I always find the story of Moses most encouraging. Despite his mistakes, despite his age, despite his doubts and fears, God used him powerfully. God saved his life and turned an arrogant and then fearful man into his vessel, submitted to him – a humble man, more humble than anyone else (Numbers 12: 3) and through him led a whole nation out of captivity into a new land, as God had promised.
Moses was born into a time of infanticide and survived. He not only survived but thrived in the court of Pharaoh and according to Stephen, 'was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action' (Acts 7: 22). He was also raised knowing he was a Hebrew, and he had a destiny, to rescue his people from slavery. Like many before and since, he tried to make his destiny come to fruition in his way and time – and it didn’t work. Instead, he had to flee into the desert to Midian for 40 years.
I sometimes ponder what Moses thought about his destiny during those 40 years. I am sure he thought it was all over, settled down in his new life with Zipporah and probably put his time in Egypt down to experience. I mean he hardly needed the wisdom of the Egyptians to be a shepherd. But again, it is surprising how many of God’s leaders were shepherds. Maybe we should send today’s ministers-in-training for a module on shepherding!
And then after 40 years, God met Moses at the burning bush and commissioned him now ‘to go to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt’ (Exodus 3: 10). By this time, at the age of 80, Moses was not keen to go back to Egypt and Pharaoh. All his pride, all his trust in his own ability had vanished and now he had to learn to trust God. Five times he argued with God about his calling and in the end, the only concession he negotiated was for Aaron to go with him and speak on his behalf. This was his calling and not even his brother could fulfil it. The man ‘powerful in speech and action’ had disappeared and the humble man powerful in God’s word and action was beginning to take shape.
Through the obedience of performing the 10 plagues, Moses learned that the only way to become the man God wanted him to be was to trust God and do things his way
Miracle upon miracle followed; the Israelites plundered Egypt of quantities of gold, silver and jewels (enough to build the furnishings of the tabernacle), the angel of death passed over their homes with the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, a million people with all their animals left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea and the powerful Egyptian army was annihilated. But they were free at least from the land of slavery, even if the slavery mentality was never fully delivered.
For 40 years, Moses led these tiresome, doubting, idol-worshipping, grumbling and complaining people to the edge of the Promised Land. His destiny was fulfilled even if he never actually entered the land himself. Moses had to deal with his brother leading the people into idolatry, his brother and sister leading a rebellion, various other tragic rebellions but he also met with God in powerful, divine visitations.
Moses’s story is one of encouragement. No matter how old we are, God has not finished with us till we take our final breath. If you are feeling God has forgotten you, your destiny is lying in tatters it is time to pick it up, dust it off and apply faith-filled prayers and see what God will do because ‘Nothing is impossible with God’ (Luke 2: 37).
