When You Wish God Would Choose Someone Else

 “I have seen the misery of My people in Egypt … and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them.” – Exodus 3:7-8

The Book of Exodus records one of the most important events in Jewish history: the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. And God chose Moses to be the man to lead the young nation of Israel through the exit, even though Moses was 80 years old. In the final third of his life, Moses led some two million Jews out of slavery and all the way to the front door of the Promised Land.

And yet, when God spoke to him from the burning bush and told Moses to go to Pharoah to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses didn’t even believe he was the right man for the job. In Exodus 3 and 4, Moses gave God one excuse after the other. I’m a nobody (3:11-12). The Jews won’t believe me or listen to me (4:1-9). I’m not good with words (4:10-12). Somebody else can do it better (4:13-17). Choose someone else … anyone else!

As you read Exodus 3 and 4, you’ll notice that every time Moses gave God an excuse, God responded with grace and truth. Eventually, we’re told “the LORD’s anger burned against Moses” (4:14). But God still offered him grace and truth. He appointed Moses’ brother, Aaron, to be his spokesman. And so at last, Moses trusted and obeyed God’s marching orders. By the time we get to chapter 5, Moses and Aaron are standing before the Pharoah to deliver God’s message: “Let My people go!”

And so, God raised up a reluctant messenger who relied on His power and blessing to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Here are three Life Lessons we can learn from God’s call on Moses’ life:

Life Lesson #1: “No weapon formed against [God’s chosen ones] will prosper” (Isaiah 54:17). Sooner or later, God will bring us deliverance. The enemy’s size doesn’t matter. The enemy’s determination doesn’t matter. The enemy’s vast resources don’t matter. The enemy’s brilliant tactics don’t matter. “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Life Lesson #2: “‘I AM’ is all that we need in every circumstance of life. It’s foolish for us to argue, ‘I am not’” (Warren Wiersbe). Christians, if you’re going through it, do what God directed Moses to do at the burning bush. Do what God directed Peter to do when Peter tried to walk on water. Take your eyes off yourself and off your crummy circumstances and fix your eyes on Jesus.

Life Lesson #3: Joseph and Moses remind us that we’re never too young or too old to be one of God’s chosen heroes. Joseph was just 17 when his heroics began. Moses was 80. Regardless of your age, keep focused on God and let Him work IN you and THROUGH you to do great things for Jesus Christ.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley.

Embrace Your True Identity

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharoah’s daughter.” - Hebrews 11:24

Last Monday I took my family to see a movie I’d been wanting to see for a while: “Harriet.” The film tells the life story of Harriet Tubman, the most famous leader of the underground railroad in the years leading up to the Civil War. Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in rural Maryland in the 1820s. By the age of 25, she made up her mind to escape slavery by fleeing to Pennsylvania. Her brothers were too scared to run away with her. So, with God’s help she did the impossible. Even though she was just five feet tall and had never traveled more than a few miles from her home, in 1849 she ran, walked and crawled her way to Pennsylvania… 100 miles away.

Harriet felt like she was in heaven. As she crossed the Pennsylvania state line, she said that the sun looked like gold coming through the trees. But once she was free, she was still restless. She said she felt like “a stranger in a strange land.” Her parents, her brothers, and friends were still slaves in Maryland. So, with very little support, she took the dangerous journey back to Maryland to rescue her family. Between 1850 and 1860, Harriet Tubman returned to Maryland 13 times & helped around 70 African Americans escape slavery—including four of her brothers, her parents and a niece. And during the Civil War she led a battalion of soldiers that secured the freedom of an additional 750 men, women and children.

Harriet Tubman was, without a doubt, an American hero. And as the film depicts so well: She was a strong believer and follower of Jesus Christ. She had a very deep faith in God, and she trusted Him to guide her steps and give her the courage to obediently do what He called her to do. And God never let her down.

One of the heroes of our faith who inspired Harriet Tubman to lead hundreds of slaves to freedom was Moses, who led his own people out of slavery. But first he had to undergo three milestones of faith, which are outlined in Hebrews 11.

Faith Milestone #1: By faith, Moses REFUSED to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  For the first 40 years of his life, Moses had it made in the shade. He was adopted by the princess of Egypt. He was raised in the palace and lived the life of king. But as we read in verse 24, Moses in faith accepted the truth—that his true identity was that of a God-worshiping Hebrew slave, not as a Pharaoh-worshiping prince of Egypt. So, at the age of 40, Moses said, “Enough!” He refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Faith Milestone #2: By faith, Moses endured REJECTION by the people of Egypt. When Moses refused to be known as the prince of Egypt, it didn’t go over so well. He “chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time” (vs. 25). Moses chose to identify with God’s people, the Jews, who Moses knew would one day give birth to the Christ.

Faith Milestone #3: Moses received the REWARD of faith. As a reward for his obedience to God, Moses’ firstborn son wasn’t killed on the night of the Passover. And as a reward for his faithful obedience to God, Moses and his people were delivered through the Red Sea. And we know also that as a reward for his faithful obedience to God, Moses received a great reward in heaven.

Like Moses, Harriet Tubman didn’t allow the sinful culture around her to define who she was. For the first 25 years of her life, Harriet was told over and over again that she was someone’s property, just like a “pig.” And she was called the “n” word on a daily basis. She was told these things thousands of times, but she refused to believe it. She refused to accept it. She knew that she was a precious child of God, and she believed in her heart—like Moses—that God created her and her people to be free.

Let’s take our lesson from these two heroes of the faith. When the world around them tried to force them into its mold, they refused to be conformed to the pattern of this world. When the sinful culture around them tried to tell them what their identity was, they rejected that culture’s labels. Their identity was in Christ. And ours should be as well.

So, if Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, you are not who the world says you are. Forget about society’s labels. You are not a “white, heterosexual male” or a “black, Democratic female” or a “Hispanic, divorced Baby Boomer.” If Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, your identity is not grounded in the temporary, shallow things of earth. Your true identity is found in Christ. You are a child of God; you are a follower of Jesus Christ. And you are a loved member of a forever family. So, if someone asks, tell them: That’s who you are!

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for our Worship Service Sundays at 10 a.m. at the new Dr. Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.