073 - But I Don't Wanna!

You pick up your Bible and one is more here than meets the is there something here for me. I mean it's just words printed on paper right it may look like just print on the page but it's more than Inc. join us for the next half hour, as we explore God's word together as we learn how to explore it on our as we ask God to meet us there in its pages welcome to more than facing a really big data make excuses why because you don't admit that we just don't we just don't do yet. What can you imagine having a conversation with God but God proposes using certain weight and use excuses for just a 1001 between Moses and God today on more than to our dining room table. The Christmas season is Christmas were actually in her home this morning you would see lights everywhere everywhere because I love Christmas lights and so I'm sitting at our dining room table across from my amazing husband, Jim, and we are about to and who you just want to just jump back into our conversation with Moses conversation at the burning bush, which is a picture that everybody is familiar with. I know it's been a week, but he still in the front come back to him this morning holding what I euphemistically call his discussion with God. Well, if you remember we got to the point of conversation where got it introduced himself right.

Moses had asked him whom I got doesn't matter who you are to I am irrelevant and then the second question was a disaster as well. Who are you, what is your name and what shall I who shall I tell the people sent me, and then God gives in this name.

I am who I am. I'm the God of your fathers. I'm the God who promised not come down to deliver you so so on the God fulfilling my prom exactly in your you're going to be part of that program that's part of what the discussion is all about was most wrestles with the idea about how my supposed be part of the right really God had told him exactly what the program was to be a failure to make a request to say no and things are going to go from bad to worse. But you're coming out of there and you're going to come out rich right right so so so God is no got very seldom tells us that much about the future. Now that's a lot of detail almost absorbed and you can kinda see why when you see this whole thing down because Moses is kind of freaked out by what's going on here I mean is a big deal so it raises a thousand objections in his mind. I think that's why God doesn't tell me what's going to happen next is because I read a lot of objects in our need to raise it with a question about that.

This is about these questions is that God answers every does does even the last one which will get to the minute. It's got very patient with Moses, so we pick up a story or topic chapter 4 verse one and again remember were still in front of the burning bush and Moses is standing barefoot, place the for place and he's wrestling with his role on this planet. God has very clearly outlined form in the previous chapter, I mean Moses knows what's going to go down so there's problems in his monies working through how this is going to happen. God is already told him now. I am who I am and they will listen to your voice and you will is that yeah so verse 18, unless I will listen to someone we jump into this. His next question is like well that's already told you they're going to listen. So why are you asking Moses has problems with how little work okay so we need to jump into the text already this time say okay Soren topic chapter 4 verse one so Moses answered well but behold, they will not believe me they will not believe me or listen to my voice for those say Baltimore didn't appear to.

That's actually good objection.

I suppose you okay you basically how I know the guy really talk to you so verse I have a long enough memory to remember who Moses was and why he blew out of there. The first that's true they might think this is the presumptuous guy was the sheriff of the Israelites in Egypt.

I didn't appear this is a story or make one up just to get back is good objection so the Lord said to them well okay what's in your head, and he said a staff and he said thrown on the ground so he threw it on the ground and it became a serpent and Moses ran from it, but the Lord said to Moses, put your hand put on your hand and catch it by the tail, so he put out his hand caught it and it became a staff in his hand that they may believe that the Lord, the God of the fathers, the God of the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has appeared to you will just stop right there. Okay so so he does the staff and the snake take. So God gives him something to demonstrate gives Moses and Moses assigned to demonstrate to the people that write that God himself has met with him and it's an interesting sign. It's an interesting sign when you make a habit. A lot of things but I was thinking what I want to read this just recently how that staff becomes a central character, but on the whole book yes is not the only place in this this actual event. The God says will happen that he does here.

First, for Moses it Donna me how much this was as much a sign that he'll be able to use later on to authenticate the connection talk to him but for Moses himself is sign this burning bush, God is saying I'll do this and let's just do it right now okay and so I in a real sense it was assigned. Some embolden Moses in this discussion well and the serpent was a symbol of Egypt absolute right so God has got this staff down it becomes this slithering serpent on the ground. He says now pick it and catch it by the tail and pick up a snake you don't grab it by the tail right behind Moses and snake are built something nips at its tail, it can actually whip around to get it. I mean, that's a bad place to grab a sign he says crap is the picture not crap Egypt by its day yeah yeah shake it this this powerful source like it like an ASP like these snakes.

No big deal for God and on and on and put you in a position where it right. It won't hurt you either.

