Here I Am, Send Him

the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,

a land flowing with milk and honey.

And they will listen to your voice,

and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt

and say to him,

The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us.

And now, please, let us go a three-day journey into the wilderness

that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go

unless compelled by a mighty hand.

So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt

with all the wonders that I will do in it.

After that, he will let you go.

And I will give this people favor in the side of the Egyptians.

And when you go, you shall not go empty.

But each woman shall ask of her neighbor

and any woman who lives in her house

for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing.

You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters,

so you shall plunder the Egyptians.

Then Moses answered,

But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice,

for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you.

The Lord said to him,

What is that in your hand?

He said, A staff.

And he said, Throw it on the ground.

So he threw it on the ground,

and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.

But the Lord said to Moses, Put out your hand and catch it by the tail.

So he put out his hand and caught it,

and it became a staff in his hand,

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.

Again, the Lord said to him,

Put your hand inside your cloak.

And he put his hand inside his cloak,

and when he took it out,

behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

Then God said, Put your hand back inside your cloak.

So he put his hand back inside his cloak,

and when he took it out,

behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.

If they will not believe you, God said,

or listen to the first sign,

they may believe the latter sign.

If they will not believe even these two signs,

or listen to your voice,

you shall take some water from the Nile

and pour it on the dry ground,

and the water that you shall take from the Nile

will become blood on the dry ground.

But Moses said to the Lord,

O my Lord, I am not eloquent,

either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant,

but I am slow of speech and of tongue.

Then the Lord said to him,

Who has made man's mouth?

Who makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind?

Is it not I, the Lord?

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth

and teach you what you shall speak.

But he said,

O my Lord, please send someone else.

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses,

and he said,

Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite?

I know that he can speak well.

Behold, he is coming out to meet you,

and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth,

and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth,

and will teach you both what to do.

He shall speak for you to the people,

and he shall be your mouth,

and you shall be as God to him,

and take in your hand this staff,

with which you shall do the signs.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

As Christians, we know that we have been called by God

to share the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbors.

But even though we know that,

sometimes we don't for a number of reasons.

And all of those reasons fall under two general categories.

First, concerns about people's reception.

And second, concerns about our presentation.

We have concerns about people's reception.

We fear that they will respond unfavorably,

or even with hostility.

We're worried that it will ruin our relationship with them

and make things awkward.

We also have concerns about our own presentation of the gospel.

We fear that we won't say the right things

and give the wrong answers to their questions.

We say, well, I don't have a seminary degree.

I don't know apologetics,

or I'm not a good speaker, and so on.

And these are exactly the objections that Moses raises

when he is commanded by God

to deliver the Lord's message of liberation to the Israelites.

He says in chapter 4, verse 1,

they will not believe me.

This is worrying about their reception.

They will not listen to my voice.

In chapter 4, verse 10,

And I am not eloquent,

but I am of slow of speech and of tongue.

But notice that all of these objections pertain to man,

what people might do or can't do.

They will not believe me.

I am not eloquent.

God is conspicuously absent from this picture.

And that's precisely the problem.

When God is in the picture, it changes everything.

And in this passage, we are reminded of the Lord's promise,

the Lord's power, and the Lord's presence.

And that leaves Moses with no excuse.

And from this, we're to learn that the Lord accompanies

and empowers us as he empowered Moses

to proclaim the gospel as his hand and mouth.

So let's look at first the Lord's promise

in chapter 3, verses 16 to 22.

In verse 16, God starts to give Moses

specific instructions for what he is to say

and do when he gets to Egypt.

He says,

Go and gather the elders of Israel together

and say to them,

The Lord, the God of your fathers,

the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob

has appeared to me saying,

I have observed you and what has been done

to you in Egypt.

And I promise that I will bring you up

out of the affliction of Egypt

to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites,

the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites,

and the Jebusites,

a land flowing with milk and honey.

Interestingly enough,

the first group that Moses is to address

as soon as he gets to Egypt is not Pharaoh.

It's not the Egyptians.

It's not even all of the Israelites.

It's the elders of Israel

that represent Israel and govern Israel.

And this governing structure of Israel

was taken over by the church in the New Testament,

which is why we have to this day elder-led churches.

