Exodus 2:11-4:17 - Can God Use Me?
Exodus 2:11-4:17 - Can God Use Me?
Read Exodus 2:11-4:17.
Introduction⤒🔗
There once appeared a T.V. commercial for the U.S. Marines, informing us that they are looking for “a few good men.” Against a dark and foreboding background, there is a life- size chessboard: the white knight on his charger does battle against the black knight.
As this dramatic conflict is played out we are told that “to compete, you must be strong; to win, you must be smart.” Then the picture switches from the knights doing battle on the life-size chessboard to an actual Marine wielding his shining sword, and we are told that the Marines are looking for “a few good men.”
The message is clear: If you are strong enough and smart enough, you can become one of them, a United States Marine. If you are strong enough and smart enough, they can use you!
But the “commercial” that God presents to us in Exodus is completely the opposite of that presented by the Marines. This is the message of Scripture: Before God can use a man, God must rid him of his self-resourcefulness and cause him to look to God alone for his resources.
Can God use you? Yes, if you recognize your own insufficiency and rely upon God’s all-sufficient grace and provisions.
God Can Use You; If You are Not Self-Willed←⤒🔗
When we first meet Moses, he shows himself to be a spiritually sensitive man. He recognizes his relationship to the people of God: “when he was almost forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel” (Acts 7:23). He is sympathetic to their plight: “he saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he came to his defense” (Acts 7:24). He even had a sense of his divine calling: he assumed that his people, Israel, understood that God was using him to rescue them (Acts 7:25).
But Moses also proves to be a very impulsive, self-willed, self-reliant man. When he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, Moses takes matters into his own hands, he murders the Egyptian: “He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one else present, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand” (Ex. 2:12). When he sees two fellow Hebrews striving against one another, Moses assumes the role of arbitrator and judge: “he went out the next day, and he saw two Hebrews fighting with each other. He said to the offender, Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” (Ex. 2:13). Then, when his efforts are not appreciated by the Hebrews, and not concealed from the Egyptians, Moses leaves Egypt for the land of Midian.
Moses desired to be used by God, he sensed a divine calling, he had a real zeal, but at this point his efforts failed. He did not triumphantly lead Israel out of Egypt; on the contrary, in disgrace and humiliation, he fled from Egypt alone.
His efforts failed because at this point in his life Moses was an impulsive, self-willed, self-reliant man. He was going to accomplish the will of God and fulfill the work of God by relying upon his own wisdom and his own strength and on his own timetable. Moses had to learn that this was not the way.
By way of a contemporary example, two young missionaries had to learn the same lesson amidst the raging waters of the Amazon River when their canoe capsized. Looking back on their ordeal, one of them writes, “This divinely imposed time of fasting, deprivation, and danger had its spiritual side: During the next three days, long hours were spent in singing, reciting Scripture, confessing sins, and repenting.”
Both men came to realize that they had slipped into the trap of doing the LORD’s work in a manner unworthy of Him, in human pride instead of in His strength. And both men recognized that lesser things had been gradually infringing on the LORD’s sanctuary in their lives. Later, when the LORD had graciously brought them through their ordeal and back to the safety of their compound, one of them told his fellow missionaries, “I started out on this trip thinking I was the LORD’s ‘Indiana Jones’ and I came home realizing I was a lot closer to being ‘Balaam’s donkey.’ But I learned that the LORD still loved me and could use me.”1
God can use you, if you are not self-willed. God can use you when you have a true, (even an overwhelming), sense of what is involved in Christian service and grasp your own inadequacy for the work. The Apostle Paul testified with regard to his own ministry:
15We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.16To the one we are the stench of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is sufficient for these things? 2 Cor. 2:15-16
God can use you when you have a true appreciation of the spiritual nature of the task. Again, we have the testimony of the Apostle Paul:
12...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of evil in the heavenly realms. 13For this reason, take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and to remain standing, having overcome everything. Eph. 6:12-13
God can use you when you have a true understanding of the purpose of Christian service, that its objective is to promote the kingdom and glory of God, not the promoting of one’s self; as John the Baptist declares, “He [the Lord Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30).
