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| Moses and the Burning Bush - Isaac's Cathedral - St. Peterburg |
TO CHEW ON: "' Now therefore, go and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.' But he said, 'O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else you may send.'" Exodus 4:12,13
In this portion of the conversation between God and Moses, God gives Moses the job of confronting Pharaoh and leading the Israelites out of Egypt. He promises to be everything Moses needs for the job.
But Moses argues back. He doesn't want the assignment, or at least he doesn't want to do it alone. He is a bad speaker, he says, so thus ill-equipped (even though God, the maker of his equipment says He will tell Moses what to say). At Moses' insistence God gives him his older brother Aaron. Aaron will be his mouth.
I wonder if Moses ever had regrets later about bringing on Aaron as such a close ministry partner.
- Think about how cumbersome the speaking sessions must have been—like talking through a translator.
- They were men of different personalities. Moses was made of the stuff of a leader. He often stood alone against the multitude while Aaron buckled under their demands.
- This dual leadership may also have been confusing for the Israelites when Aaron was the voice giving them instructions and commands. Who was the real leader here?
When we feel inadequate for tasks God gives us do we similarly argue and bargain with God? Do we ask Him to send someone else, or make job adjustments so we don't have to depend on Him so completely?
Let's learn a lesson from Moses. If God asks us to do something, let's take His word that He will give us the tools to do it (Exodus 4:11). For when we insist on changes, we might be adding needless complications for later.
PRAYER: Dear God, help me to learn the lesson of depending on you completely to do the assignments You give. Amen.
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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