (Exodus 4:1) God then gives Moses three signs for the Israelites so that they may believe that the God of their father’s appeared to Moses. God turned Moses’ staff into a snake and back into a staff, turned his hand leprous and healed it again, and told him to take water from the Nile and pour it on dry ground and the water would become blood. (Exodus 4:1-9)
Fourth, Moses says that he has never been eloquent and that he is “slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10). God reminds Moses that He made man’s mouth, and He says, “Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to say.” (Exodus 4:11-12)
Finally, Moses’ fifth objection, he says, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.” (Exodus 4:13) Or, in other words, “Send someone else instead of me.” This time, we are told, “Then the anger of the LORD burned against Moses…” After everything that God had told Moses and promised him, he still doubted and was still afraid. God brought Moses’ brother Aaron to him, and Aaron became the one to speak for Moses. God would speak the words to Moses, who would tell Aaron, and then Aaron would speak to the Israelites. Moses would be the one to preform the signs (Exodus 4:13-17).
For every single excuse Moses had, God had a response. God wasn’t going to leave him to do it on His own. God was using Moses to accomplish His purpose, and He would provide Moses with what he needed to do so.
Have you every been in a situation like this one? You know what God is telling you to do, and you quickly come up with every excuse why you can’t do it. You tell God He has the wrong person, or you say you’re not able to do it. I know I’ve been guilty of that before. I think many of us have.
But just like God promises to be with Moses, He promises to be with us as well. He isn’t going to call us to do something and then leave us on our own. He will give us what we need to accomplish His purposes, just like He provided for Moses.
Your sister in Christ,