God can use you when you have a true recognition of your need for divine resources and God’s willingness to supply you with His resources. Again, it is the Apostle Paul who confesses, “Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant.” (2 Cor. 3:5-6a)
God can use you when you have a true understanding that the task must actually be accomplished by Christ Himself working in and through you. Once more, we hear the Apostle Paul’s testimony: “I worked harder than all of them—not I myself, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Cor. 15:10b).
God Can Use You, When You are Broken←⤒🔗
When Moses had been reduced from being a prince in Pharaoh’s court to being a shepherd in the wilderness of Midian, it was then that the LORD God appeared to him and gave him a call to divine service:
1Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in aflame of fire from within a bush... 4When the LORD saw that he had come over to look, God called to him from within the bush, and said, 'Moses, Moses.' And he said, 'Here I am.' 5Then he said, 'Do not come near. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.' 6Furthermore, he said, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7Then the LORD said, 'I have certainly seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt...' 10Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.3:1-2,4-7,10
By this time, Moses had been reduced from being a man of self-confidence and human strength to being a man who was broken and very conscious of his own inability. It is then that in the sight of God he was ready for divine service:
11But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' 12Then he said, 'I will certainly be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.'(3:11-12)
Moses now raises the question, “Who am I?” (Ex. 3:11-12) In effect, Moses is saying, “I am too insignificant and powerless to stand before the great king of Egypt and lead the whole nation of Israel out of Egypt! I am no match for the power, the wisdom, the evil of the world!”
What is God’s reply to such an attitude? “I will certainly be with you” (vs. 12a). We may also note the assurance the Lord Jesus gives to His apostles and to His church throughout the ages: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me... 20And surely, I will be with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matt. 28:18, 20).
The LORD then proceeds to equip Moses with a divine sign to serve as the assurance of his divine calling: “this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain” (vs. 12b). What God is telling Moses is that the confirmation of the LORD’s calling comes as the result of faith and obedience. By trusting God and doing what He says, Moses will discover that God will use him to accomplish His plan for His people Israel. The accomplishment of the task becomes the assurance that the calling was of God.
Moses raises the objection, “But they will not believe me or listen to my voice” (Ex. 4:1). He raises the concern that Israel will say, “The LORD has not appeared to you.”
What is God’s reply?
First, God causes the shepherd’s staff in Moses’ hand to become an instrument of His divine power and grace:
2The LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' Moses answered, 'A staff.' 3Then he said, 'Throw it on the ground.' So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses ran away from it. 4But the LORD said to Moses, 'Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.' So he reached out his hand and took hold of it, and once again it became a staff in his hand. 5'This,' declared the LORD, 'is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.'Ex. 4:2-5
The shepherd’s staff represented Moses’ life—it represented his livelihood, his identity, his security.
At God’s command, Moses threw it down upon the ground. When he did so, the staff became a serpent, before which Moses fled. Moses was being taught that the giving up of his shepherd’s life, to fulfill his God-given calling, would expose him to dangers, from which he would desire to escape. But more specifically, it would expose him to the presence of the wicked one, the one whose power prevailed in Egypt.
The staff turning into a serpent is alluding to the devil as the ancient enemy of God’s people (cp. Gen. 3:15). But at God’s bidding, Moses seizes the serpent by the tail, and by doing so, Moses receives his staff back again. But now it has become “the rod of God” by which he will strike Egypt with great plagues.
This sign was intended to convince the people of Israel that the LORD had not only called Moses to be the leader of His people, but had endowed him with the divine authority to overcome the satanic power that operated in the Egyptian Empire2 In this God-given sign, may we discern the power of a life surrendered to Christ, offered in service to Him: “for me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21), and “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).
