Well, I'm going to entitle this section that we're going to look at from Exodus 6:10-13, "The Recommission," or "The Lord Is Patient."
So the Lord said to Moses, "Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of this land." But Moses said to the LORD, "Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?" But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
Moses is a lot like us. He doesn't like to feel unprepared; he wants to know what's going to happen; he's trying to exercise his logic about how this is going to work out. And his logic sort of makes sense. Moses says, "Look, if my people, the people of Israel, don't listen to me, how in the world should I expect Pharaoh to listen to me, particularly because I'm not very good at this talking thing?" Now here's the scene. After all of God's demonstrations of power, after he had assured and reassured Moses that he would go with him, after he had demonstrated to Moses that he didn't have to rely on his own power, but on God's power, Moses is still doubtful, fearful, and reticent to go.
In this way, Moses is just like us. After all of God's assurances that we have his presence and his inexhaustible power and his generous promises, we still have these times when we are plagued with doubt and fear. We still wonder if he's there, if he's near, and we get confused about what in the world he's doing.
I went through a period of very severe sickness, six operations in two years. If you have an operation every four months, you just get weaker and weaker and weaker. And I can remember being confused because God had given me this wonderful gospel ministry platform but had rendered me weaker than I'd ever been in my life. So weak at moments I couldn't even get out of a chair. In those moments of doubt and fear, God is tender and patient and kind. The Bible makes it clear that he purposely calls the weak so that we are required to rely on him so that he gets the glory for what he does through us.
It's striking to me that although God is having this conversation repeatedly with Moses, he doesn't get angry. He doesn't threaten him. He doesn't turn his back on him. No, rather in this passage, in patient and condescending love, God spends time with Moses and Aaron, recommissioning them again, reassuring them that he is in charge. He knows what he's doing, and his plan will happen.
Our weakness is not in the way of God's plan. I want to say that again, "Our weakness is not in the way of God's plan." It's part of the plan because the results don't rest on our shoulders. We're but the vehicle that he uses to display his power and glory to fulfill his promises. The plan of God will never be stopped by my doubt and my fear. It will never be stopped because I don't know what's coming around the corner. It will never be stopped because I feel unprepared because the plan rests on the almighty shoulders of our Lord. I love how that here we are way back in Exodus, but we're dealing with things that all of us face every day. Moses is a man just like us, and God meets him just like he meets us with tender, patient, loving, understanding grace.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. Even though you are assured that you have God's presence, his inexhaustible power, and his generous promises, why do you think you are sometimes still plagued with doubt and fear in your heart? What circumstances make you wonder if God is still there, still near, and still in loving control of all things?
2. How have you specifically seen the tenderness, patience, and kindness of God in your moments of doubt and fear? In what ways did he meet you? What methods did he use to meet you? How did you specifically feel loved by God?
3. If dependence and trust in God is one of the most important goals of life for the follower of Christ, why is weakness such an advantage? How have you seen God use your weaknesses for the advantage of his good kingdom? In what ways has God reassured you that he knows what he's doing in your life and that his plans will come to fruition?
4. In the past, what has led you to believe that your weakness is in the way of God's plans? How could your specific weaknesses be a part of God's plan? Take a moment right now to pause and think of some ways that the Lord might use your weaknesses in his master plans.
For Younger Children:
1. What is weakness? What is strength? Can you give me an example of both weakness and strength that you've seen?
2. Why do you think it's so easy for us to think that weakness is always a bad thing? God says that his power is made perfect in our weakness...how do you think that's possible? What might be confusing about that to you and me?
For Older Children:
1. Whenever you see weakness or experience it yourself, how do you usually respond? Why do you think people usually hate weakness and want to hide it or get rid of it?
2. How, then, can weakness be a good thing in the eyes of God? God says that his power is made perfect in our weakness...how do you think that's possible?
3. Why do you think it's important to understand that God is the center of everything and not us? How can that relate to our weaknesses?
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