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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Wes says:
That God works through flawed and even murderous people.
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That God has an abundance of grace and mercy for us and that His love for us is so deep that He gave His son in our place.
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That we are flawed and that we may look like heros at times but the real hero is the Lord who is working things out.
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For God’s forgiveness of my sin, and that even with my flaws that His perfect plan will direct my life and for the eyes to see more clearly where God is working in my life right now.
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Russell Phillips says:
By understanding that God is the true source of strength, and by leaning on him instead of trusting in my own understanding and power.
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We don’t have the power, wisdom, or strength to be the hero on our own. We can lean on God for these things.
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It takes man’s imperfection and shows the answer to salvation despite and because of our flaws.
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By asking God to guide me as I endeavor to conduct my life.
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God chooses flawed individuals to carry out his will so that it is evident that his power was responsible for the victory.
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Jonathan Harwood says:
That we have the capacity to be used and that it is the greatest calling for us to answer.
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That God can make straight lines with crooked sticks. That Christ was the perfect example, but through Christ God will use us as well.
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That even in the heart of being used by God, we are still sinners. There is no way to wash that out. We are to continue to be used not for the purpose of being absolved, but instead to give back for the gift of life we have been given.
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Erick Gonzalez says:
Dios es un padre que se preocupa por sus hijos. El ha tallado cada paso que daremos en esta vida. Una muestra de su fidelidad/poder/amor/misericordia es la historia de cómo Moisés pudo sobrevivir la ley de los egipcios que no dejaba a los niños menores de dos años seguir con vida. Es impresionante ver cómo Dios pudo hacer que Moisés(un hebreo) terminará viviendo en el centro de la jerarquía egipcia, siendo adoptado por la hija del faraón. El Señor me brinda su protección y ha estado conmigo desde antes que lo conociera. Me amo antes que lo amara.
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Aunque sea difícil de entender, creo que esto me enseña que el hombre es el centro del padre. El nos desea más que nosotros a él.
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Padre! Tu mano me ha sostenido desde que nací. Pido que pueda seguir el camino que has hecho para mí, ayúdame a no desmayar y a no desviarme por los deseos de mi carne. Líbrame de las cosas de este mundo que el enemigo quiera usar contra mi, en ti busco refugio.
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Jordan says:
He has, He is, and He always will be the Hero of our lives. As his people we should not be searching for the next Hero figure in politics, sports, or higher positions. Jesus came as our Hero for us to live out the Love, Grace, and Redemptive power he died for us to have.
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Scott Schulman says:
God is sovereign over my life. I can trust him with my future.
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Choose to thank God for his wisdom and power in directing my life.
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Everything I can do pales in comparison to what God can do.
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God saves me by the Gospel to be used by him to be able to do great things.
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