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Exodus 3:11-4:17

Well, let me invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Exodus 3. We’re going to cover a lot of territory today – the rest of chapter 3 and half of chapter 4 – so buckle your seatbelts, because we’re going to have to move pretty quickly. Which reminds me of a UPI news story I saw not too long ago. The Metropolitan Insurance Company received some unusual explanations (read “excuses”) for the auto accidents of its policyholders and shared them. Here are few:

• An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished. (Gotta hate those invisible cars.)
• The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention.
• I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident. (That one is for Moses.)
• As I reached the intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision.
• The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path, but it hit me anyway.
• The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
• The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him. (Think 1980’s Atari – Pole Position.)
• The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him. (Picture a squirrel.)
• I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.

Someone once said (and rightly so), “Excuses are like armpits. We all have them, and they stink.” Today, we’re going to continue the narrative that started last week when Moses encountered God in the burning bush. You’ll recall that Israel finally cried out to God and their prayer went up to heaven and God determined to honor His covenant and come to their rescue. And God’s plan to Moses is in verse 10, which is where we left off, “Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” Let’s pick up with verse 11 and read through chapter 4:17; I want you to be on the lookout for the five (5) excuses that Moses offers God.

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.”

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?” 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.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 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.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 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. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So, you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

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.”

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.” 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.”

“Gracious God, as we turn now to the Bible, we pray for the help of the Holy Spirit, in preaching and listening – that we might understand, believe, obey, and live in the light of its truth. Accomplish your purposes in us, Lord, we pray. For Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

These verses are all about God’s sufficiency. It’s a deeply encouraging bit of scripture. If you ever feel as though God is sending you to do something beyond yourself, then this ought to remind you that God is sovereign and powerful. Not only does God have the “right” to rule, but He also has the power to see to it that His plans are worked out according to His will. Moses makes five excuses for not obeying God’s mission; and to each of those excuses God responds with some type of statement about His sovereignty and power. The first excuse is…

Moses’ Lack of Credentials (3:11-12)

Notice Exodus 3:11, “Who am I . . . ?” Have you ever said that to God? “God, have you considered my resume lately?” I can hear Moses now, “Um, yeah, you do know that I’m a fugitive, right? You do know that I killed an Egyptian. And for the last 40 years I’ve been in the wilderness shepherding sheep. God, I just don’t have what it takes to do this.” Think about it. Imagine a guy in coveralls carrying a wrench going up to the president and saying, “Hey buddy, let everybody go.”

Not only did Moses not think he had the ability, but he really didn’t have the reputation either. I mean, the last time he was in the presence of some of the Hebrews he kind of got into an argument with one of them and that guy didn’t like it too much. Remember? “Who made you a prince and a judge over us?” (Exodus 2:14).

Nevertheless, God promised to “be with Moses.” That’s what we hear all throughout the Bible. All the leaders that God has used, all the people He’s ever called have needed His reassuring presence. Think about Joseph, Joshua, Gideon, David, Mary, even the disciples. Does this sound familiar, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold (what’s the next line?), I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

God said He would be with Moses – and He’s with us too. And what’s more, God even gave Moses a sign, a guarantee, “all of you will worship Me back here on this mountain.” God was so sure of His plan and His ability – and why not; He’s God – that He told Moses exactly what they’d be doing the next time they were in this place. Who am I? A lack of credentials. The second excuse is…

Moses’ Lack of Content (3:13-22)

In verse 13 of chapter 3, Moses says, “What shall I say? What’s Your name? Suppose I do what You’re asking; Who am I supposed to say sent me? I ain’t just busting up into the palace on my own authority.” And for the first time in recorded history, at least as it’s recorded by Moses, God reveals His personal and covenantal name – Yahweh.

Now, most of you know this or have at least heard a little about it, but some of you haven’t. So, let me just unpack this name a little bit. The first thing to remember (or know) is that the original Hebrew of the Old Testament did not have vowels. It was a consonant-only language. Therefore, it’s really anybody’s best guess how God’s name is actually supposed to be pronounced.

