By Russ Ramsey
A wise friend of mine once told me, “Beware the man who makes himself the hero of his own story.”
Throughout this study on the life of Moses, we are going read about a man who bears all the marks of a hero. He leads an entire nation of people out from under the grip of one of the most powerful rulers in the world. He stands before the mighty Pharaoh and warns the king of Egypt that if he doesn’t let the Israelites go, he’ll reap a world of hurt. And those words prove not to be empty.
Frogs fall from the sky and the Nile River turns to blood. Locusts consume Egypt’s crops and a plague kills her livestock. Moses raises his hands and the Red Sea parts, giving an otherwise trapped nation of refugees a path to freedom. He strikes a rock in the desert and enough water to quench the entire nation’s thirst comes rushing out. He ascends a mountain and meets with the God of all creation. Then he comes down from that meeting bearing two tablets of stone written in God’s own hand—a Holy Law to govern them all.
As all this happens, we may be inclined to cheer for Moses, our brave-hearted gladiator whose weapon is the power of God and whose shield is the Lord’s divine protection. But if we make Moses our hero, we have misplaced our hope. As admirable, inspirational, and fascinating as Moses is (and he certainly is all these things and more), he is not the hero of his own story. God is.
We only need to look at Moses’ failures—his anger at God (Exodus 5:22-23), his occasional disdain for his own people (Exodus 17:1-7), his murderous heart (Exodus 2:11-12), and his reluctance to lead (Exodus 4:10-17)—to see that he is, at best, a deeply flawed hero.
But it isn’t even Moses’ character flaws that show us he isn’t the hero of the story. It is the providential way Moses came to find himself in this position in the first place. The Lord, making good on a promise He made to Abraham 400 years earlier (Genesis 15:13), spared Moses’ life from Egypt’s brutal campaign to exterminate all male Hebrew children under two (Exodus 1:22). Moses’ mother floated him down the currents of the Nile but the Lord guided the baby in the basket straight into the heart of Pharaoh’s own daughter, who raised the slave as her prince.
God is the architect of this story, which means He is the true hero. This is good news for us. It reminds us that God is in the business of using flawed, fearful people as agents of redemption in this world—limits, imperfections, and all. As we dig into the fascinating life of Moses, look for the providence and power of God on display throughout, and remember that this same wisdom and strength is at work in our lives today.
You do not have to be the hero of your own story. You have a Hero. This study tells His story.
written by Russ Ramsey
81 thoughts on "God Raises Up a Deliverer"
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Shelby Beckworth says:
He provides more than we ask – Moses mother, through the extermination of the Hebrew boys, pushed Moses out in a basket. Not only did Moses survive but was placed in the hands of royalty.
If that wasn’t enough, his mother ended up getting to raise him in the palace – and getting paid to do it! What in the world! Talk about a good father!
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We are entirely dependent on God. We are not enough on our own, but more than enough with the Lord.
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I will come in reverence and awe, asking that he remind me that it’s his power that saves and to use me in great ways such as moses!
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God wants to set us free!
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I will recognize that the Lord is my Savior, he is the hero of my story and I can’t hope to be great without him.
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Daniel says:
God empowers us to be heroic, yet He is the true Hero.
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I will become heroic, and go to those God has called me to, as I allow Him to sustain and heal myself and others as our true Hero.
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We are flawed heroes; heroes that are powerless without God in our midst and as our Savior.
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In our flaws and brokenness, we are empowered and skilled; God uses our flaws, our pasts, our pain, to raise us up to bring His healing and deliverance to very specific people and situations that we are able to impact and influence.
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Mark McNeff says:
God works together our stories in such a way that we can’t even comprehend all the things he’s doing at one time. This shows that his plan is sovereign over humans imperfections and futility. When we make God out to be the hero of our story instead of ourselves we realize just how many things He worked together outside of our control. This shows that God wants to use imperfect people and imperfect situations in order to accomplish His perfect will and plan.
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Josh says:
Our imperfections are not a secret to God. We are not the heroes of our own stories. When we try to be, we find disaster.
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I do not have to be the hero of your own story. I have a Hero. My life can tell His story.
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He is the hero of my story.
“God is in the business of using flawed, fearful people as agents of redemption in this world—limits, imperfections, and all.”
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I will look to God to be my hero–and I will trust in Him.
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Lord,
Thank You that I do not have to look the part of the hero. You are the hero–be the hero of my story, and bring glory to Yourself through my story, I pray.
Amen. -
Ryan Miller says:
I will begin to have a better perspective about politics and man made savior a and realized we are all flawed individuals in need of Gods ultimate savior
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Mankind gravitates toward heroes. All of our movies are about heroes saving the day. We elevate politicians to god like statice.
I think this shows how flawed the human heart is and how desperately we need the true savior!
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God is a God who answers promises! He is sovereign in doing so. He out Moses in the perfect place at the right time to be the redeemer of Israel.
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God answered his promise to deliver Israel in the OT and He will be faithful to come again and fulfill the promises given in the New Testament!
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Wes says:
Even with my flaws, I will trust God more with my future and know that He works all things according to His plan.
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