moses wasn't quite as cool as i thought...

this morning, i've been reading in exodus and thinking about this idea:

God always seems to call us to things that we cannot do on our own strength.

we tend to idealize the life of moses...spoke to God face to face, led Israel out of egypt...etc. but, as i've been reading this morning, i've seen a bit of a different picture.

we see moses encounter God at the burning bush, and God calls moses to do something that he's never done before and is not able to do. God says, "Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." (3:10). Moses replies by saying, "Who am I that I should go..?" God doesn't say that Moses is anything special in his response. He simply says, "I will be with you..." (3:12)

so...after a long conversation with God where Moses brings up more and more excuses and worries about what God wants him to do, Moses finally agrees. On his way from the wilderness back to Egypt, God gets so angry with Moses that he "sought to put him to death" (Ex. 4:5). Moses doesn't seem like the perfect leader if God already wants to kill Moses and he hasn't even made it to his first task...

then, Moses gets to Egypt and talks with the elders of Israel. everything goes great! it couldn't have gone any better...Aaron and Moses speak, do some cool miracles, and "the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped" (4:31). things couldn't be any better. i'm sure Moses was so blown away by God's provision and the cool things that God allowed him to do. i'm sure he was filled with confidence as he went to talk with Pharaoh, expecting Pharaoh to agree and then the Israelites would be out of slavery and everything would be awesome...

but that's not what happens.

after things go so well, everything seems to completely fail. not only does Pharaoh not listen to Moses, he mocks him and steps up his oppression of the Israelites. the Israelites begin to complain, and they actually call down judgment from God upon Moses for putting them in this situation (5:21).

discouraged, Moses cries out to God, "O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all" (5:22-23).

i can see why Moses would have this reaction. everything was going so well! and then it all got so, so much worse.

several more incidents of failure occur - moses is obedient to God and no one listens...and then...as everyone knows...God demonstrates his glory through the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, and the children of Israel are freed from slavery to the Egyptians.
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i can relate to this story right now with things with the church. at the beginning of this past summer, we were obedient to God, and things went better than we could have ever imagined. we learned the gospel together and had all sorts of opportunities to demonstrate the love of God to our neighbors and friends. things were going so well! we felt the blessing of God as we were obedient to him.

more recently, however, i've felt like Moses coming to Pharaoh for the first time. i've tried to do what God has called me to do, but it has been met with more opposition than i could have anticipated. there's been more "failure" over the last couple months than i'd like to admit (it's not like God hasn't been moving - i've learned lots and there's been little signs of God's grace everywhere, but i've also been very frustrated with some stuff that i thought God was calling us to do).

like Moses, i've cried "Why did you ever send me?...you have not delivered your people at all."


why did God allow Moses to go through such stinging opposition, failure and discouragement? why not have the Israelites released the first time Moses goes to talk with Pharaoh? i think we all can see it in the story of Moses, because we know the ending. we know that if Pharaoh would have let the Israelites go the first time, there would have been no plagues, no parting of the Red Sea, no brilliant display of God's glory.

we can see that in this Bible story, but can we see that in our own story? it's hard, because we don't know the ending...or do we?

God wants to take our lives and transform them into a display case for his glory. he desires to demonstrate his glory in his people - in you and me, individually and corporately. without opposition, that would be impossible. without struggle, without a fight, without discouragement...well that just wouldn't make a very good story, would it?

so, i have two points:

first, have faith. look to the example of Moses. if you're in a season of opposition, you're not alone. God is doing something bigger than what you can imagine, and he wants to display his glory in your life, in your community. take hope, have faith.

second, this doesn't mean that all of us will experience this grand, awesome victory. we shouldn't hold out for that. instead, we should hold out for the glory of God in our lives. if that comes through suffering and "failure," but your heart is changed to become more like Jesus, then so be it. if it means that you lead hundreds of people to Christ and all of that crazy awesome stuff that we have dreams about happens, so be it. either way, let God be glorified. for that's the point. no matter what the outcome.