Preaching the Word
Preaching the Word
God's Calling to Lead: The Call of Moses
Ever wondered how an ordinary shepherd became one of the most significant leaders in biblical history? Listen as we explore how God's unique timing and methods continue to call individuals into His service today, much like Moses and Jesus' activity in the Old Testament.
Join us as we dissect the implications of Moses' divine calling, especially for leadership within the modern church. Despite Moses' initial reluctance and feelings of inadequacy, his story teaches us that true leadership is founded on divine power rather than human qualifications. Our discussion delves into how God's call equips individuals regardless of their skills or charisma, offering a fresh perspective on godly leadership grounded in faith and obedience. Through Moses' experiences, we highlight that success in leadership comes from reliance on God’s wisdom and guidance.
Finally, we focus on the divine authority that empowered Moses to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites to freedom. Through examining Exodus 9:1 and the significance of the blood of the Lamb, we underscore the profound impact of divine calling in leadership and salvation. Don't miss this enlightening episode that promises to deepen your understanding of faith-based leadership and the enduring relevance of Moses' journey.
Email: nathan@nathandietsche.com
Praise the Lord. Today we're going to be talking about the calling of Moses, but before we get into that, I'd like to share with you a humorous story I recently read. George W Bush, in an airport lobby, noticed a man in a nice flowing white robe, with long flowing white beard and long flowing white hair. The man had a staff in one hand and some stone tablets under the other arm. George W approached the man and inquired Excuse me, are you Moses? The man ignored George W and stared at the ceiling. George W positioned himself more directly in the man's view and asked once again aren't you Moses? The man continued to pursue the ceiling. George W tugged at the man's sleeve and asked once again hey, hey, aren't you Moses? The man finally responded in an irritated voice yes, I am. George W asked him why he was so uppity and the man replied the last time I spoke to a bush, I had to spend 40 years in the desert.
Speaker 1:Today we're going to be looking at God's call on the life of Moses and outside of Jesus. The Messiah. Moses is the most talked about man in all of scripture. Like the Messiah, moses acted as a prophet, a priest and a king for the people of God during his time. As we talk about the calling of Moses today, I'm going to purposely insert Christ as God is calling Moses. As we have been discussing throughout this entire series on leadership, jesus appoints leadership to his church and the entire Trinity is involved with the calling of a man into leadership. But sometimes it's good to be intentional about recognizing how the Son of man, jesus Christ, was active in the Old Testament, because Jesus is God and I believe that, as we do, it helps to bring more clarity and helps us to see the bigger picture.
Speaker 1:So let us begin by turning to Exodus, chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, and it reads Now, moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, jethro, the priest of Midian, and he and it reads, he looked and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said and when the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, god called him out of the bush. Moses, moses, and he said here I am. Then he said Do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. And he said I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham. This calling of Moses is one of the most amazing calls of a leader that we find in Scripture. Exodus 3.1 begins by saying now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law. As we have been seeing, god makes the ordinary extraordinary.
Speaker 1:First thing we need to point out is Moses was simply tending the sheep. For 40 years Moses has been out tending sheep. Perhaps you've never thought about it before, but Moses didn't have any prior experience as a spiritual leader when God called him. Moses's job experience, as we said, was herding sheep. For 40 years now, moses was a shepherd. What would we think if someone came into our church today and told us that God had called him to lead his church? And how often do we place unbiblical expectations for leadership on the people God has called? Are we looking to fill our own preferences in our church or our feelings that leaders of God need to merit certain credentials before being called by God? In the case of Moses, god is going to mentor Moses on the job.
Speaker 1:The second thing that might not immediately be noticeable is that Moses is 80 years old. We find some of this timeline in Acts, chapter 7. Let me read verses 23 and 24 of Acts, chapter 7. It says Moses was 40 years old. It came to his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel, and seeing that one of them was being wrong, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. So Moses was 40 years old when he fled Egypt. And now Moses had spent another 40 years herding sheep prior to the call of God on his life. Acts 7.30 says Now 40 years had passed, and then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a fire, in a bush. So Moses is no spring chicken by any means. And again we are reminded that God's timing is not our timing. When the Lord speaks to Moses out of the burning bush, we need to recognize this is a personal call from Christ to Moses. It could be rightly said that the Lord went to the place where Moses was doing his daily life and he called him into his service. Exodus 3.4 reads when the Lord saw that, he turned aside to see. God called him out of the bush, moses, moses. And he said here I am Again, as we saw last week with Abraham, that God interacts with Moses personally.