There's great symbology affected when I looked at this some years ago. It turns out there is there is a kind of snake that serve the hides in the Sandy shield itself from the sun by being in the Santilli wiggles and will actually make about 1/4 inch to half-inch of sand over its body from the sound interesting and and just its nostrils and little tongue that puts out that's coming out of the sand so you can actually walking in the in the desert and not know your walking on top of a snake until it pops up and stretch. Yeah that's terrifying/tariff. This is a terrifying threat which actually Egypt seems to be the rest of the world and God's telling Moses, but you can handle by the tail is great symbolism.

So that's the first sign person that they may believe this is verse five that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to you right right so then in verse six it says again. The Lord said to him, here comes a second time when you think the snake thing would be no God is marked when you're inside your cloak, and he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, put your hand back inside your cloak so he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored. Like the rest of his flashing if they will not believe you.

God said, or listen to the first sign.

They may believe the latter sign if they will not believe, even these two signs or listen to your voice you shall take some water from the house. Number three. Know this number three. Should I stop let's not going to take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground and not in the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.

These both have some symbology to them. They are striking miracles. So God saying I'm I'm I'm put in three bullets in your miracle gun and so and I got your sign gun was assigned this to indicate your God is. I'm doing the saddest authenticate winter. Moses is God's right so that's that's in fact we see that in the New Testament as well.

Miracle. Writer always signs to authenticate so so when you make about DCD symbology in the hand going one person coming out to be healed again because I for the first time I looked at that nice. That's saying something about Moses himself to me. Perhaps you know I don't know I haven't really thought about this one deeply. Well I have neither told just now, but if you are no leprosy in local times was was so contagious separate lepers.

Now I don't know about the attitude toward leprosy in Egypt but everyone recognizes leprosy. This kind leprosy was not he'll level right right so if you brought your hand out and it was leprous then you're not put it back inside against your skin are expected to come out clean and not in a million years, so you know, regardless of the of the implications of it being leprous that that move from unhealed bowl to clean and healed it would get attention. Yeah, and in the in the ancient world.

Even up to the time of Jesus, talk about healing diseases and stuff like that healing the blind come on the line like I'm really off the charts. That's way off the charts and they clearly said no one can do that but got so so you done these personal things like that and and leprosy was the same category means clearly several notches above just the ability to duplicate the stick and the snake thing. It's hard to duplicate this in some kind of way make it mean this is real healing but I was thinking in this just a brand-new thought to me that this is different because this is this is like God says I'm going to be a personal injury because as you know and and then I want to take the enemy to make that personal injury go away, take away. I wondered if he was trying to say. Moses well through this that your shortcomings, your personal injuries. What you think you're coming shortening from your qualifications.

This may seem to be severe and disable you, but they don't disable you I can I can eradicate those as easily as I will. That's interesting is that then connects to the next question it sorted so that's an interesting insight to me. I have to think about that and by the way, you know, for listeners, we both firmly believe that God does nothing capriciously does everything with great forethought and there's a lot of teaching him and all he does. I think even in the design of the universe.

There's teaching involvement points us back to God because the heavens are telling the glory of God. So when he comes up with these. With these three signs that Moses can use these are not arbitrary. These are saying things that are 234 levels deeper than even you are. I told may have communicated something to Moses and to the Egyptians that we that keeps us complete and that's worsening or speculative.

The fact that well given so much detail about these things is important and did you notice the repetition in verses seven and eight. He put intake and output intake and output it and take it out right right so that's driving home the change in condition of this hand you leprous and you can then clean and reminds me that guided Jesus healed that the guy with the will and many okay leprosy that wasn't undeveloped with the same kind that your hand is useless from this and same category of this is this is something that you can't know that he can fix that only God himself can do this and in that particular case. I did look up with that is you go to check it out but but Jesus does it, and he declares he's going to do it almost on a dare to the Pharisees is on the Sabbath and and and he says I'm going to do this. Do you think is right that I should do this. Can I do this and he gets his resistance is hard heart from from the Pharisees and the spot and then he doesn't and did on what's well there angry they are, as it in their face on the Sabbath almost. I was on a dare this the wrong word use, but he tells Mrs. what do you have a problem with that and that he doesn't have a problem with okay so when you come back to his fly about the blood and water thing you know it's interesting because the Nile was literally the lifeblood of the nation. Hello, that's what you grew where it did and became so powerful had this incredibly faithful water source so you know, God gives him this sign which we are actually going to see becomes you will notice plagues later take some water from the Nile for the ground water you take become blood on the ground on the ground that it pour out the lifeblood of Egypt, yet very symbolic, not just a cheap magic trick. This has real symbols and if you if the Egyptians were superstitious at all, they would have seen these things as a threat. Oh absolutely yes absolutely is a very sacred source of life for Egypt.

