How to Respond to the Call of God

By David Denyer

Exodus 3,4
Among the things we find in scriptures are encounters that individuals had with the Almighty and their responses to those frightening and, at times, awe-inspiring experiences. God called many people. He called Abraham, He called Isaiah, and He called Paul, among others. In this message, I'd like to focus on the call of Moses.

Moses was reared in the royal palace of Egypt, having been the adopted grandson of the Pharaoh. He had been wealthy, influential and powerful. But one day, he took matters into his own hand. When he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, he killed the Egyptian. To survive, he had to flee across the desert to Midian. And it was there that he found a job, as well as a wife. He began to tend sheep.

To vacate the court of Egypt for the desert of Midian was a great comedown. And to be reduced from a statesman to the role of a shepherd was also humiliating. Yet, I think that was a part of what Moses had to go through if he was to be God's man and to do what God wanted.

The call. We're not told what happened during his forty years in Midian. I suspect that there is not much that could be said about the life of a shepherd. Then, in Exodus 3, something important happened to him. While watching the flock, he saw a bush that was burning but was not burnt up. As he approached the bush to see why, God called him from within it.

The Lord said in verse 6, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," and then beginning in verse 7, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey."

As far as we know, it has been at least 400 years since God last spoke to an Israelite. He now reminds Moses that He is faithful. Aware of all that has been happening to His people, He is commissioning this eighty-year-old sheep herder to do something about it. In other words, God has a plan and Moses is to be part of it. That is an important truth for you and me to understand. God has a program to save His people, and He wants you and me to be part of that program.

As this account proceeds, we see from Moses' responses that he has five problems with God's plan:

1. He doesn't know who he is.

He begins by asking, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (3:11). He does not understand who he himself is.

I think if the Lord had called Moses 40 years earlier to deliver the people, Moses would have readily volunteered. He would have said, "Consider it done, Lord!" But now, after those years of herding sheep, he is more mature and realistic. He realizes that on his own, he is nobody. He needs God to tell him who he isa child of God, called and chosen to perform a task.

So, God gives him the assurance he needs, saying in verse 12, "Certainly I will be with thee." God promises that He would help him to do this job.

Maybe you are like me in matters like this. I tend to list my assets in one column and say to myself, "These are things I can do quite well"; and list my liabilities in another column and say, "I am not going to venture at all in this area." But I have found more often than not that it is in the areas of my weakness that God calls me to serve. You see, after I've floundered and failed on my own, I cry out to God for help and discover what Paul meant when he wrote, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).

2. He doesn't know who God is.

Moses' second problem is reflected in what he says in verse 13, "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?"
He does not know who God is. And God's solution is to reveal Himself to Moses. He says in verse 14, "I AM THAT I AM," and He told Moses to tell the Israelites, "I AM hath sent me unto you."

In essence, God is saying, "What is it that you need, I will be that for you. If you are afraid, then I'll be your courage. If you are weak, then I'll be your strength. If you are perplexed, then I'll be your wisdom. If you are lonely, then I'll be your friend. If you feel guilty, then I am the source of forgiveness."

You see, the Lord God of Israel is all that we need for every situation.

All contingencies. From verse 16 on, God works out a solution to every potential problem that Moses may face. He is effectively saying, as long as you trust Me, you will not fail. In fact, not only will you be delivered from the Egyptians, but you will plunder them. You will come out a wealthy nation.

You see, when I AM is in charge, victory is certain. Thus, the apostle Paul many years later could say, "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37) and "God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).

What is it that you are facing? What demand is being placed upon you? What pressure are you feeling? God wants us to realize that whatever the problem, He is sufficient to meet the need so that we can accomplish what He wants done.

3. He doesn't trust the word of God.

Moses then asks in verse 1 of Chapter 4 , "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee." I find that very interesting because just in the pervious chapter, God has told Moses in verse 18, "they shall hearken to thy voice."

Like him, there are times in our lives when we are all tempted to disbelieve, to not exhibit the faith that God asks us to have. Most of us would agree that God's words are true, they can be trusted; but aren't there times when our behavior speaks louder than what we claim? May the Lord help us overcome any such doubts and keep in mind always that the word of God is indeed trustworthy.

In verses 2 to 9, God uses three things to remind Moses of this truth: Moses' rod becomes a serpent; his hand becomes leprous; and the water becomes blood. In each of those cases, that which is difficult for Moses to believe is simple for God to do. And those miracles convinced Moses that God will work it all out and that the Israelites will follow his leadership.

Today we are to walk by faith, not by sight. We don't need to see miracles to have faith in God. But the principle is the same: The Lord builds faith in us by giving us something to believe that can be believed. Now, it is the complete written word of the Almighty God.

What is impossible with men is possible with God, so that unbelief in and of itself is not a problem to God. If we are open and responsive to truth, He builds our faith a step at a time. If God has brought you to the backside of the desert and you're reduced, as it were, to one of these situations like Moses, you can believe that He will work wonders in His name.

4. He doesn't have confidence.

In verse 10, Moses said to the Lord, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue."

Moses is claiming that he was not able to speak. I think he is saying, "Yes, Lord, I now know that You are what You claim to be, but I am the same old Moses. I have a hard time speaking in public." But notice the Lord's response in the next two verses: "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say."

In other words, that inadequacy of yours is something that I created. I made you the way you are. I knew it from the beginning and I never thought of disqualifying you on that basis. You just go ahead and do what I tell you to do, and I'll teach you what to say.

There are areas in all of our lives that we wish we were different, aren't there? There are improvements that all of us would like to make. But there is a pattern that runs all the way through scripture and that pattern is: Out of weakness we can become strong, the least can become great, the meek shall become the mighty, that the last can become first. We may wish things were different, but whomever God calls, He enables. Our weaknesses and inadequacies are no problem to God, if we willingly surrender them and ourselves to Him. In fact, they may become a source of power as we yield ourselves to Him just as we are.

5. He was unavailable.

Moses' biggest problem is found in verse 13, where he says, "O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send." He wants God to send someone else. It was a problem of unavailability. Notice God's response in verse 14: "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses."

Notice that up to that point in the interchange, the Lord has never been depicted as angry. But now He is. God doesn't mind Moses not knowing who he himself is. God doesn't mind Moses not knowing who God is. God doesn't even mind Moses doubting His word. And He doesn't mind Moses feeling inadequate. But when Moses is unwilling to go, His anger is kindled against Moses.

Therefore, when God calls us to serve Him, when God wants us to play a part in His program of building the church, if we respond as Moses does here by saying that we are not available, then God's anger is likely to burn against us. In most instances, He will just call someone else to do what He has asked us to do.

Thankfully, Moses did not persist in his doubts nor in his unavailability, and God helped the situation by commissioning Moses' brother Aaron to go with him. Thus, Moses answered his call willingly and became one of the most important men in scripture. The closing verses of Deuteronomy say that no prophet has arisen in Israel like him since. And Stephen, in his defense of the faith, describes Moses as one who was powerful in speech and action. In fact, Moses is referred to more often in the New Testament than any other Old Testament person.

When the Lord wants a man of God to serve Him, you see, He issues a call and conveys a message. If you are called, you need not have any doubt about your ability to answer his call. He knows what you can and what you cannot do; He knows where you are weak and need to be strengthened. Remember, if the work of God is to get done, it does not rely on greater dedication nor more religious activities, both of which only lead to frustration. All we need to have is a quiet and restful willingness. Availability is the basis of our spiritual power and effectiveness in ministry. o

Dr. David A. Denyer is the Old Testament professor at the Alliance Theological Seminary, 350 N. Highland Ave., Nyack, NY 10960.

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