Desert Wanderings

We recently resumed our Bible study after a long break that began in late spring.  It was an unforeseen break.  Life intervened in our schedule with surprising and critical events, the kind that test your faith and force you to confront the inevitability of death.  Our first day back in our group, we offered prayers for our loved ones, for the world which is always at war, and for the souls of those departed---now one of us counted among them.  We also thanked God for the many blessings of our lives, and we called upon the Holy Spirit to guide us as we continue our studies.

So where did we leave off?  We asked each other. One class had just begun the book of Exodus; the other started Numbers or when did we read Deuteronomy?  Could it be we have forgotten?  So soon? We realized as we pondered where to start, that the Word of God continues to reveal new and wonderful truths even as we read and re-read, and especially in the light of the many crises of our lives. And we turned to the book of Exodus.

Sinai Desert

If you ask anyone what they know about the book of Exodus, he will probably tell you that it is about the journey of the Israelites out of Egypt. He may tell you about the ten plagues that God rained upon the Egyptians or he may know about the Passover, the event that is still commemorated today. Thanks to Hollywood and Charleton Heston, many in our group at least were well aware of those important events in Exodus, but as we re-read Exodus, we focused on the Call of Moses and on God's Promise.  Now here is where the Holy Scripture becomes relevant in our lives today!

Moses, our unlikely hero, is an ordinary man to whom God gives an extraordinary task.  Through God's intervention, he has survived the infanticide of Hebrew boys by the Egyptians, and he is raised in luxury as the adoptive son of Pharaoh's daughter.  As an adult, he kills an Egyptian and is forced to flee to Midian.  He marries Zipporah the daughter of a Midianite priest, and lives a fairly mundane life, until one day, he sees the Burning Bush and hears God's call.

As we read, we find that it takes God a great deal of patience to convince Moses that he is up to the task.  Moses first responds (to God no less!) with, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" Ex.3:11  God responds, "I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who have sent you when you bring my people out  of Egypt, you will worship on this very mountain." Ex.3: 12. "But, says Moses..."if they ask me,' what is his name?' 'What shall I tell them?'"

It doesn't end there.  Moses has other objections. He is not gifted in speech.  He is not eloquent.  He cannot possibly be convincing. God answers, "Who gives one man speech and makes another deaf and dumb? Or who gives sight to one and makes another blind?  Is it not I, the LORD? Go then! It is I who will assist you in speaking and will teach you what to say." Ex.4:11-12.  

What does Moses say? "If you please, Lord, send someone else!"  God becomes angry and says, "Have you not a brother, Aaron the Levite?" "I know he is an eloquent speaker." (Of course he does!) Ex.4:14

We can draw many, many parallels to our own lives from the first chapters of Exodus.  No matter what the circumstances of our births, we are all ordinary people called by God to do extraordinary things. The question is, do we listen to God's call and trust in His promise to be with us in all things done for His glory?