And here he's supposed to present this to the elders

so that the elders together with Moses

are to go and confront Pharaoh.

So he says to gather the elders of Israel together

and tell them that I have sent you.

And then God says in verse 18,

Moses is to go and confront the king of Egypt

with the elders of Israel and say this,

the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us.

And now, please let us go a three days journey

into the wilderness

that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

That's an interesting request

if you're familiar with the Exodus story

because in the rest of the book,

there is no indication whatsoever

that the Israelites intended to come back to Egypt

after three days.

But he asks for a three days journey into the wilderness,

which most likely a full day of journey into the wilderness,

a full day of worship and sacrifice,

and a full day journey back.

In Exodus 8, when Pharaoh tells Moses and Aaron

to go sacrifice to your God within the land,

Moses insists on having to go out into the wilderness to do so.

And this is what he says there in verse 26 to 27 of chapter 8.

The offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God

are an abomination to the Egyptians.

If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians

before their eyes, will they not stone us?

We must go three days journey into the wilderness

and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.

Then Pharaoh briefly relents before he changes his mind later,

and he says this,

I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God

in the wilderness,

only you must not go very far away.

So it seems that Pharaoh does understand Moses' request

not as a demand for permanent emancipation

and departure from Egypt,

but as a temporary leave of absence for religious purposes.

This is why the Egyptian foremen say of the Israelites

in Exodus 5a, they're idle.

That's why they're saying let us go and sacrifice to our God.

They think they're just being lazy

and making excuses to get out of work.

So this raises a question,

then why does God tell Moses to tell Pharaoh this?

Why not just start from the get-go and say,

hey, we're gonna go, we're leaving, we're out of here.

We're never coming back.

Moses, most likely the three-day journey

into the wilderness was designed to be a ruse

to fool Pharaoh.

They'd leave Egypt with the pretext

of going on a three-day journey into the wilderness

in order to make sacrifice to the Lord,

but then they would flee and never return.

And Pharaoh was likely aware of that risk,

which is why he was so reluctant to let them go.

And this interpretation has troubled

some Christians over the years,

and because it makes it seem like God

was commanding Moses to use deception, to lie.

And Numbers 23, 19 says,

clearly God is not man that he should lie,

or a son of man that he should change his mind.

But I don't think this has to trouble us

because God does not ever lie

in the sense that he never goes back on his word,

and he always fulfills his promises.

Every word of scripture is true.

However, this doesn't mean that

using a calculated ruse like that

is off limits in every context.

So let me explain.

So for example, lying is also condemned in scripture.

I mean, not just lying,

but lying is condemned in scripture.

It's one of the Ten Commandments.

So you guys know, familiar with Exodus 20, 16,

you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Leviticus 19, 11,

so you shall not lie to one another.

In Proverbs 6, it says,

a lying tongue is one of seven abominations

that God hates and despises.

And the reason for that is because lying

is something that erodes trust.

It's the foundation.

The truth-telling is the foundation

for any kind of relationship or community.

And so it is decidedly anti-social behavior

to tell a lie,

and it unravels the very fabric of society.

However, there are contexts

where deception is appropriate.

And the ethical commands in scripture

are always to be interpreted contextually.

So for example,

killing is also prohibited in scripture,

but it is explicitly allowed

in cases of capital punishment

and when you're at war with an enemy.

Stealing is also forbidden,

but plundering your enemies in war is permitted.

Likewise, deceiving an evil, hostile force

is not the kind of lying

that is forbidden in scripture.

So in Joshua chapter 8, verses 1 to 2,

Joshua 8:1–2

it's the Lord himself

who commands Joshua

to lay an ambush

against the city of Ai.

So they send one part of their army

in a frontal assault,

and then they pretend,

they feign defeat,

and they start retreating and fleeing.

And so when all those people

in the city of Ai

come out to pursue them

out of the city,

the people lying in ambush

behind the city

claim the city and burn it,

and then surround the enemy

from front and back.

That's deception.

Appropriate deception.

And so that seems to you

what's going on here.

It's like 1 Samuel 16

is another example

that people use often.

