Listen to today’s passage – Exodus 4 – 6
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 4
(Second Milers also read – Mark 13 – 14; Proverbs 21; Psalms 101 – 105
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 4:7 & 8
Read previous posts from this passage – “Expect Opposition,“ and “What’s Your Excuse?”
Read the “0121 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.
I don’t know how many times I have said those words to myself while reading this book. Exodus is fascinating. It is full of unbelievable stories played out by some very interesting characters. If you read the Book of Exodus like a novel that you’re interested in, and not just out of good Christian duty, it really brings the stories and characters to life.
The main character of Exodus is Moses, and the first few chapters really give an insight into God developing him first as a believer, then as a leader.
In Chapter 3, God tells Moses that He is going to do something big, and that Moses is the man He has chosen to do it through. This came as a shock to Moses. By this time, Moses was already getting up there in years, and was probably pretty set in his ways with a good life. What God was asking him to do now was going to change everything.
In Chapter 4, God begins to teach Moses some things that I believe we can learn from:
- If God asks you to do something for Him, He will give you everything you need.
“And he said, Certainly I will be with thee…” (Exodus 3:12a)
“And the LORD said unto him, What is in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent;…” (Exodus 4:2 – 3a)
“Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” (Exodus 4:12)
2. Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that scares you.
“And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail…” (Exodus 4:3 – 4)
Wait…what!? Moses was my kind of guy! It says that when he saw the snake, he fled! And if you know anything about snakes, you know that you don’t try to catch them by the tail. This was something that scared Moses. But God was teaching him to just trust Him. It might scare you, and it might not make sense, but if God is asking you to do it, trust Him.
3. Sometimes, He will ask you to do something that might be painful.
“And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.” (Exodus 4:6)
Wait…what!? Leprosy was a horrible, painful disease that would cause people to have to separate from their friends and family.
Can you imagine being Moses in this moment? Going about, minding your own business, then God shows up and things go crazy. God would continue to have to teach Moses many more lessons on trusting Him. Moses was not yet convinced, and came up with excuse after excuse about why God has chosen the wrong man. But Moses was God’s man, and God would use him in a mighty way. Moses’ life had many ups and downs. Happy times and great victories, and sad times and regrets. But that was Moses life, and that is your life. There will be many times in your Christian life where you scratch your head and say, “wait…what!?” And God is saying, “Just trust Me.” None of us know what all God has in store for our lives, but we can know that He knows, and that He loves us. Sometimes it will scare us, sometimes it will hurt. But He will always give us exactly what we need, when we need it. We just need to trust Him.
Has God ever given you a ‘Wait… What!?’ assignment that scared you or felt painful at first? Share below—I’d love to hear your story!
Phil Erickson Jr. and his wife, Katelyn, serve the Lord at the First Baptist Church of Cottondale, TX. They have four sons – Jaxon, Caleb, Philip III, and Kade.
I can see why it would be a challenge for a man with as much life behind him as Moses to start something new. Abraham too was 75 when he was called out. I think it’s important to consider that there is never a point when God is done working in and through us until we are called home. He can also bring about significant transformation and change in our lives anytime, even when we’ve been “doing it this way for decades.” God is always working something new and fresh in us. We are always working towards something greater. I think of how the Word says, For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (2Cor 4:16)
Amen Br. Phil!
God uses anybody at any time, regardless of their age. God does not discriminate against age. there are too many Christians of age that stop serving the lord. Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, I believe. I know we reached that part of life where we deal with wheelchairs, walkers, canes, countless doctors visits. Well, while you’re sitting in the doctors office, shopping, or waiting for someone to visit, or laying in a hospital bed, you have the opportunity to pass out tracks and invite people to church. I am going to be 80 years old in February and I want to serve my Lord and Savior til my last dying breath, regardless of my age. I get it, when we old folks reach that time in life when we get incapacitated, but until then, there are opportunities to serve the Lord. Like the post.
Wow, great input. This is an encouragement to a young man like me Brother Bob! Praise God for your fervent spirit!
This message is so encouraging because it shows us that God can literally use anybody for his purposes. Moses was guilty of murder, went from being prince to herdsman, lacked confidence, had previously run away from his problems, was content to stay in a place where he wouldn’t be seen or heard and yet God had a much bigger plan.
I want to trust God for bigger things too. Lord, please help my faith to grow.
I read through tears these accounts of Moses. He has memories and emotions from the past. He seemingly is living a peaceful settled life. God calls him. Moses probably never fully accepted in Pharaoh’s courts, guilt from murder and questioned by the 2 Hebrew men (2:13-14) “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?”…self doubt, yes… But God! God is our strength and refuge, our hightower, our buckler, our shield… by God’s grace, we CAN surrender and trust God completely as Moses and other spiritual leaders.
Good stuff Darla! You are absolutely right – it is only by God’s grace that we can surrender to such a degree.
Great message and so true. He will supply all you need when you need it for what you need it for. Amen
So good!
Good stuff. Thank you