I mean nearly the entire continent of Egypt drained through the Nile entry visa land of Egypt to die so I counted about that of Africa empties into the Nile and in the beneficiaries are ever lives along the Nile, and most especially Egypt.

At the top rank I miss a big deal so and so the Nile was seen as a very sacred thing and so when you turn it into blood like this make it useless and defilements like while this is just ton symbols but again we have to speculate to put ourselves in the cultural shoes, the people would see this but it means a lot more to them than we do and we understand that the issue here is in order to validate that I have spoke to you right sent you so that they may believe I'm giving you the signs to demonstrate yeah that's as true. So that makes this next question totally farewell and yet just to recap a little bit got already told them back in chapter 2 that they will listen to.

I they will listen to that's so that's going to happen, then God and Moses, but they won't they won't believe that I came from God. Okay, here's three ways you can you can authenticate that we actually had this discussion and I'm sending so we should be done here right right but no silver stand and Moses said to the Lord, O my Lord, now he uses a different word he doesn't call him by his personally, my Lord, I'm not eloquent, either in the past or since you spoke of your servant. But I'm slow speech and of tongue so what's this question as an excuse this phrase. Adequate I never have been and not since you been talking to me right yeah he'll be yet is just the slightest. He started blaming God for his you see emergence of not incapable heart but I'm not willing heart. You see, unwillingness start to poke I'm willing to do you think God can do it. It's like when is like when someone really doesn't want to do something, but they won't tell you that will tell you two or three other thing right kind of misdirected what they were just as you should've said the one know I'd just want to that's what Schloss were going to come to this point God has met his every question. He's been doing this that way I will I a.m. I'll give you answer so the focus is not on Moses. It's on right now Moses bring it back to him just like while you know I'm slow speech maybe had a speech impediment. Maybe he wasn't a quick thinker. Maybe you know I don't. These seem to be physical issues for him and the Lord's answer in verse 1111 yeah so the Lord said to him, who was made man's mouth who makes him mute or death, or seeing, or blind, is it not I the Lord now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.

I love this. Like Moses, saying to him, you know, I'm not sure if you know this God but I'm not a great speak right I'm clumsy, I'm not eloquent, during whom mankind who made your bow to this is news to me. I will be with you that changes everything because he's coming from the perspective I'm on my own on this mission. I go there. My know that I'm incapable do this.

I don't have the tongue can do this and that's probably an accurate assessment against his will that that's completely overruled when I'm with you because you're not alone. I'm with you through all this. Remember, you know, I have come down to deliver them. And I want you to go so I'm with you, but you know Moses.

Moses unwillingness is just poking up here the sort making excuses are probably mired in truth, he probably did have a speaking problem but that you relevant and now it's completely obvious what the real issue is yeah is in verse 13 he said.

He says all my Lord. And again, not the IM but at a time.

I master my Lord oh my Lord, please send somehow I just don't want I don't want to. I don't want to shot down the will is completely closed his every question and every objection with you and I will so now we down to unbelief. I just don't want. I just don't want to because I really underneath that I don't believe he really well.

Yes. So at this point, God's response is anger which I am asking because what he saying what he saying all this kind of stuff that I got outline the entire thing in his refusal to say send somebody else you think got. I don't think you can do what you just do. And I don't think you can do this.

Which by the way was the air they made when they got to the brink of the promise to write some of the spies spies came out too many giants and the people said God can't do this guy can't complete his promised us so here. Moses himself is going through this life lesson of saying to God. Everything you just told me might be true but I don't see we think of Moses as a completed person but something I came to understand last time I study through Exodus was access recounts the growth of Moses: man of God. Here we see his condition at the beginning of the assignment God and wait till he was perfect before he gave the assignment. No, I want you to go. You're the guy year. The drawer router ran yet, here he said his will and his unbelief is fully exposed and so it points at kind of a hidden purpose about why got involved. It's because of the wife change we go through as we walk with God through and you see this with David to Winnie's persecutory race.

The Psalms got guts taking it through tough times. But as he walks with God, he changes here as Moses walked with God.

