A Little Insecurity
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?'” Exodus 3:11
Please read Exodus 3.
“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight- why the bush does not burn up.’
When God saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses,”
And Moses said, “Here I am!”
‘Do not come any closer,’ God said, ‘Take off your sandels, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father , the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey- the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.’
But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’
And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’
Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you” and then they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I say to them?
God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.”
God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “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.’ The is my name forever, the name by which I am remembered from generation to generation.
‘Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, “The Lord the God of your fathers- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites- a land flowing with milk and honey.’
The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. So I will stretch out my hand and strike down the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And you will plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3
What was Moses supposed to do?
Verse 10: Bring my people out of Egypt.
Note Moses’ response in verse 11: Who am I to do this?
Ever feel a bit insecure? Wonder why you need to do something? Um, I am not really qualified here! Note God’s answer in verse 12. “I will be with you.”
Have you ever claimed God’s promise that He will be with you? He promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 He can’t possibly call you to something and then abandon you.
In this promise, there is an understood idea: If God is with you, you have all you need.
At the end of verse 12, God highlights a confirmation to Moses. When Moses has brought the people out of Egypt, Moses and all the Israelites will worship God on that mountain. This event can not take place if the Israelites are still in slavery. Confirmation they are coming out of slavery.
And, when they are all on that mountain, an important reminder that God did indeed foretell all that happened. I imagine Moses never forgot that conversation.
Reflections:
1) Am I listening to God’s call or am I so distracted by other things that I tune him out?
2) How do I combat insecurity?
3) Do I claim God’s promises? Because they are indeed for each of us.
Thank you for reading! Please return tomorrow for the next post in this series, “But I’m not Qualified!”