Speaker 1:Now, at this time in history, the way in which God is interacting with Moses has changed a little bit from that of the time of Abram. Now, up through the time of the patriarchs, god would interact one-on-one with his faithful servants. You might say in person. He'd take on the form of a man and speak to man one-on-one. But, starting with Moses, god uses elements of nature to lead his people and in the case of Moses, jesus here gets his attention with a burning bush, a bush that was on fire and a bush that won't burn up. And when the Lord finally gets Moses' attention with that bush, he calls to Moses audibly and he says Moses, moses. Now I want to pause here for a moment and say my friends, god is still in the business of getting men's attention. Christ is still in the business of speaking personally and intimately with individuals that he has called. Now, today, we might not see a burning bush, because God has yet again changed how he interacts with man. However, the call of Christ through the Holy Spirit is just as amazing and unforgettable. While God's voice may not be audible, it is unmistakable when he calls a man to follow him.
Speaker 1:Now let's get back to God's calling on Moses. I want to skip down a few verses to verse 7-12 in chapter 3 of Exodus. We read. Then the Lord said I have surely seen the affliction of my people, who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. And now behold the cry of my people. Israel has come to me and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. But Moses said to God who am I? That I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? But Moses said to God who am I? That I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. He said but I will be with you and this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.
Speaker 1:As we read this scripture, we see that Christ calls Moses to be a leader, not because of who Moses is, but because of his plan for his people. Exodus 3.7 says the Lord said who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their suffering. Our Lord sees the affliction and the oppression of his people and he calls men, not because the men are special, but because of his plan to rescue his people. And leaders for the church today are called for the same reasons. Jesus appoints leaders because of his plan for his people. Christ appoints leaders to bring the church out of the oppression of sin and the devil. Furthermore, god has a plan to bring his church into an eternal promised land. Jesus is coming back. Jesus is preparing his bride for his coming. Beloved Jesus is preparing the earth for his coming.
Speaker 1:Exodus 3.11 reads but Moses said to God Exodus 3.11 reads he is not qualified for this great task of leading God's people out of Egypt. But what a great lesson this is for us today. Godly leadership isn't based on our qualifications, it is based on the one who has qualified us. It is based on the one who is calling us. When Moses had heard about the task of freeing God's people from the Egyptians, he knew this was humanly impossible.
Speaker 1:Even though God is talking with Moses, moses is struggling with his rational thinking. He's saying there's no way, this is not going to happen. This is way above my pay grade and personally I can relate with Moses. I myself have struggled with thoughts and doubts of the daunting task that seems to lie before the church of God today. How could I possibly be qualified to be a leader for God's people Like Moses? I make up arguments with the Lord in my own mind about how I could ever do what he is asking.
Speaker 1:And as human beings we always tend to look at success through the eyes of probability, of probability. We feel that the more qualified we are or the more powerful we become, the more chance of success we're going to have for the task that is set before us. I mean, think about it If I had a horse and a plow, I could get a lot more done in the field than with the hoe. But if I had a great big John Deere tractor and a disc now, I could really get some things done right. But that is the very opposite of how God works in the scripture.
Speaker 1:In God's economy, god gets the glory. Because God makes the impossible possible, because God is all-powerful. He holds the power in his hands. The power is not in our hands. With Gideon, god took an army of 300 and destroyed thousands. With Joshua, god destroyed the city of Jericho with a shout. And with David, god destroyed the mighty giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. And one day God will destroy all of the wickedness and the wicked nations that stand against him. Isaiah 2.12 reads For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low.
Speaker 1:I think at this point it's useful for us to take a look at some of these arguments that Moses makes with God, because they can often be the same kind of arguments we make In Exodus, chapter 4, verse 1,. Moses said but behold, they will not believe me or they won't listen to my voice, For they'll say the Lord did not appear to you. So here we see that Moses starts arguing with God because there is no reason that the Israelites should believe him, there's no reason that they're going to think that he actually talked with God. And after Moses tells God this, god gives Moses three miraculous signs that he can perform to convince the people. But Moses isn't finished giving God reasons as to why this will not work and why he isn't qualified.
Speaker 1:In Exodus 4.10,. Moses says to the Lord oh my Lord, I'm not eloquent either in the past or since you've spoken to me, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. Moses' next argument with the Lord is that even if he can prove that God talked to him and sent him, he still can't speak very well. Now many people believe Moses had a speech impediment, kind of like stuttering. Personally, I think Moses was just slow to speak. As the text says, it took him time to put his thoughts together.
Speaker 1:Moses, like many of us, asks how could a man like me, without the ability to think quickly or communicate fluidly, lead an entire nation in the ways of God? But the Lord's reply to Moses is that I made your mouth and I will teach you what to say. God's reply to Moses here reminds Moses and really us today, that it has nothing to do with our personal charm, it has nothing to do with our wit, it has nothing to do with our quick thinking that makes us qualified to teach or lead God's people, but rather it is simply by speaking the words that God has given us. What a lesson God tells Moses. I will give you the words with which you are to teach them. I will give you the words to say what a great lesson. If we have been called to be teachers or preachers of God, we don't have to be eloquent, we don't have to be charismatic, we simply need to teach the word of God. But Moses here simply cannot grasp that this is going to work and he still insists that God must have the wrong man.