He'll change night.

That's why God want you along for the journey God could God does not need. You can do this on his own. He does need the headaches of Moses and and the headaches of Aaron which is coming up this second but he says but for your benefit. I'm sending you wow really well and it's interesting to me that verse 14 says then after this well in this unbelief is fully exposed. That's when the anger of the Lord's kingdom yeah you had answered his every question. Up to that point, that is okay now. The issues really exposed.

You just don't believe me but here's the amazing thing God in his grace says I'm to do this anyway. You know Wanda well you're gonna still moving, but I'm going to give you some help.

So then he says it is halfway through verse 14 and he said to Moses, is there not Aaron your brother the Levite.

I know that he can speak well be holding Aaron with older brother.

Behold, he's coming out to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart. Okay, wait a minute. Kind of implies Aaron where Moses was that there may have been some communication over the years. Yeah, I wasn't sure let Moses wondered if Aaron himself hated the fact of what he did and left and abandoned his we don't know we don't know but it does it does tend to say that there was some friction, but he'll be gone but is coming Aaron's coming and we/you. He's a willing participant in the next thing I'm proposing is what this is a fascinating to me as God says to Moses, you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth and I will be with your mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth and you shall be as God. To him and taking your hand this staff with which you shall do this stuff that is interesting because what he says is Aaron will be your mouthpiece, you will be my mouthpiece will be your mouth being right is like Aaron might have a good tongue, but he short on content. I'm giving you the content and I'm both of you can't actually but he's not can be my spokesman you're my spokesman but will use Aaron.

So if the whole lips thing is a problem. Look, I just saw that he speaks pretty well doesn't he objections really no later in the event of the golden calf.

Some not so far in the future that that was something Aaron was in and it makes you wonder at that time when things go south or I mean this another time when I mean Aaron. He actually to mutiny against Moses for short time so so Aaron ends up being kind of a problem child is on Mary and was involved in that exact and I've always wondered whether while that's unfolding from Moses eyes were they'd smack himself on the forbidden say I shouldn't of, I shouldn't of done. This is my focus. I told that I might speak and now I've got Aaron and his grace says this plan is going forward. If you know if you want to not do or not not believe me. Bring along a helper. I'll bring along still going to your you might not be real glad you and you will regret the probably will you just believe me, believe what I'm saying let's go forward with the plan but there's growth it needs to happen to Moses he needs to understand that you can take out his word and and that you can believe his plans are going unfold exactly the way he says are crafting Aaron and there's growth in their yeah you both chance, a fascinating story. I'm glad to have the whole book of Exodus ahead of us because we'll see these two men change over the course of this adventure together. So now we only got a couple minutes left, but I was just thinking to encourage those of you who are listening you is your observation skills.

Now go back through chapters 3 and four and isolate those questions and look at the sequence whom I who are you, what if they don't believe me.

And then, but but I'm not adequate) ran I just I don't want that's been exposed.

Now I really have taken this questions to heart a few years and you know in general, when God decides to use Eunice plans what is going to do the simple thing you need to do is just agree to be available right and qualifications play a very secondary role coming. God knows what he's going to be parking. Those what you're like he knows what you're capable of knows what is going on. He's not he's he's picked exactly the right person for the right job and he meets every fear and every doubt with his himself. Yes, I will be what will you I will I will and that's that's actually the word throughout when you get in the New Testament the Holy Spirit comes God's with you I when we leave.

Want and I will I will speak your mouth I will give you the words in your mouth for the famous words. Joshua leave you or forsake you. So I may need. This is God's presence with mankind, is what Moses is dealing with right here and that presents with Moses changes everything changes absolutely everything and is Moses willing to step out and do that or she going to stand behind his old pouty face and said I don't want to know he's gone anyway is pretty clear here that the listing the anchors God is Moses's refusal to act when God has met his every inadequacy with God himself is so and so point we can take that to heart. Listen, we've come to the end of this and next time were to take a slight break because I'm our next step program is can be right because Chris is a Christmas dance order to do something different to change it up before we come back to see Moses lead many to take Christmas Day and look at one of our favorite Christmas songs Carol so I men and look at the look at the biblical continent because I think in my opinion, this is got the fattest content of Christmas Carol. So were just going to sit down and ruminate on that next week go back to most sincerely, amount of get them back so I'm Jim and I'm glad this is a great adventure and before it's next week is a production of mainstream church is solely responsible to contact us with your questions or comments