Samuel is commanded by God

to go and anoint David,

one of Jesse's sons,

as the new king of Israel

because Saul has been unfaithful to him.

But then Samuel understandably objects,

saying,

Saul will find out

and then he'll kill me.

And then God tells Samuel,

go and tell them

that you are hosting a sacrifice.

And then have the sons of Jesse come

and I'll tell you what to do.

It's intended to deceive Saul.

So in the same way,

the three-day journey

into the wilderness

is designed to help the Israelites

escape without a violent confrontation.

And that's not,

in any way,

does it undermine God's character

because he is always truthful

and he is always reliable.

But of course,

the Lord already knows

that Pharaoh will not let them go like this.

And the fact that Pharaoh

is not even willing to let them go

on a three-day leave of absence

reveals how hostile

and stubborn he really is.

So he says in verses 19 to 22,

but I know that the king of Egypt

will not let you go

unless compelled by a mighty hand.

So I will stretch out my hand

and strike Egypt

with all the wonders

that I will do in it.

After that,

he will let you go.

And I will give this people

favor in the side of the Egyptians.

And when you go,

you shall not go empty,

but each woman shall ask

of her neighbor

and any woman who lives in her house

for silver and gold jewelry

and for clothing.

You shall put them on your sons

and on your daughters,

so you shall plunder the Egyptians.

So these four verses

serve as kind of an outline

that will kind of systematically

be fulfilled

in Israel's Exodus from Egypt.

So God stretching out his hand

and striking them with wonders

summarizes Exodus 7 through 11,

part of 12,

where God strikes Egypt

with the 10 plagues

or disasters.

And then Exodus 12,

30 to 5,

36,

almost word for word

fulfills

verse 21 and 22,

which is,

again,

a fulfillment

of Genesis 15,

14,

and even an earlier promise

to Abraham

that God would bring judgment

upon Egypt

and that Israel

would leave Egypt

with an abundance

of possessions,

with great possessions,

plundering the Egyptians

in the process.

But the word plunder,

while it suggests

a bloody battle

and greedy looters,

it's not what's in view here.

This is war,

but it's not war

that the Israelites

will fight.

It's war that the Lord

himself will fight

on their behalf.

So it says,

the Lord will stretch out

his mighty hand

and strike Egypt.

The Israelites will not

have to engage Egypt

in battle.

It says,

the Lord will give Israel

favor in the sight

of the Egyptians,

so that when the woman

asks their Egyptian neighbors

for silver and gold

jewelry and clothing,

they'll just give it to them.

It's not men

with swords

intimidating people

and exacting silver

and gold from them

with threats.

It's the woman

peaceably going

and simply asking

and they will be enriched

through that.

And what good

is silver and gold jewelry

for people who are going

into the wilderness?

You might ask,

these precious jewels

will be used

in the construction

of the tabernacle

later on

for the worship of God,

which also shows

God's foresight,

his sovereignty

over all the events

in the book of Exodus.

And the fulfillment

of these promises

remind us

that God is the Lord,

as we learned

last week,

that he is the Lord,

the Yehovah,

I am who I am,

the unchanging one,

the faithful one,

one who fulfills

all of his promises.

So bring to mind

all the wonderful promises

of scripture.

Come to me,

all who labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Go and make disciples

of all nations,

baptizing in the name

of the Father and Son

and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to obey

everything I have commanded you,

and behold,

I am with you

to the very end

of the age.

These promises

will be fulfilled.

The Lord accompanies

and empowers us

to proclaim the gospel

as his hand and mouth,

and that's the Lord's promise.

And then we see

the Lord's power

in chapter four,

verses one to nine,

and Moses has

yet another objection.

He says in verse one,

but behold,

they will not believe me

or listen to my voice,

for they will say,

the Lord did not appear to you.

This seems like

a reasonable concern

until you remember

that God promised Moses

in chapter three,

verse 18,

they will listen

to your voice.

So this is a direct contradiction

of what God

just told Moses.

God says,

they will listen

to your voice,

and then Moses says,

nah,

they will not listen

to my voice.

You know,

God would have been

fully justified,

you know,

in getting angry

with Moses here,

but God patiently

accommodates him

and gives him signs

that demonstrate his power.

