God Calls Moses

September 5, 2010

Background Scripture: Exodus 3
Lesson Passage: Exodus 3:1 – 6, 13 – 15

Today’s lesson is an excellent example of God calling a person into service or ministry. It seems to all start with a yearning. Moses had experienced a yearning to be among his brethren, the Jewish people. Although Moses was living an affluent life in Pharaoh’s palace, he longed to be among the Jews who were slaves in Egypt. Moses envisioned himself as a protector of the Jews and a peacemaker in their midst. Moses soon learned one of the realities of being a leader of people. The Jews readily accepted his physical protection but utterly rejected the notion of him being their judge and counselor. Moses attempted to use his own strength and wisdom to gain leadership over the Jews that he might provide care for them. This failed and eventually led to him living in exile in the desert for forty years as a result of his efforts.

Our lesson opens today with Moses living the desert life and caring for his father-in-law’s flock. This would turn out to be no ordinary day in the desert for Moses. This day, Moses would have an encounter with God that changed him for the remainder of his life. In this passage of scripture God formally introduces himself to Moses. Moreover, God informs Moses that he is now ready to prepare Moses to go and lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage. What Moses had yearned for forty years earlier, God was now about to bring to pass. What Moses learned he could not accomplish in his own strength, God would bring about with absolute power.

What can we learn from Moses’ call by God? First, a yearning is not “necessarily” a call of God. It may truly be what God has placed in our hearts but it may also be that we have not yet been prepared to be formally called. A calling of God does not depend on the strength or abilities of the one who is called. Neither talent nor desire is a match for the forces of evil one will encounter as one goes about his God-assigned ministry. The yearning is at best an indicator of the need to seek God’s face for directions. Secondly, although we may have failed miserably in trying to undertake a mission for God without God’s help, it does not mean that God is not willing to use us for his purpose. However, God will use us as he sees fit and not as we so desire. We must learn to love God and his ways and not hope that God will come around and eventually listen to us and give us the power to do what we want to do the way we want to do it. Even after forty years, God had not forgotten what was in Moses’ heart in the beginning. It was Moses who needed to come around to do things God’s way and in the power of God. Paul said that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. Moses is a good example of that fact. After Moses left the security of the palace and became a nomadic shepherd caring for another man’s flock, then he was prepared and God called Moses.

Robert C. Hudson
August 20, 2010