Exodus 1-4
A new book, and many generations have passed, but the story continues…
Under God’s hand, Israel have continued to prosper in the land of Egypt and have become a great nation. So great that the current pharaoh sees the Hebrews as an internal threat to national security. And so follows 40 years of oppression at the hands of the Egyptians until God intervenes to save them, just as Joseph had said he would.
But God’s salvation is very surprising! At first it looks like God is planting a man on the inside and this will be his means of influence. It’s a familiar story – the baby in the basket, the clever sister, the Hebrew baby raised in an Egyptian palace – but we need to see what a surprising turn it takes when Moses – God’s inside man – finds himself “an alien in a foreign land” (2:22). God never does things the way we might expect. His power is always shown best through human weakness.
And Moses knew he was weak! Have you ever heard a less reluctant messenger than this guy?! But God chooses this exiled, tongue-tied murderer to be his messenger of judgment and salvation.
I reckon I’m pretty good at making up excuses to avoid speaking God’s message of judgment and salvation… how about you?
This description of Moses shows just how much like the rest of us he was, yet later we read in Numbers 12:3 “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth”. That’s a description that is pretty amazing!
I’m glad God chooses ordinary people like us to work through. Like Moses though, I am quick to come up with excuses as to why now is not a good time to speak up about God’s salvation/judgment. Thank God that His plans aren’t wrecked by our sinfulness (as shown in the story of Joseph).