He says in verses two to five,

the Lord said to him,

what is that in your hand?

He said,

a staff,

and he said,

throw it on the ground.

So he threw it

on the ground,

and it became a serpent,

and Moses ran from it.

But the Lord said to Moses,

put out your hand

and catch it by the tail.

So he put out his hand

and caught it,

and it became a staff

in his hand,

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.

Of all the animals

he could have chosen,

you know,

why does God turn

Moses' staff

into a serpent?

The ancient Egyptians

used the uraeus,

the decorative,

kind of upright,

cobra,

kind of sculpture,

you know,

they used that

as a symbol

of sovereignty,

of royalty,

and even divine authority.

So if you look at

Pharaoh's headdress,

it's shaped in that form

of a cobra.

It was a symbol

of the Egyptian goddess,

Wedget.

And so this miracle

is a demonstration

of the Lord's power

over both the Egyptian goddess

and Pharaoh.

And the Lord has total control

over this snake.

He commands Moses,

put out your hand

and catch it by the tail.

Right?

Intuitively,

because the tail

is the furthest away

from the head,

that seems like the natural place

to grab a snake

because it's the safest place,

spot to grab a snake,

but that's actually

not a good spot

to grab a snake

because they are

very flexible

and they can coil around

and they can bite you

all over your body.

And so the best way

to kind of capture a snake

or make sure it doesn't attack you

is to grab it

right behind the head.

But God tells him

intentionally

to go grab it

by the tail

to show his total mastery

over this snake

and over Egypt

and over Pharaoh.

And as soon as he obeys,

it becomes a staff,

reduced to a staff

in his hand.

And then God gives

a second sign

in verse 6 to 8.

Again, the Lord said to him,

put your hand

inside your cloak

and he put his hand

inside his cloak

and when he took it out,

behold,

his hand was leprous

like snow.

Then God said,

put your hand

back inside your cloak

and so he put his hand

back inside his cloak

and when he took it out,

behold,

it was restored

like the rest of his flesh.

If they will not believe you,

God said,

or listen to the first sign,

they may believe

the latter sign.

It's translated leprous here

but it could refer

to a broad range

of skin diseases

that cause flaky skin,

flaky white skin.

And so,

it's interestingly

that the first two signs

that God gives

are both connected

to Moses' hand,

right?

Reach out your hand

and grab the snake

and put it

and reach out your hand

and let it go

and then it's

put your hand

in your pocket

and then take it back out

and it becomes leprosy.

And I think that's intentional

because the word hand

occurs repeatedly

throughout the book of Exodus

and especially here

in chapters 3 and 4

because in chapter 3,

verse 8,

what did God say?

I have come,

I have come down

to deliver Israel

out of the hand

of the Egyptians.

And in chapter 4,

verses 19 to 20,

God says,

I know that the king of Egypt

will not let you go

unless compelled

by a mighty hand

so I will stretch out

my hand

and strike Egypt

with all the wonders

that I will do in it.

After that,

I will let you go.

There's a contrast

between the hand

of the Egyptians,

the hand of Pharaoh,

and the hand of the Lord

and that's a deliberate play

on an Egyptian idiom.

One of the frequently used titles

for Pharaoh

was the Lord

of the strong arm.

Early 15th century,

Pharaoh Thutmose II

is described as,

great of power,

mighty of arm.

But this so-called

Lord of the strong arm

will now be compelled

by the mighty hand

of the Lord.

And throughout

the book of Exodus,

the Lord's outstretched arm

or mighty hand

is repeatedly mentioned.

And this is also why

Moses and Aaron

are often seen

stretching out their hand

or stretching out

their staff

as extensions

of their hand

because they are extensions

of the Lord God Himself.

And Moses' staff

features prominently

in the Exodus narrative

for this reason

because it's an extension

of the Lord's hand.

And it's called

the staff of God

in Exodus 4.20 and 17.9.

And a staff is significant

because,

I mean,

when you think of a staff,

you just imagine

a walking stick

for someone

that's having

a hard time walking.

But a staff

was carried around

by a lot of people

in the ancient Near East.

It served almost

as a form

of personal identification.

That's what you see

in Genesis 38

in the interaction

between Judah and Tamar.