Having said that, the Hebrew letters for God’s name are YHWH or YHVH, and it’s connected with the verb “to be”, which is why all of our Bibles translate God’s name as “I AM WHO I AM” or “I AM THAT I AM.” It’s a form of “to be.” And you’ll also notice that the English translators spell it with all capitals. In fact, when you encounter the word LORD (in all caps), then what you’re actually reading is this name “I AM.” If you’re reading the word Lord (in lower case), then you’re reading the Hebrew word Adonai or Elohim – those are titles.

But this name (Yahweh) points to God’s eternal nature, God’s eternal being. He has no beginning and no end. The Bible calls God the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Isaiah 44:6, Revelation 22:13). He’s self-existent and self-sufficient. He doesn’t need air or water. He doesn’t need sleep or food. He doesn’t even need you and me. I know that might shock some of us, but He doesn’t need anything or anyone in order to be God. Before the world was ever created, God was in perfect unity among Himself: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul would put it this way, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Romans 11:36).

And because He’s eternal and self-existent, we’ll never have Him totally figured out. God isn’t a book we read and then put on the shelf. He’s not a class we take – although we formally study Him in the science of theology. God is eternal and unchangeable (Malachi 3:6). He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He’s not getting better or worse, bigger or smaller. He’s infinitely perfect.

So, not only does God give Moses His name and tell Him to say that “I AM” sent me to you, but also, He tells Moses to give the elders a message, a word. What’s the message? There are three parts to the message. The first is found in the latter part of verse 16, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” The second part is found in verse 17, “I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, (the mosquito bites, the parasites, and the websites) [to] a land flowing with milk and honey.” And the third part is found in verse 18. It’s the message they’re supposed to give Pharaoh, “let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.”

The entire content of Moses’ message – everything from God’s personal name, to His delivering the people from slavery, to His giving them a land, and their ultimate journey into the wilderness – everything is ultimately about worship. And that’s the same message that we’re called to deliver. We’re called to tell people who God is (His name and all of His characteristics – His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, imminence, holiness, etc.) – and we’re called to tell them what He’s said (primarily what He’s done in the past, what He’s doing in the present, and what He’ll do in the future). All of that content is found in the Bible – His eternal Word.

So those are the excuses of no credentials (Who am I?) and no content (What do I say?). The next excuse is…

Moses’ Lack of Confidence (4:1-9)

Despite the fact that God just told Moses (in verse 18) that the elders and people of Israel would listen to him, he still lacked confidence. Notice verse 1 of chapter 4, “They won’t believe me. They won’t listen to me. Ain’t nobody going to believe that You appeared to me” (paraphrased). So, God gave Moses three signs of His power: power over things, power over people, and power over nature.

Real quick; the first sign was turning Moses’ staff into a snake and back into a staff. Cool miracle, right? But don’t overlook the fact that the staff became a snake. Have you ever noticed that the snake is largely associated with Egypt? And don’t forget the first time we’re introduced to a snake in the Bible. I think the real message of this sign was God’s authority over evil and, in particular, the Evil One. Moses was learning something about God’s divine authority here. Confidence booster? I would hope so.

The second sign was the sign of his hand and leprosy. The idea here is that his hand looked like death. It probably had the appearance of decomposition and death. You remember when Lazarus died and Jesus asked the people to remove the stone from the tomb? What did Martha say? “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days” (John 11:39). That’s the picture we ought to have in our minds – not that Moses hand went from a well-bronzed desert suntan to a lily-white skin – but rather that it went from visibly living flesh to visibly dead flesh. It was a sign of God’s power over people, over disease and death. Confidence booster? You would think so.

The final sign was to draw some water from the Nile and pour it on the ground and it would become blood (note: the Bible doesn’t say that it will be like blood, but that it will become blood). There’s an obvious connection of this sign and the first plague but notice that this instance was done for the benefit of Israel, that they might be convinced of God’s hand upon Moses. In contrast, when God does this against Egypt, it’s a sign of His judgment. Are you confident, yet, Moses?

Before we scoff at Moses’ lack of confidence, think about your own lack of confidence. What’s our great sign of God’s divine authority and power today? (The empty tomb!) The empty tomb is the sign that Christianity is true. Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 12:39-40, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” When we lack confidence – and we all do from time to time – remember the resurrection. Our God is not dead; He’s alive! And He lives and reigns forevermore. Hallelujah!

