The Faith of Moses FaltersVolume 2, Number 3
Created Date: February 3, 2005
Posted Date: February 3, 2005
Vol 2 - No 3, February 3, 2005
Moses' faith falters:
After fleeing Egypt and arriving in Median Moses met seven (7) daughters of the priest of Median who were attempting to water their father's flocks at a well but were being harassed by rival Shepard's. Moses assisted the girls and they introduced him to their father who is referred to by three (3) names: Reuel (); Jethro ( ); and Raguel ( .) According to Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionaries, Raguel means "friend of God" in Hebrew. According to the George Williams Student Commentary, this priest of Midian was a descendant of Abraham by Keturah and a worshipper of the true God and no doubt like Job, was a king and priest to his tribe.
Not much is recorded about the 40 years Moses spent in the desert of Arabia. He married Zipporah, one of Jethro's daughters, they had two (2) sons and he worked as a Shepard for Jethro. -, . "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb." - Exodus 3:1. (In Hebrew, Horeb is a generic name for the Sinaitic Mountains and Mount Sinai is where God would later give the 10 Commandments and law.) During the 40 years Moses spent in Median the Egyptian king who had ordered him killed had died but the Children of Israel continued to suffer greatly under the oppression of the Egyptians. Now, God heard their cries for delivery and remembering His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob He spoke to Moses from a bush that was burning but not consumed by the fire. "Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God" who told Moses He had come to deliver His people from Egypt and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey, the land of Canaan, which was then inhabited by other nations or tribes of people. God told Moses He was sending him to Pharaoh to bring His people out of Egypt - Exodus 2:23 - 3:10.
Eighty years old and having spent the last 40 years working for his father in law as a Shepard in the desert Moses had become mellowed out and humbled. Whereas 40 years prior, full of self assurance gained by his education, training and life in Pharaohs household, he had been mighty in both word and deed,, and had boldly killed an Egyptian who was mistreating his Hebrew kinsman, & 12, he was now emptied of self and ready to be used for God's work. Having thus been emptied of self assurance he asked God "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" God assured him: "And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." But Moses faltered: "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.- .
(God would teach the Children of Israel that anything they needed could and would be supplied by "I AM," God's title for them. "I AM" salvation, "I AM" deliverance, "I AM" life: God was the great "I AM" to Israel. They did understand this title when Jesus was on earth and He identified Himself as the great "I AM," that is, their God and Messiah. "Jesus said unto them, (the Jews) Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.". The Jews at that time knew when Jesus said "I am" that He meant He was their God and Messiah. They did not believe this but believed He was blaspheming God so attempted to kill Him for claiming He was "I am.")
God told Moses exactly what He wanted him to do. He was to go to the Elders of the Children of Israel and tell them he had been sent by the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to deliver them out of Egypt to the promised land. God said the Elders would listen to him and accompany him to tell Pharaoh they wanted to take all of Israel three days out into the desert to worship God. God said He was sure Pharaoh would not agree to this so He would have to wound and kill Egyptians until they would actually send the Israelites away from Egypt with many riches -. In short, God told Moses exactly what He was going to do, how Pharaoh would react and what would ultimately happen. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. All Moses had to do was believe and move forward by faith in God's Word. However, Moses' faith faltered and he questioned God.
Moses claimed the Israelites would not believe him. In response God gave Moses three signs or miracles he could show the Elders of Israel to convince them God had sent him. First, he could throw his staff down and it would become a serpent but when he picked it up by the tail it would change back into a staff. Then, he could put his hand under his shirt and when he pulled it out it would be diseased with leprosy but when he put it back in his shirt and pulled it out again it would be healed. And if that was not enough he was to take water from the river and pour it on the dry land where it would turn to blood. -. The Jews require a sign (that is, a miracle, a token, a wonder,) , and these signs were given to assure Moses that he could assure the Elders of Israel that he had indeed been sent by their God. God knew beforehand that the Egyptians would imitate these particular miracles by illusion and ultimately the Pharaoh would only let Israel go after their firstborn children were killed, but He never the less gave the three signs to Moses to assure him and the Elders of Israel.
Moses' faith continued break down. The man who had been mighty in word and deed now told God he was not eloquent and was slow of speech. With patience, God assured him that He was the one who made speech and sight and that He would surely teach Moses what to say -. What more could anyone ask? The Creator and God of heaven and earth told Moses exactly what was going to happen and how He was going to take care of everything and Moses could lean and depend on Him for everything. But this was not enough for Moses, he wanted his older brother Aaron to help him. God's anger was kindled against Moses but He never the less gave in to Moses' request and appointed Aaron to be Moses' spokesman. God even promised that He would tell Moses and Aaron what they were to say - . Without faith it is impossible to please God, , and in asking for Aaron's help when God said He would take care of everything, Moses showed lack of faith. And unknown to Moses at the time Aaron would later turn out to cause quite a problem for him.
At least two lessons can be learned from this part of Moses' experience: first, that God does not normally use those educated and with the most ability, humanly speaking, to carry out His will: "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." - I Corinthians 1:25 - 29. This is not to say that Moses' education, training and experience in Pharaoh's household would not be valuable to him in leading Israel, but he had to learn to depend on God and not on his own ability to carry out God's work.
The second lesson learned is that we should act by faith in His Word in spite of any doubts we have in our own abilities. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" -. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." - Hebrews 11:6.