He uses his staff

as kind of a down payment

or guarantee

of his payment to her

and as a form

of identification.

It was also

a form of self-protection,

much like a baton

that law enforcement officers

will carry.

And so it's a very important

and symbolic piece

of equipment.

And the Lord

uses the staff

as an expression,

as a representation

of his identity

and his power.

And that same word

in different places

of scripture

is sometimes translated

as scepter

if it's in the hand

of a king.

So with God's

powerful presence,

Moses' lowly

shepherd staff

becomes the scepter

of the king

of the universe.

And then in verse 9,

God gives the third sign

of turning the Nile

into blood,

which is the first

of the ten plagues.

And this too shows

God's authority

and power over Egypt.

The Egyptians' livelihood

depended on the Nile

and the river

was personified

in the Egyptian

God,

Hapi.

And by turning

the Nile

into blood,

which symbolizes

life and atonement

on the one hand,

but also death

on the other,

he's signaling the fact

that he will bring

salvation to the Israelites,

but death and judgment

to the Egyptian oppressors.

All of these signs

point to the Lord's

powerful personal involvement

in the deliverance

of Israel.

Israel.

This is instructive for us

because sometimes

we hesitate to obey God

when he commissions us

to do something.

We hesitate to tell people

the good news of Jesus

because we don't truly believe

that the gospel

is the power of God

for salvation

to everyone who believes.

We are full of fear

and doubt

when thinking about evangelism

or other forms of obedience

because we think,

to put it bluntly,

that salvation

is up to us.

We think,

I need to save my father.

I need to save my niece.

I need to save my sister-in-law.

I need to convince them

of the gospel.

I need to make them believe.

And that's too daunting,

indeed an impossible task

for all of us.

But Ephesians 1a tells us

that it is God

who gives the spirit of wisdom

and of revelation

in the knowledge of him

so that the eyes of the,

our hearts are enlightened.

To see him,

that's the only way

people can see God.

1 Corinthians 1 tells us

that apart from the spirit of God,

human beings in their nature

cannot understand

or accept the things of God.

The decisive work

is done by the Lord,

not by us.

We are merely instruments

in the hand of the Lord.

And in his hand,

even the lowly shepherd's staff

becomes a mighty royal scepter.

Because the Lord accompanies

and empowers us

to proclaim his gospel.

And that should embolden us

for witness.

But here,

the assurance of the Lord's power

is still not enough for Moses.

He objects yet again

in verse 10,

O my Lord,

I am not eloquent,

either in the past

or since you've spoken

to your servant,

but I am slow of speech

and of tongue.

Some people infer from this

that Moses had a stammering

or a stuttering problem

or some people say

that he just had forgotten

so much Egyptian

after 40 years away from Egypt

that he was not fluent enough

to speak to them.

It's hard to say exactly,

but judging from verse 14,

where God brings Aaron

to help Moses

and specifically notes

that Aaron speaks well,

he seems like Moses

doesn't speak well.

Acts 7.22 does say

that he was mighty

in his words,

but Moses,

while he did say mighty

and grand things

as instructed by the Lord,

according to this,

he was not a fluent,

you know,

impressive speaker.

He was not the kind of person

whose words

just roll off their tongue.

He was no Frederick Douglass

or Martin Luther King Jr.

But the Lord answers him

in verses 11 to 12,

who has made man's mouth?

Who makes him mute

or deaf

or seeing

or blind?

Is it not I,

the Lord?

Now therefore go

and I will be

with your mouth

and teach you

what you shall speak.

God once again

is hearkening back

to his name,

which means,

among other things,

I will be with you.

And now God promises,

I promise that I will be with you

and that means

I will also be with your mouth

to teach you

what to say.

God is the one

who sovereignly makes a man

mute or deaf

or seeing or blind.

He's the one

who knits us

in our mother's womb

intricately,

intimately.

and yet do we think

that God will not enable us

to do what he has called us

to do?

Would a luthier,

a master guitar maker,

not know how to tune a guitar?

Would a potter

not know how to put

the pot he made to use?

If God is calling you

to do something,

he can enable you

to do it.

Maybe God is calling you

to confess some sins

that you can't imagine

yourself admitting to,

you think it would ruin

your life.