Second, God causes Moses’ hand to become leprous and then heals it again:
6Furthermore, the LORD said to him, 'Now place your hand inside your robe.' So he placed his hand inside his robe, and when he took it out, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7Then he said, 'Place your hand inside your robe again.' So he placed his hand inside his robe again. And when he withdrew it from his robe, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. 8The LORD said, 'It shall be that if they do not believe you, nor take heed to the first sign, that they may believe this second sign.'Ex. 4:6-8
Whereas the shepherd’s staff represented Moses’ former life’s work, his hand represents that by which he performed his work; furthermore, it is in the bosom that the shepherd carries his lambs (Isa. 40:11). In like manner, Moses will now turn his labors to caring for the people of God.
The leprosy represents the “uncleanness” Israel has contracted by its association with the heathen nation of Egypt, indeed, an “uncleanness” that she by nature shares with the kingdom and people of the world. When Moses’ hand is placed into his robe and exposed to his bosom as a sinful man, and member of Israel in its identify as a sinful nation, it is revealed to be leprous.
But God has the power to purify the nation from its moral “leprosy,” and will do so through the office of His chosen servant.3 When that leprous hand is exposed to his bosom again, this time in his capacity as the divinely appointed redeemer, (a model of what Christ Himself is), his hand comes forth cleansed and whole. Here we may also discern the power of a life that is being transformed by the Savior’s grace: “we, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from [one degree of] glory to [ a greater degree of] glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Third, God will cause the waters of the Nile to be turned to blood:
Then the LORD said to Moses,
9But if they will not believe even these two signs, or accept what you say, then you shall take some water from the River and pour it on the dry ground. The water that you take from the River will become blood on the dry ground. Ex. 4:9
The Nile was viewed by Egypt as the source of their prosperity and life; they even identified it with one of their major gods. The fact that it is turned into blood by the hand of the LORD’s servant shows that the LORD is all-powerful over the gods and the nations of the world. The LORD shall exert His omnipotent power to condemn all those who oppose His righteous rule and will exert that divine power for the redemption of His people. Here is a demonstration of the power of the living God and of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me...” (Matt. 28:18).
Moses now raises a further objection, “I am not eloquent” (Ex. 4:10-12). Moses says that he is not a naturally gifted speaker, nor has the LORD made him into such a speaker when He issued His call to divine service.
What is God’s reply? “I will be with your mouth” (Ex. 4:12a).
Consider the Apostle Paul’s testimony in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5,
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony of God. 2I was determined to know nothing while I was with you, except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching were not characterized by persuasive wisdom, but by a demonstration of the Spirit and power; 5in order that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Cor. 2:1-5
The LORD goes on to declare, “[I will] instruct you as to what to say” (Ex. 4:12b).
Note the promise the Lord Jesus makes to His disciples and His church in Matthew 10:19-20,
19But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time, you will be given what to say, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matt. 10:19-20
Moses finally pleads, “O Lord, send [your message] by the hand of whomever you desire” (Ex. 4:13-17). What Moses is saying is, “LORD, send the man of Your choosing, but surely, that man is not me! There are others more qualified, more experienced, more prepared, more suitable.”
Moses has called himself a servant of the LORD (vs. 10), and he appears to display a great deal of humility (vs. 13). But the fact is, he has given up his ambition to serve the LORD. Do we pray, “Your will be done,” but are we too complacent or too pre-occupied with our own interests to actually do the will of God?
At this point the LORD became angry: “Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Moses” (vs. 14).
Addressing the faithful servant, the LORD says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will give you charge over many things. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:21). But in addressing the fearful and negligent servant, the LORD says, “You wicked, lazy servant! You knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed... 30throw that worthless servant out into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:26, 30).
It was when Moses was broken, when he saw himself as unable, it was then that God saw him as ready—and God refused to excuse him from divine service. God can use you; when you are broken. When you acutely sense your personal inability, then you are ready for divine service. But do not anger God by appealing to your inability to excuse you from divine service.
Conclusion←⤒🔗
In their commercial, the Marines tell you that if you are strong enough and smart enough, you can become one of them: a United States Marine. But the “commercial” God presents to us in Exodus 2-4 (the call of Moses) is the complete opposite of that presented by the Marines. Before God can use a man, God must rid him of his self-resourcefulness and cause him to look to God alone for his resources. Can God use you? Yes, if you recognize your own insufficiency, and if you are willing to rely upon God’s all-sufficiency.
