Exodus 1 - 4

The Reluctant Deliverer
It has been a while (maybe 18 months) since I have read Exodus, but immediately  I was struck by two things:

1. Exodus 1:8 - "A new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done."
2. Moses did not want the job God had for him.

The Hebrews had done well in Goshen. They had grown in number, in political influence, in wealth, and in power.  Like us, they had become self-sufficient and had quit relying on the grace of God. They no longer talked about how God had placed Joseph in Egypt to deliver them.  They had allowed the memory of Joseph to fade away, to the point that the new Pharaoh of Egypt only perceived the Hebrews as a threat (1:9).

Out of fear, Pharaoh enslaves them and attempts infanticide (prophetic of Herod at the time of Jesus' birth). His efforts fail at first, but enjoy a modicum of success later (1:22). He becomes more brutal and oppressive in his treatment of the Hebrew slaves, motivating them to beg God for a deliverer.  From this chaos and need, Moses is born, trained in the way of the Egyptians, and eventually exiles himself in Midian.

While there he encounters the Lord in a burning bush.  This is the second thing that spoke to me.  Moses did not want to be the deliver.  Moses gives God five reasons why he is not the one to deliver his people:

1. 3:11 - "Who am I?" Moses cannot believe that he is the chosen one. He knows he neither has the gravitas to appear before Pharaoh nor the leadership to bring his people out of bondage.
2. 3:13 - "Who are You?" Moses asks the Lord to identify Himself with a name he can tell to the Hebrews.  It is here in vs 14 that we get the "I AM THAT I AM" name of God.
3. 4:1 - "What if they will not believe me?"  Moses continues to protest. He does not believe the Lord can use him effectively. He does not think that the people will take him seriously.
4. 4:10 - "I cannot speak well." The change in verbs here is significant.  His first three times are "protests" - this and the subsequent one are "pleadings."  Now, he is making excuses about how he gets tongue tied.
5. 4:13 - "Send someone else." This is the final plea from Moses.  It is not a flat out refusal, but it is enough to anger the Lord (4:14).  For the sake of scripture and the plan of God, the Lord does not relent.  Moses will be the deliverer - he was chosen by God in His infinite wisdom and Moses' reluctance will not deter that plan.

Aren't we the same way?  Doesn't God have to poke and prod us and provide us with signs, helpers, a promises to get us to do anything?  We need a willing heart. We need to fully manifest faith in Him. We need to know His plan for our lives and not look at our own limitations, but look at what His will is for us.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.