But if God commands you

to do it,

which he does,

he will enable you

to do it.

He will empower you

to do it.

Maybe God is calling you

to share the gospel

with your parents,

but you can't imagine

yourself doing it.

It's too hard.

They would never listen.

There's a generational gap.

I wouldn't even know

what to say,

but since the Lord

commands you to do it,

he will enable you

to do it.

And maybe God is calling

you to step up

into a ministry

within a church

and you feel

totally inadequate.

But if the Lord

is calling you to do it,

he will empower you

for it because the Lord

accompanies and empowers us

to proclaim his gospel

as his hand

and his mouth.

The crux of the most,

the crux of Moses' problem

is not all these excuses

that he is rattling off.

The crux of Moses' problem

is that he thinks

he is the protagonist

of the story.

When in reality,

God is the protagonist.

God is the principal actor

of this story.

How much of our reluctance

to obey God in life

is due to the fact

that we mistake ourselves

to be the center

of the story,

the lead of the story

because we think

it depends on us.

18th century English missionary

William Carey

has a famous saying,

quote,

expect great things

from God,

attempt great things

for God.

Do we never attempt

great things

for God

because we don't expect

great things

from him?

Because we only expect

to have

our own abilities

and our own resources

and our own connections

at our disposal.

Successful proclamation

of the gospel

does not depend

on our eloquence.

1 Corinthians 1.17,

Paul writes,

for Christ did not

send me to baptize,

but to preach the gospel.

And not with words

of eloquent wisdom,

lest the cross of Christ

be emptied of its power.

If we persuade people

to believe in

and follow Jesus

with our eloquence,

then it would deprive

the cross of Christ

of its power,

of saving power.

James Denny,

a 19th century

Scottish pastor,

once warned the preachers,

no man can give

the impression

that he himself

is clever

and that Christ

is mighty to save.

God uses lowly shepherds

as princes.

God uses lowly shepherd staff

as scepters

because that's what brings

most glory to him.

When he takes people

who are weak

and makes them strong,

when he takes people

who are incompetent

and inadequate

and supplies all

that they need

to accomplish

his mighty purposes,

that is God's

modus operandi.

That is how he works.

I'm not denying

that God uses

our gifts

and experiences.

Surely the fact

that Moses grew up

in Pharaoh's court

was an asset

in this mission

and surely the fact

that Moses had

this idealism

and reacted strongly

against perceived injustices

helped him

to undertake

this mission as well

and surely the 40 years

of humbling

and taking his sheep

around the wilderness

of Midian

to find grass

equipped him

to lead a very stubborn nation

that wouldn't follow him

and also to know

where to take them

in the wilderness,

to navigate the wilderness.

All of these things

are assets

that Moses had

but notice

that scripture

never credits

these things.

the emphasis

in scripture

is squarely on

the Lord's presence

with Moses

not on Moses'

capabilities.

Moses will not

succeed

because he is capable

or knowledgeable

no he will succeed

because

Yahweh is with him.

however real

and debilitating

our inadequacies

and incompetencies

are

they are

in the final analysis

irrelevant

because God

overcomes them all.

God's calling

upon our lives

is not about us

it's about him.

so now

Moses is running

out of excuses

and so he resorts

to

just stubborn

flat out refusal.

He says

in verse 13

oh my Lord

please

send someone else.

It's a wonderful line.

It's such a contrast

in Isaiah chapter 6

Isaiah 6:8

verse 8

remember when God

calls him

what does Isaiah say?

Here I am

send

me

and here's Moses

the great Moses

earlier in chapter 3

verse 4

he said

here I am

and now he says

send

him

anyone but me

you know

and now the Lord

is angry

and justifiably so

he says in verse 4

then the anger

of the Lord

was kindled

against Moses

and he said

okay now

pause here for a moment

what do you expect

God to say

right after that sentence?

He says

anger of the Lord

was kindled

against Moses

and he said

like how would you

complete that sentence?

This is how I would

complete that sentence.

You

insolent

faithless

stubborn

ungrateful

useless

bum

I'm going to

burn you up

in this burning bush

and find someone else

to do this job.

that's how I would

finish that sentence

but look at what God

says

and what God

does

in his anger

in verses 14

to 16

then the anger

of the Lord

was kindled

against Moses

and he said

is there not Aaron

your brother

the Levite?

