READ: Exodus 3 & 4
BACKGROUND: Chapter 3:4 – 4:17 is an incredible encounter/conversation between Moses and God. Do you sometimes wait a long time for an answer to prayer? God had been silent for 400 years! 400 years! Early in the conversation, however, God makes it clear that his silence should never be mistaken for indifference
3:7 – God has seen the misery of his people and has listened to their cries and is coming to their rescue!
3:10 – A magnificent play on words: God tells Moses, “I am sending you to Pharaoh.” Moses answers “Who am I?”
3:14 – “I AM WHO I AM”…..”Tell the Israelites I AM has sent you!” The living, all powerful, creator and sustainer of the Universe!
Chapter 4 – A series of miraculous signs proving GOD has final authority over all creation.
4:4 – Oddly, the LORD instructs Moses to pick the snake up by its tail. In fact, snakes are always picked up right behind the head so they can’t turn and bite. What does God mean?
4:9 – The life giving Nile River turned to blood -useless and lifeless….
4:10 – 16 – God mercifully agrees to give Moses a helper: His brother Aaron
4:24 – Apparently Moses had neglected to circumcise his own son, so his wife intercedes.
4:31 – Overcome with gratefulness, the Israelites bow down and worship….God sees, God cares, God will redeem!
THINK: Most of us see ourselves in Moses…and perhaps this is the miracle of God’s living and active word! The ancient stories resonate in our own lives. Moses – raised as a Prince – is now a lowly shepherd. Having murdered an Egyptian, he is a fugitive in a foreign land with no hope of rescuing his people from the cruel Egyptians. Sometimes our own past can get in the way of what we hope to do or what we hope to become and we feel trapped and alone in tough circumstances.
Even after Moses has a personal encounter with the great I AM, his insecurity gets the best of him. God has made his plan clear, but self-doubt and fear nearly cripple Moses. “You can’t mean me…I can’t speak well and no one will ever believe me.” Sound familiar? It does to me! I’m just too messed up and I have no ability whatsoever! The truth is, we can’t. But God can! He is the GOD who sees and hears and rescues. Pastor James MacDonald says it this way: “This is the awesome thing about being a Christian. Even my errors in judgment, even my foolishness, even my weaknesses, when I get in partnership with God, He is able to work all things for the good of those who love Him. You can’t go back, but you can go forward in God’s grace and trust in His sovereignty. Accept the flaws you cannot change as part of God’s purpose for you.”
PRAY: Thank Jesus for being the GREAT I AM in our lives!
I AM the way the truth and the life…I AM the Good Shepherd…I AM the light of the world…
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