Exodus 3:11

Verse of the Day Devotion: Exodus 3:11  

“But Moses said to God, who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” – Exodus 3:11     

Moses was pasturing the sheep of Jethro, his father-in-law, when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush.  Because of this, Moses turned aside to see this incredible sight,  that a bush is on fire, but not burning up.  When the Lord saw that he had turned aside, He called out to him from the midst of the bush saying, “Moses, Moses.”  After hearing this, Moses answered “Here I am.”  The Lord then answers, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5.  God then goes on.  “He said also, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3:6.  When God revealed who He was, Moses hid his face, for He was afraid to look directly on Him.  It is probable that Moses did the same as Elijah did.  “When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:13.

The Lord then tells Moses His plan.  “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.  ” Exodus 3:8-9. 

The Lord then tells Moses He has a job for him to do.  “Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10.  However, notice his response in our focus verse.  “But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus 3:11.  This is a humble response, basically asking ‘Who am I to go to Pharaoh and then bring God’s people out of Egypt?  He know doubt believed  he, being simply a shepherd, could not go to Pharaoh, probably thinking he would not listen to him.  However, God told him he would not be doing this by himself.  “And He said, Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” Exodus 3:12

How many times have you been called by God to do something and you were apprehensive to move forward and fulfill the calling?  Maybe you felt you did not have the education needed to do what He had asked of you, or maybe you do not have the oratory skills to make it happen.  Or maybe, just maybe, you do not feel you are worthy to do what is being asked of you.  We must understand that if God calls us to do something, then He knows we can do it.  As God told Moses, ‘certainly I will be with you’, I am sure He will be with us as He was with Moses.  God knows what we can accomplish, and He will not give us more than we can handle.  We must trust completely in God that whatever He calls us to do, we can certainly fulfill.  And, if God says we are worthy, than we are more than worthy.  Humility is a good thing, but we must not let it stop us from doing what He calls, but to do what He calls in a humble manner.

We must be open to whatever calling He has for us, for He has prepared us for this purpose.  And we also  know that He will be with us, guiding us to do it as He desires, and helping us during difficult times.  Just as He did for Moses.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Exodus 34:6

Verse of the Day Devotion: Exodus 34:6 

“The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,” – Exodus 34:6   

This verse describes events that occurred after Moses threw the first set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments down upon the rebellious Children of Israel.  Remember that when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai he was so angry that he threw the tablets down onto them.  Well, this chapter describes how the second set of tablets were given.

Here is the verses recording this event.  “The LORD said to Moses, “Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” Exodus 34:1-3.  Moses here is given till the next morning to cut new tablets upon which God would put the Ten Commandments upon.  He then tells Moses to come to the mountain himself, not to bring anyone with him.

“So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.”  Exodus 34:4-5.  Therefore, Moses does what he is commanded and cuts two new tablets to replace the ones destroyed previously.  The next morning he awakens, takes the two new tablets, and presents them to God.  The next thing we read is that the Lord descended from Heaven in a cloud and, I love the way this is put, and stood with him there.  Now the Lord declares in our focus verse, “The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, Exodus 34:6.  And then continuing in verse 7, “keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:7. 

When He announced Himself to Moses the first time at the burning bush, he declared Himself as ‘self-existent’.  “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14.  This time He makes Himself known in the glory of His grace and goodness, using language that would be presented in the future to the church.  And because of what the Jews had done previously during the presentation of the first set of tablets, this shows His grace and mercy in presenting, once again, His law to His people, but also the grace and mercy He has in overlooking their sin.  And not just the sin of Israel, but all who has offended God in their ways.

This is the God we serve, one that has overlooked our sins once we cried out to Him for forgiveness, and then gave ourselves to Him to His service.  He loved us so much that He forgave us of everything and has declared us guiltless before Himself.  His abounding love and mercy goes far beyond anything we can ever imagine, and our future is with Him, in His kingdom forever.  What an amazing God we serve.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.