I know that he

can speak well

behold he is

coming out to meet you

and when he sees you

he will be glad

in his heart

and you shall speak

to him

and put the words

in his mouth

and I will be

with your mouth

and with his mouth

and will teach you

both what to do

he shall speak

for you to the people

and he shall be

your mouth

and you shall be

as God to him

God is so gracious

and compassionate

God knows

Moses' weakness

God knows

Moses' lack of faith

God knows

Moses' fears

and before Moses

had given any

of his five excuses

God had already

sent Aaron

on his way

to meet Moses

to serve as a

spokesperson

for him

before he even

asks

God knows

what kind of God

who knows us

and cares

about us this way

what kind of God

condescends to our

weakness

and has compassion

towards in this way

God is not a rigid

harsh taskmaster

God is patient

with us

God knows

our weaknesses

God is compassionate

with us

I think

and I think

you would agree

with me

that Moses

has done

quite enough

here to disqualify

himself

and lose this job

but still

God insists

on using

him

even though

he uses Aaron

to help Moses

and this is a

concession

this is an

accommodation

of Moses'

weakness

and faithlessness

it's still

Moses that will

be his primary

instrument

he says

he that is Aaron

shall be your

mouth

and you shall

be as God

to him

Moses

is God's

chosen representative

God is faithful

this passage

ends with God

reminding Moses

not to forget

the staff

in verse 17

and take in

your hand

the staff

with which

you shall

do the

signs

in the

immediate context

a sign

refers to

the miracles

that God

will do

but a sign

is not

necessarily

miraculous

later in

Exodus

the eating

of unleavened

bread

is called

a sign

to remember

God's

Passover

a sign

at its

heart

is something

that points

to something

directs us

to something

here the sign

that God

gives

is proof

pointing to

the reality

of God's

indwelling

presence

that God

has been

with

God has

appeared to

Moses

and that God

now goes

with Israel

his people

and God

has given

us an even

greater sign

the ultimate

sign

Jesus says

in Matthew

12

39

and 40

evil

and adulterous

generation

seeks for

a sign

but no

sign

will be

given

to it

except

the sign

of the

prophet

Jonah

for just

as Jonah

was three

days

and three

nights

in the

belly

of the

great

fish

so will

the son

of man

be three

days

and three

nights

in the

heart

of the

earth

this is

the sign

of Jesus

death

and resurrection

on the

third

day

this is

the ultimate

sign

that God

gives us

to prove

to us

to point

to the

reality

that he

is with

us

that he

keeps

his

promises

with us

because

God

being

holy

cannot

dwell

with

sinners

and we

as sinful

humanity

have generation

after generation

sinned against

him and

insisted

on our

own

ways

but because

God

has

sovereignly

decided

to save

a people

for himself

and because

God

has

irrevocably

tied

himself

committed

himself

by covenant

to his

people

and because

that is

who he

is

Yahweh

I am

who I

am

the one

who keeps

his promises

the one

who is

always true

to himself

he sends

his son

so for

his name's

sake

Jesus

comes to

die on

the cross

for our

sins

so Moses

was used

to crush

the serpent

of Pharaoh

but the

Lord Jesus

crushes

the ancient

serpent

the prince

of this

world

through his

death

and resurrection

and that's

what gives

us the

assurance

that God

is with

us wherever

we are

and whatever

we do

in his

name

the risen

Lord

accompanies

and empowers

us to

proclaim

the gospel

remember

the cross

when you

feel

alone

when you

feel

inadequate

in what

God has

called you

to do

remember

the cross

that he

is with

you

he goes

with you

you're his

hand

and mouth

to proclaim

the gospel

among all

nations

let's pray

Lord

we do

want to

be your

your hand

and mouth

to do

your deeds

to speak

your words

grant us

the faith

to remember

your promise

your power

your presence

that we may

be faithful

witnesses

to you

and thank you

for your

compassion

for being

so patient

and merciful

to us

bumbling

servants

that we

are

in Jesus

name

we pray

amen

and

from

to