Deuteronomy 32:3-4 “For I proclaim the name of the Lord:
Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
For all His ways are justice,
A God of truth and without injustice;
Righteous and upright is He.”
Have you ever heard someone talk about a situation they’re going through and conclude, “I’m just giving it over to God”?
We have songs that sing of Jesus taking the wheel, and many others that cry out for God to do the leading.
What does it look like to give God control? How do we take our hands off the wheel of life and allow God to do all the steering?
The songs sound great and the concept of God doing the leading are very compelling ideas for a life that we’ve potentially messed up, but are we really willing to let God lead us? Moses had this dilemma at one time.. the same Moses that God used to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. The very Moses who met God on Mt. Sinai and talked with Him daily in the tent of meeting. He was as ambitious and fearful as anyone we know today, just as we also might be cautiously or at times foolishly ambitious, either way, the process of giving God control is a practice in humility.
The Waiting
Moses had been raised by Pharaoh’s daughter who knew that he was of Hebrew descent. Upon watching an Egyptian guard beat a Hebrew slave, Moses thought he would do the judging himself and killed the guard. Thinking he had done his deed in secret, the moment he realized he’d been found out, fear took over.
Exodus 2:14,15 “Then he said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?”
So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.
Moses lived in the land of Midian for 40 years. Midian changed Moses, from his time as a prince of Egypt and an attempt to free the people on his own, until the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush and instructed him to go—Moses had to understand humility. Moving from a prince to a lowly shepherd took 40 years, a time for Moses to grow into the man that God could use.
When the moment the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush until Israel crossed the Jordan, Moses became a different man.
Exodus 3:11 “But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Moses had gone from being a prince who thought he could liberate his people on his own to a lowly shepherd who had no confidence in himself. Moses thought of himself as being ‘unfit’ for the job, while God’s response revealed that it would be by His strength Moses would lead.
Exodus 3:12 “So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Moses may have been too weak for such a task, but God said He would be with Him…this fact alone changed everything.
The Revelation
Why do you suppose a stuttering shepherd in Midian would be asked to fulfill a role of such paramount importance?
Everything in Moses’ life led up to that moment at Mt. Horeb, first being saved from death by a decree to being raised in Pharaoh’s house as a prince, then came the humility of the desert–all leading to the deliverance of a nation. The nation of Israel would become God’s revelation to the world that He alone is God, but the revelation first began with a name.
Exodus 3:13-16 “Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;
Once God revealed His plan, He revealed why His plan would succeed. Matthew Henry gave a description of the significance of God’s name.
“Two names God would now be known by. A name that denotes what he is in himself, I AM THAT I AM. This explains his name Jehovah, and signifies, 1. That he is self-existent: he has his being of himself. 2. That he is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever. 3. That he is incomprehensible; we cannot by searching find him out: this name checks all bold and curious inquiries concerning God. 4. That he is faithful and true to all his promises, unchangeable in his word as well as in his nature; let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you. I am, and there is none else besides me. All else have their being from God, and are wholly dependent upon him. Also, here is a name that denotes what God is to his people. The Lord God of your fathers sent me unto you. Moses must revive among them the religion of their fathers, which was almost lost; and then they might expect the speedy performance of the promises made unto their fathers.”
Matthew Henry
The One sending Moses on a journey that only God could fulfill was none other than—Jesus.
His name is Jesus
Thousands of years later when the Messiah would come, Jesus revealed to the people that it was He who had been with them from their inception.
John 8:58 “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I Am!”
The revelation of God incited a riot in Jesus’ day, the pharisees were determined to kill Him after His declaration because Jesus had made Himself to be the One who bore the name of God—a name above all other names.
Once Moses accepted the charge to be the voice of God, the journey had begun. The Lord knows what His people are capable of and He strengthens them and leads them on. God strengthened Moses by revealing His name to Moses, then He encouraged him further by promising a sign to come.
Exodus 3:12 “So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
It’s estimated the distance from Cairo to Mt. Horeb is around 360 miles (as the crow flies). Therefore if Moses had walked approximately 20 miles per day, it would have taken him around 18 days to reach Pharoah. From the moment Moses left Egypt and fled to Midian it took 40 years, from the time of Moses departure to the most epic moment in Israel’s history, took 18 days.
Do you see how quickly life can change once God is leading?
How long does the Lord need to get His people ready today? What is He preparing for you? Does pride dominate your life, or fear and sin? What is it that inhibits your ability to follow Jesus fully?
Moses was 40 years old when he tried to liberate Israel on his own, he was 80 years old by the time he traveled back to Egypt to deliver the people from Pharaoh’s grip. Moses then led the people for the next 40 years in the desert as they learned to trust in God as Moses did.
The Promise Fulfilled
Through all his adventures, God never abandoned Moses. Through his greatest triumphs to his most epic failures, the Lord never left him on his own.
Deuteronomy 32 is where you can find the song of Moses. It’s too long to include here in full so I’ll just leave you with an abbreviated version, it reveals an understanding of God that only Moses could fully comprehend.
Deuteronomy 32:7-9 “Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of many generations.
Ask your father, and he will show you;
Your elders, and they will tell you:
When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children of Israel.
For the Lord’s portion is His people;
Jacob is the place of His inheritance.“
Moses lived a life by what many would consider a failure of a life, at least for the first 80 years. Moses then turned his failure into a victory only by trusting in God and allowing Him to lead. We have been given a precious gift through Moses, the Pentateuch is the first 5 books of the Bible written by Moses in the desert. These books reveal an aspect of God that only Moses could receive but by way of humility.
If we want to know God, if we want Him to lead us into His perfect plan, we have to allow Him to work out in us the preparation required for service in His Kingdom. Humility isn’t an easy lesson, I would suppose Moses dealt with many of the things we deal with today, depression, fear, a sense of abandonment, anger, sorrow, you name it I’m sure he experienced it. People back then are no different than people today….God also remains the same.
We have access to the same Jesus that showed up on Mt. Horeb and called Moses to a life of service, we need only seek Him with all of our hearts and He promises to be found….the question is, are we willing?
What are you waiting for? The same song that came from Moses can be the same declaration that will come from you as you place your trust in Him.
If you are in Christ, you are the people of God. He will guide you all your days if you will trust in Him.
U.T. 