Where He Leads I Will Follow: But First I Have a Few Questions

 

Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them.  Exodus 7:6

  Moses had a big job, and it took God 80 years to prepare him for it, but when he was presented with the opportunity, Moses still felt inadequate. He argued with God, listing out all the reasons that he wasn’t suited for the task, wasn’t the right man for the job. It’s not explicitly laid out here, but it seems that Moses was scared. Scared of the task he was being presented with. Scared of going back to Egypt. Scared of what his people would think of him. Scared.

 It’s interesting that in back-to-back weeks we are presented with men that responded so differently to the call of God on their lives. Or did they? Abraham heard God’s call and moved out. He had God tell him to sacrifice his son, and he got up the very next morning and obeyed. As I reflect on the story, though, there are a few times where Abraham looks for clarification. In Genesis 15, the first recorded conversation between Abraham and God, God promises Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars and that they will possess the land he is currently living on as a nomad. Abraham asks how this will be, since he is childless, and God answers him with the reassurance that he will, indeed, have a child of his own. The Bible says at this point that Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness. But right away, when God tells Abraham that his descendants will possess the land, Abraham asks, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” So, he can believe God about miraculous descendants, but not about them possessing the land? God is patient with him, though, and gives him a sign in the form of an ancient covenant sealing ceremony with lots of… cut up animals. Kinda strange to my modern sensibilities, but I guess it was what Abraham needed. I do wonder, though, if the time of slavery that his progeny would have to endure had anything to do with his questioning?

 With Moses, these questions came rapid-fire. He was trying to talk God out of his calling, convince Him that anyone else was better suited to the task. What I love about this passage is that Moses is the one writing it. He was the author of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. He didn’t shy away or try to hide his weaknesses and lack of belief. He allowed us to see into his insecurities so that we could identify with him and learn from them. Yes, Moses had misgivings, doubts, insecurities, and more, but what ended up happening? Moses obeyed God. Was he scared? For sure! Did he feel inadequate? Definitely! But this is likely exactly where God needed him to be in order to work through Him. If Moses thought that he was capable and qualified for the role, he probably wouldn’t have leaned on God and stayed connected to Him through the whole story as he did. The Bible tells us that Moses talked to God as one speaks to a friend (Exodus 33:11). He was connected to God. He sought God out and desired His guidance and opinions. Moses had a healthy awe and respect of God, a fear of God as the Bible calls it, but that didn’t prevent him from advocating for his people.

Here’s the Thing: Both of these patriarchs of the faith obeyed God, but they did it in their own ways and timing. Both of them had questions, but they didn’t stop them from doing what they were told. I think God gives us grace to voice our concerns to Him, but ultimately, He expects us to obey Him, even if things aren’t all laid out as clearly as we’d like.