We continue from “Trusting God, (Part 1)” as to the encounter of Moses with God at the burning bush and about how God wanted Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt…
…Continuing in Exodus Chapter 4 – Moses Leaves for Egypt
18And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. 19And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life. 20And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. 22And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: 23And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
24And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
The People Believe Moses and Aaron
27And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. 28And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. 29And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 30And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Despite God telling Moses in chapter 3 that I will be with thee (verse 12), Moses made excuses – they won’t believe me (chapter 4), I’m not eloquent enough – slow of speech, and so on; he doubted what God said. He was focused on his natural ability and showed his lack of faith. So, God showed Moses that the people will believe him using a rod, which he turned into a snake (v. 3), changing his hand from being normal to becoming leprous (v.6) and turning the water into blood (v. 9).
Moses made excuses and pushed God away because he did not think he could do what God asked of him.
Even though it says that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, God was so gracious and merciful to Moses despite all his excuses and reluctance. God will surely accomplish his works and have his way no matter what. He did not turn away from Moses and say “Forget it;” rather, He said Aaron would be the spokesman for Moses.
Recall, in Joshua chapter 1, after Moses died that the Lord spoke unto Joshua that he would succeed Moses as the leader of Israel. He said these words, “8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. “9Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:8-9)
Notice the reassurance that the Lord gave Joshua that He is with him wherever he goes. Strength and courage was required of Joshua (verses 6, 7 and 9).
When God speaks, instead of making excuses like Moses did, we need to trust and obey Him.
Know that whenever God gives us a job to do, he will equip us to do it. “I will certainly be with thee,” he told Moses. (Exodus 3:12)
Likewise, He is with each one of us – “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)
God will always provide for us; He will help us and give us all that is needed to do what he asks to accomplish His will for us. We just need to believe Him, to trust Him, to obey Him…
He is with us wherever we go as we read in Joshua 1 and Isaiah 41. We can depend on His Word. The Lord is faithful no matter what – “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
Four times in the Bible we read these words, “The just shall live by faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17;
Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38). Think of that. Once is enough, but, when something is mentioned that many times in scripture, we need to really pay attention to it.
When we think of faith, the word “trust” comes to mind. To have faith in someone gives the thought of trusting that person, of believing in him or her. I’m sure you have heard someone say, “I have faith in you, you can do it…”. Or, “I trust what you are telling me is true.”
How do we obtain the faith that God requires of us? Romans 10:17 comes to mind – “…faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” As we read the word of God, we will be given faith. The Spirit of God will guide us and help us to secure the faith we need to continue in our walk with God.
The importance of faith cannot be overemphasized. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Clearly, this verse is saying that without faith it is impossible to please God.
We cannot do without the continuous help of divine persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We rely on them for direction, strength, wisdom and every need we have.
As believers in Christ, we must live in confidence daily, believing that God is true and faithful to his Word.
Certainly, His will for us WILL be accomplished, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)
And so, we need to remember that God is with us and that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We need courage and strength and faith as we saw with the examples of Moses and Joshua.
I remember watching a message by Dr. Charles Stanley, “A Time for Courage.” He said, “With His presence in every circumstance of our lives comes His power, His protection and His provision.”
Always remember this, dear child of God – we are on the winning side! Despite our moments of lack of faith, trust and being disobedience, we are victors because of what our Lord Jesus Christ accomplished at Calvary. Nothing can change our standing having been made sons and daughters of God. Even we cannot undo it! We are securely sealed with the Holy Spirit of God “unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30). “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)