Speaker 1:Exodus 4.13,. Moses says Now, when Moses tells the Lord basically, I don't want to go, go find somebody else the Lord starts to get mad at Moses because it is the Lord's plan to send Moses. It says the Lord's anger kindled against Moses. Moses was being bullheaded and because Moses was being bullheaded, god appointed his brother Aaron to speak for him. I think overall, what we need to take away from this text is Moses recognized. He was not qualified for the job. And what a lesson this is for churches today.
Speaker 1:I want to look at Moses' credentials from an earthly perspective for one moment, because God's calling of Moses destroys almost every false religious value that we tend to place on spiritual leaders. If you'll entertain me for a moment, I'd like you to consider a scenario when a church looks for a pastor, they commonly put together a pastoral search committee. I want you to consider some of the questions often asked in modern pastoral search committees and ask yourself how would Moses do? Picture in your mind, if you will, an interview with an 80-year-old Moses holding a shepherd's staff. The interview begins the church.
Speaker 1:So, moses, what kind of experience do you have in being a spiritual leader for Israel? Moses, I can't say that I have any real experience as a priest or professional spiritual leader. God called to me and told me to come here. Church so, moses, you say that God spoke to you. Can you explain your experience with God, the God of heaven and earth? Moses, well, I saw this bush that wouldn't stop burning. Moses, well, I saw this bush that wouldn't stop burning and when I went over to it, god spoke out of it and said I am who I am.
Speaker 1:Church, so you say that God called you into his service. Would you say that you feel called to lead our congregation, moses? No, not really. Actually, I told God he should find somebody else, but he told me that he would be with me. Church, moses, what kind of theological training have you had, moses? Well, other than being taught by my mother when I was really young and being weaned, nothing. Most of my formal training was under the Egyptians. They taught me a lot about the earth, god, the fertility god, and the sun, god, the church. I see. Moses, is there anything in your past that might come up if we were to hire you as the leader of our flock, moses? Well, 40 years ago, there was this taskmaster and I murdered him here in Egypt, the church. Thank you for coming in, moses. We'll get back to you with our decision Now.
Speaker 1:Certainly, the circumstances surrounding God's calling of Moses were different from today, and my example is somewhat exaggerated. To bring out a point, our expectations of a pastor are often based on our preferences rather than God's qualifications and calling. I want you to seriously ask yourself a question how do you think God could call someone like Moses? He had no prior experience, a bad family life, an idolatrous education, a criminal background, and he had no charisma education, a criminal background, and he had no charisma. Furthermore, how do you think that guy became the greatest leader in all of Scripture?
Speaker 1:The reason for Moses' success is simple. God told Moses I will be with you. Exodus 3.12 reads he said but I will be with you and this shall be the sign for you that I've sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. Moses wasn't qualified because of who he was. In fact, there was very little about Moses that qualified him for leading God's people. Moses was qualified because Christ was with him. God used Moses not because Moses was great, but because Christ knew Moses would come to trust and obey him.
Speaker 1:Despite Moses' insecurities and his personal failings, moses becomes the greatest leader and teacher in all of Scripture, outside of Jesus Christ himself. We could rightly say that God used Moses to lay the foundation of the Old Testament and all of Scripture, as he was inspired by God to write the first five books of the Old Testament. Moses was taught by God to point to the coming Christ While he was not eloquent and while he had no formal training. Moses was able to teach because he trusted in the one who had all knowledge. Proverbs 2.6 reads For the Lord gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Moses recognized that it is in God that all knowledge resides. It is from God that we can receive wisdom and knowledge. One of the qualifications found in Scripture, for a leader is someone who is able to teach. It has nothing to do with the eloquence of the speaker. It has nothing to do with the education of the speaker. Rather, that the speaker receives their knowledge from the words of God, that they acknowledge and teach the truth that is found in God.
Speaker 1:Moses didn't walk into Pharaoh's court on his own power, bloviating his own opinions. Moses spoke the words God had given him to the Pharaoh because it was God who would set his people free. Exodus 9-1 reads the Lord said to Moses Go into the Pharaoh and say to him Thus says the Lord, the blood of the Lamb, that they are passed over and saved. It is Christ who destroys his enemies and the enemies of his people and he brings them into the promised land, brings them into the promised land. It is Christ who called Moses to be a leader, not because of who Moses was, but because of who Christ is. Now. May the God of all creation bless you and keep you through the blood of the Lamb and by the power of his word. In Jesus' name, amen.