By Andrew Stoddard
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?
Moses replied, “My smartphone, Lord.”
And God said unto Moses, “Good. Begin working on increasing your platform immediately. It is true that the people will not believe you now, but if you can double your Twitter following and increase the reach of your Instagram account, then the people will respect you as a leader. If you can angle your way into a better job with a more important title, then my people will hear your voice and respond. If you can make just a little more money, or be seen as the most powerful man in the room, then the people of Israel will follow you. If you buy better clothes and wear nicer shoes, then my people will know you are called to be their leader.”
This is a paraphrase not so much of the Bible, but of the human heart.
Sometimes if feels more natural to seek leadership and influence not by the power of God, but by our own strength and will. Clearly, God would never say something like this; but I think the desire to make our own name great runs deep. It can trick us into thinking that the pursuit of glory in the name of God is the same thing as glorifying God. It can also trick us into becoming much more comfortable with relying on our talents and strengths than on the supernatural power of God.
One of my favorite professors in seminary always challenged us to search our hearts and think clearly about our motives and methods for approaching leadership positions. His basic premise was this: if you feel like you’ve smooth-talked or influenced (or platform-ed) your way into a position of leadership, then it’s hard to know if you weaseled your way into power or if God has actually called you to that place. Working your way to leadership through your own strength could actually pay off in the short run, but when the going gets tough, it’s highly likely that you’ll waver.
The best positions of leadership are the ones you know you couldn’t have attained without the intervention of the Most High.
Moses was in such a place. There was no way that he could have confronted Pharaoh and triumphed because of his bravado. There was no way the Israelites would’ve have followed him on account of his clever speeches or military prowess. The only way Moses could account for progress was by the hand of God.
It was the same for Aaron! “No one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was” (Hebrews 5.4).
Moses succeeded because he knew that it was really God who was paving the way for change and redemption. The signs of the staff and the leprous hand were proof not just to Pharaoh’s court, but also to Moses, that God was doing this work.
We can’t force God’s hand. We can only follow His lead. With that in mind, we should examine our own hearts and motivations. A good thing done for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way can have disastrous results. How are you caring for your family? Your co-workers? Your friends? Are you operating out of a place of self-contrived power? Or do you seek divinely given influence?
Man may be impressed by the outward appearance, but remember—God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).
Written By Andrew Stoddard
71 thoughts on "God Equips Moses"
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Bryson McGuire says:
Man is fearful. One of the first things I noticed in this passage was that Moses ran in fear when he saw the staff turned into a snake. Then, even after seeing the power of God in front of him, he still questions God and finds excuses to not do as he has been told. Why? Probably because he’s afraid.
I don’t easily get spooked during a scary movie or by ghost stories, but I am afraid of doing things I’m uncomfortable with. I can imagine Moses was probably pretty uncomfortable with the situation God was calling him to. I mean, he was about to have a face off with the most powerful man in the world, Pharaoh of Egypt, for the freedom of his people.
What Moses was asked to do was no small undertaking; it was a huge responsibility. As a Christian, I have also been given a great responsibility: to take the gospel with me and share it. Sharing the gospel can be nerve-wrecking at times. Never knowing what someone will say or how they will respond, but God has called me to be a messenger and help deliver the news that people do not have to live in bondage to this world but that they can have freedom, by grace through faith, in Christ alone.
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This passage personally reminded me of God’s power with the staff and Moses’ hand, but it also reminded me of his control as creator. When Moses uses his speech as an excuse to not be sent, God responds by saying, “Who made man’s mouth? Who makes him deaf, or mute, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”
Everything is the way it is because the Lord has created it that way. He has the ultimate control and authority over his creation; how it works, flows, creates and flourishes. Creation is not greater than its creator.
God uses mankind, as his creation, and calls us to places of leadership and uses our gifts, talents, abilities and weaknesses to accomplish his goals. The Lord is not ignorant to my shortcomings and yet he still desires to use me. God is great and gracious, kind and long-suffering to sinners who do not deserve it.
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I respond by remembering that I am not just a Christian, but that God has called me and can use me to accomplish his goals, but I have to be willing to obey what he’s commanded me in scripture.
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Pray for opportunities to share the gospel; with family, with friends, with people I meet. Pray that God would use me and that any leadership position I acquire, or whatever I do with my life, is because the Lord has placed me there. I pray I would be where he wants me and that I would fully obey his commandment to go and make disciples.
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The gospel is my responsibility to share with others. I would love to think we live in a culture where people just notice a “difference” in you, and hopefully that’s true, but Christian T-shirts and gospel bracelets may not be enough anymore. I have to open my mouth and share the gospel.
Just as Moses had to speak the message that God had given to him, I need to speak the message of the gospel to others.
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Calvin says:
Jesus is the ultimate focus of our glory, not our own.
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Not be so self focused and self minded.
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We look at what we want. We think having a better title, more money, or more things will make us happy.
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God is ultimately the one in charge and in control.
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With trust and boldness that God is the one paving my life- not me.
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Ryan Miller says:
God provides strength to accomplish things we could never accomplish in our weakened state.
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Naturally man can either be overly aware of his failures (insecure) or overly aware of his strengths (cocky). Neither of these two heart attitudes are the best for being used by God in leadership. God wants us to trust Him in His power as we lead in ways that we know He has called us to!
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God used Moses who was a murderer to be the main leader of His people. God doesn’t have a morality code in order for Him to use is. He has a faith code. Either we believe Him or we don’t!
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Shelby Beckworth says:
We need self reliance beaten out of us. Often times I have had wrong motives behind why I was “serving the Lord”. And Yahweh quickly put me in my place.
I needed to recognize that I CAN’T DO ANYTHING without Yahweh.
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I will deliberately acknowledge the power of God in my life on a daily basis. When I wake up, the first thing I’m going say is “thank you” and the second is “Father, I can’t do today without you, so if you don’t go before me I’m just gonna stay in bed”.
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The Lord wants us to know him and trust him.
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God is in control! I follow his lead, which takes a lot of pressure off me to be honest! He is good.
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In partnership with God. He is in control, and he is good. Sometimes I don’t even recognize my wrong motivations, so I will come to fellowship and agree with Yahweh with what he is doing.
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Scott Schulman says:
God wants all the glory for my efforts.
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Choose to be humble.
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