Discussion Questions←⤒🔗
1. What do we learn about Moses in Exodus 2:11-15? How did he view the Hebrews? See vs. 11b; also, Acts 7:23 What did he try to do for them? Note Acts 7:24 How did they react to his efforts? Contrast Acts 7:25 with Ex. 2:14a What was the result of his endeavor? See vs. 15b Have you ever had similar ambitions or made similar attempts to do great things for God that failed to come to fruition? Why would you say that was the case?
11Now it came about in those many days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to see his brothers and he observed their hard labors. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of Moses’ brothers. 12He looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no one else present, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13And he went out the next day, and he saw two Hebrews fighting with each other. He said to the offender, 'Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?' 14The man replied, 'Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you plan to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?' Then Moses became afraid and thought, 'Surely, what I have done has become known.' 15When Pharaoh heard about this, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh’s presence and went to live in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well. Ex. 2:11-15
23...when he was forty years old, it came into [Moses’s] heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. 24And seeing one of [them] suffering wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. 25For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. Acts 7:23-25
2. When the Angel of the LORD appears to Moses in the wilderness, what is Moses’s occupation? See Ex. 3:1-2 Have you ever found yourself occupying a very lowly position in society? Has it taught you humility and a more detached perspective on the world and what it holds of value? Note Lk. 16:14-15; also, 1 Pet. 5:6.
1Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in aflame of fire from within a bush. Moses looked and saw that, although the bush was burning with fire, the bush was not consumed. Ex. 3:1-2
Note: This was considered to be very menial work.
14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money...derided him. 15And [Jesus] said to them, '...what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.'Lk. 16:14-15
6...humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. (1 Pet. 5:6)
3. What does God commission Moses to do? See Ex. 3:7,10 How does Moses respond? See Ex. 3:11 Contrast Moses’s present attitude with his previous attitude, (note, again, Acts 7:25). Can you identify with Moses? What does God say in reply to Moses? See Ex. 3:12a Does this assurance give you confidence to do God’s will and lead a godly life? Note Matt. 28:18a, 20b.
7Then the LORD said, 'I have certainly seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt... 10Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' Ex. 3:7, 10
11But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' Ex. 3:11
12aThen [the LORD] said, “I will certainly be with you... Ex. 3:12a
18Then Jesus came and spoken to them saying, 'All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth...20...and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age.' Matt. 28:18, 20b
4. What does the LORD give Moses as the sign that He has, indeed, commissioned Moses to undertake this assignment? See Ex. 3:12b What is the LORD telling Moses? Do you appreciate this divine principle: The accomplishment of a task undertaken for God is the assurance that the task was commissioned by God?
12Then he said, 'I will certainly be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.'Ex. 3:12
5. When Moses protests that the people will not believe him, what sign does the LORD give him? See Ex. 4:1-5 What is significant about the staff being changed into a serpent? Who is represented by the serpent? Note Rev. 12:9 Are you conscious of the fact that when you live and work for Christ you will encounter demonic opposition? How does Moses react? See Ex. 4:3b Would you naturally do the same? But what does the LORD tell Moses to do (Ex. 4:4a), and what happens when Moses obeys (Ex. 4:4b)? What assurance does the LORD give us as Christians? Note Jn. 16:33b and 1 Jn. 4:4 Does this mean there will never be a struggle? (How did Pharaoh react to Israel’s request to depart Egypt, but what was the final outcome?)
1Then Moses responded, 'But they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The LORD has not appeared to you.' 2The LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' Moses answered, 'A staff.' 3Then he said, 'Throw it on the ground.' So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses ran away from it. 4But the LORD said to Moses, 'Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.' So he reached out his hand and took hold of it, and once again it became a staff in his hand. 5'This,' declared the LORD, 'is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.'Ex. 4:1-5
9...the great dragon...that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan... Rev. 12:9
33In the world you have tribulation. But have courage; I have overcome the world. Jn. 16:33
4You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, for he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. 1 Jn. 4:4
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