Accepting Responsibility

June 14, 2009

Background Scripture: Exodus 4
Lesson Passage: Exodus 4:10 – 16, 27 – 31

The background scripture provides a fitting backdrop to the entire Exodus episode. In the first verse of Chapter 4, Moses is objecting to the Lord’s call on his life by claiming that the people would not believe him nor listen to him. The chapter closes out with the declaration that the people believed and responded by worshipping. This stark contrast between the insecure and seemingly ill-equipped servant and the final results that God brings about in others is played out over and over in the book of Exodus. Our lesson today revolves around what took place between Moses doubting and the response of the people to Moses’ message. The Lord gave Moses three signs to convince the people of his calling and the Lord’s message to them. God admonished Moses to allow the voice of the signs to speak for him to remove the people’s doubt. Moses then objected that he would not be a good spokesperson because he was not a good speaker. He was once again assured that the Lord would take care of his shortcomings. Moses, at that point, emphatically declined to go and be God’s spokesperson and therefore told God to send someone else. God showed that he can be more emphatic than Moses and refused to accept anymore excuses. Furthermore, God provided Moses a spokesman in the person of Moses’ brother Aaron. Moses would still be accountable for conveying God’s message but God would allow Moses to use Aaron as his spokesman but Aaron would receive all of his instructions from Moses and not from God. At this point, Moses asked leave of his father-in-law so that he could do God’s bidding by returning to Egypt after a forty year absence. After Moses accepted his calling, God then gave him the plot. Moses would confront Pharaoh and charge him to let the Hebrews go that they could be free to serve God. In spite of the signs and wonders needed to convince the Hebrews, Pharaoh would not be convinced by them and the Lord would provoke him to reveal the full rebellion that was within him. How challenging is that? Moses was told what to do and that what he did would not be effective. In spite of what could have appeared futile to Moses and the Hebrews, God was in full control and was working his plan to divine perfection through Moses. How often do we feel that our efforts are futile? Does it sometimes seem as though the more we try to do as God has directed us, the worse the situation becomes? Our lesson today is a reminder that when we do as God directs us to, God takes full responsibility for the outcome. Regardless of how futile our efforts may appear to be to us, God is firmly in control of situations and aware of circumstances. God’s calling is not for us to take responsibility for the outcome. God calls us to obedience that he may use us to do his will and to work his plan through us. When we accept our calling, we accept responsibility to serve God as he works his plan through us and we absorb ourselves of the responsibility for the outcome which is in God’s hands.


Robert C. Hudson
June 3, 2009