Then Moses said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." (Exodus 4:10 [NASB])
We each understand Moses’ hesitation here, his fear. Who am
I that I should lead a million people? Who am I to question the leader? Who am
I that I should stand up for God and what is right? Where do these doubts
originate? They originate with fear, fear of inadequacy. Mostly these doubts begin
with the fear that the still small voice in my conscience does not come from
the all-wise and all-powerful God, Yahweh. When we doubt, we question God’s ability,
wisdom, and love, and we put into question our love of God and people, our
neighbors.
What did Moses say in verse ten? He said, “I have never been
eloquent…for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Moses realized his
natural inadequacies, or rather his fear of inadequacies, but he did not take
into consideration the training God had given him or the power of God. Moses was
not a servant or slave in Egypt like the other Israelites. His own mother taught
him at her breast and knee about their God, Yahweh. She taught him orally about
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the One who is all-knowing, all-powerful,
Creator of all things, the Provider and Protector, and the faithful,
covenanting God. Moses learned about Yahweh. Moses received the education of a
prince of Egypt, too. God ensured His future leader of His chosen people was
educated. Now the LORD would show Himself mightily to Moses to give him a
personal knowledge of Himself.
In Exodus 3, God told Moses to go back to Egypt, speak to
Pharaoh, and tell him to let His people go three days into the desert to
worship Him. God realized Pharaoh would not allow it and had a plan to convince
Pharaoh that He is the One and only almighty God. First, He had to prove to Moses
He is absolutely God. In Exodus 4:1, Moses’ doubts about Pharaoh not listening
to him about Yahweh reared its head. God proved His power to Moses with two
miraculous signs (a staff turned to adder then back to staff, and a non-leprous
hand turned leprous then back to non-leprous), yet Moses’ fearful mind
overwhelmed his belief in the power of God. Moses’ fear overwhelmed his
understanding of God’s love for himself and the Israelites. He had forgotten
the faithful LORD of the Israelites who covenanted with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and their descendants. Moses allowed his fear to put a blanket (blinders) over
his heart’s eyes so he could not see almighty God, just his human, fallible
self.
Moses pleaded his case with Yahweh of his own inability, not
recognizing Yahweh’s ability to make Moses what He called him to be, His
spokesman. Three times in the next five verses, Yahweh unveiled to Moses who He
is. He used anoki statements in verses
eleven, twelve, and fifteen. Remember, anoki
statements are God’s revealing His nature to humanity. Anoki in Hebrew means “I am.” With anoki statements, God showed His nature to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and Abimelech in Genesis. The LORD told Abraham He is His King, Protector, and
faith. He told Abimelech He is all-knowing and all-powerful. The LORD told Isaac
and Jacob He would bless them, be with them, protect them, lead them, and is ever-present,
almighty, faithful, transcendent, and imminent. Yahweh disclosed His nature to
Moses in the burning bush giving His ultimate statement saying, “I AM WHO I AM”
in Exodus 3:14. This meant to Moses the LORD is the self-existent One, unchanging,
eternal, the One Who was before time, is during time, and will be after time ends.
Each time Yahweh reveals Himself to humanity, He seeks for people to know Him
better, to draw near to Him, and to grow in likeness to and trust in Him. Yahweh
is not just these things, He is the source of these things for those people who
believe. God does not call people to do things without providing what they need
to accomplish the task. Moses’ fear caused him to doubt or forget the revealed
Yahweh.
Yahweh God replied to Moses in verses eleven and twelve. He reminded
him He is Creator and has all power and authority. God said to Moses, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, sighted or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go! I will help you as you speak, and I will teach you what to say." He told Moses, I am Yahweh, the self-existent One
and I am all-powerful. Next, Yahweh gave him a command. “Now go!” Moses’ fear
still blinded him to the reality of God, His power, wisdom, might, and
authority. He heard God’s command, but just like a frightened mule, he would not
budge. Moses said in verse thirteen, “Please Lord, send someone else.” Notice Moses
didn’t call God the LORD, but Lord. He gave Him the title for one revered but didn’t
recognize Him in his heart and mind as almighty God. His doubting caused him to
falter and faint.