Excuse of no credentials, no content, and no confidence. The fourth excuse is…

Moses’ Lack of Communication Skills (4:10-12)

For those of us that are familiar with Moses calling, this excuse is the one that we often remember – “I’m not eloquent. I’m slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10). We don’t know exactly what Moses’ problem was, or if he even had a problem. It’s pure speculation. Some have suggested it was the normal fear of public speaking. Others suggest perhaps it was educational. He didn’t think he could persuade Pharaoh. Others say he felt too old. Maybe there was a vocal cord problem – a speech impediment of some type. Some say it was a verbal issue – being in the wilderness for 40 years and only talking to sheep, he forgot the language of Egypt.

I tend to think it was a false sense of humility. Kind of like me suggesting that Ray direct the Greenville Symphony at the Peace Center. While Ray is more than capable of doing that (and he is), he might say, “Man, you know me, I’m just a church worship leader. I can wave my arms around here, but I could never do that in front of all those people and in front of a TV audience.” I think Moses was hoping that he could just fake his way out of things. Whatever it was, it’s clear that Moses didn’t think he had the communication skills needed for the job.

It reminds me of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” Moses had to depend on God and so do we.

Think about the lame excuses you’ve offered to God over the years. Many have said I can’t preach; I can’t teach, I can’t witness. The only thing we’re called to do is report the facts. Here’s what you say, “This is what I find so comforting about having a relationship with Jesus (then fill in the blank).” Or may you say, “This is what I’ve come to understand from reading the Bible (then fill in the blank).” Just report the facts. God (via the Holy Spirit) does the saving. God does the convincing. God is the One that changes the heart.

Finally, notice that God responds to Moses by saying your excuses are irreverent and irrelevant. God said, “Hey Moses, who do you suppose made your mouth? (Exodus 4:11). Don’t you think I know about your weaknesses? In fact, that’s precisely why I want to use you – so that I get the glory.” Then, to address the irrelevance, God said, “Would you hush. I’m going to be the One to give you the words to say anyway.”

So, we’ve seen the excuse of credentials, the excuse of content, the excuse of confidence, the excuse of communication skills, and finally…

Moses’ Lack of Commitment (4:13-17)

This last excuse (verse 13) isn’t really an excuse; it’s just a last-ditch effort to get out of the assignment. “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Notice that the word “Lord” isn’t capitalized, which means that Moses isn’t using God’s personal name. He’s using a title. It’s like us addressing a boss, “With all due respect, sir, you must know someone else who’s available to go.” Basically, I just don’t want to do it. And sometimes the boss says, “Ok, well, if you don’t want to do it, then don’t be surprised when I pass you over for the next promotion.” And he grants our request and lets us leave the office. Then, there are those times when the boss says, “Lee, you listen to me and you listen carefully. I’m not asking… I’m telling you; you’re going.” In those cases, not only do we not get our request, but we also realize that we’ve just stirred up the boss’s anger.

The dramatic difference between human anger and God’s anger is that God is righteous. And even in the midst of His anger, many times He offers us grace. James 1:20 says, “For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Yet, even in the midst of pushing the limits, God was gracious. God used Aaron as a co-speaker, a companion, an encouragement.

What are the excuses that we come up with when we’re talking to God? Lack of credentials – Who am I? Lack of content – What do I say? Lack of confidence – Ain’t nobody gonna listen? Lack of communication skills – I’m no preacher…I’m no evangelist…I’m not good with words. Lack of commitment – Lord, just use somebody else. May we not arouse the Lord’s anger. Rather, may we trust that He knows what He’s doing. He knows everything about us – our strengths our weaknesses. It might just be our weakness that He wants to use. He’s already given us His Word; let’s just report the facts and leave the rest to Him.

“Our Father and our God, we all have excuses when it comes to being obedient to Your will and Your calling for our lives. Help us to see, in this encounter with Moses, that You’re always with us – You’ll give us the words to share – You’ll take care of changing hearts and minds if we’ll just trust and obey. For we ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.”