Next, we read the LORD’s anger “burned” against Moses. This
brings a fear into my heart and it should have to Moses, too. Why do we doubt
and fear until God’s anger at our unbelief burns against us? Why can’t we act
when asked? The LORD realized Moses’ faith in Him was too small and so provided
what He needed to bring His people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt. God
recognized Moses trusted most what he could see and what he knew. Moses knew and
trusted his brother and so God sent Aaron to Moses. With verse fifteen, God
said, " You are to speak to him and put the
words in his mouth. I will help both of you to speak, and I (anoki) will teach you what to do.” Moses realized he heard God, but he feared Pharaoh more than God. He recognized
Aaron “was glad in his heart" to see him (verse 14) and respected him because he trusted that Moses had encountered God at the burning bush. So, when God told Moses to tell Aaron
and put His words into his mouth, Moses believed God. Moses trusted Aaron and
feared God more than him. He trusted God to help them both speak and to teach them what to do. God showed Moses something new of His nature in this verse. He taught him He is Teacher. Being the most
wise, power, Creator God is also the
most wise, most knowledgeable Teacher. Moses, as a
highly educated man, revered teachers and looked up to them. God as Teacher got Moses’ attention and reverence. God, being greater than Aaron, was the One Moses wold fear more in this new equation.
Yahweh prepared Moses for the task to which He called him.
He told him what his task would be. The LORD gave Moses miraculous signs to
remind him of Who He is. Still, Moses doubted and feared. He chose to be more
afraid of what or who he knew personally, the Pharaoh, than the God of whom he learned
about from his mother and the God with Whom he spoke in the “hard-to-believe” encounter
at an unconsumed burning bush. Only when Yahweh provided someone tangible whom Moses
recognized and feared less than the LORD, did Moses agree Yahweh could use him for
the mighty task only He could do-set His people free.
God calls each of us who are His children to tasks for His
purposes. He doesn’t call us then leave us to our own devices. God gives us from
Himself everything we will need to do what He told us to do. From God who is (anoki) all-power, all-wise, all-knowing,
all-mighty, Creator, faithful, love, Protector, Provider, Teacher, Shepherd,
Savior, et al., He gives to each of us what we need to do what He asks. God is these
things and the source of these things. These are gifts from His nature. God shows
Himself to us to grow us, teach us, draw us near to Him, and to show us He is all
we need for all things in life.
What keeps you from saying yes to God and becoming His child
through faith in Jesus Christ? What keeps you from saying yes to God in doing
the task to which He calls you now? It’s fear. Fear you are wrong to believe in
God Whom you think you cannot see. Fear people will laugh at you and mock you. Fear
instead of love. A love for God Who saves. A love for the people to whom He
tells you to speak. We should remember what Paul said in Romans 8:31. He said, “If God is for us, who is against us?”
Nothing we fear can stop God. With
God, nothing can stop us. Consider what David said in Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life: whom shall I dread?” David and Paul both realized God casts out fear. With God there is nothing to fear because He is our shield, our Protector, our
King, our faith.
What keeps you today from obeying God’s command? After
Yahweh called Moses, He said, “Now go!”
When God calls you, He equips you with His power, His words, and His love to go
and do what He said.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:15-19 [NASB])
LORD, God, You are
almighty and all-knowing and I am not. I have doubted Your calling of me. I
have allowed fear to stop me from accepting Your gift of forgiveness and
salvation from cleansing me and making me Your child. LORD, I have run away in
fear when you called me to do something that set me apart as Your child. I understand
this shows my love for You and for other people is very small. Please forgive
me my doubts, fear, and lack of love. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I am fit
to do the tasks to which You call me. Be my strength and shield. Be my Savior
and King. Amen.
