What if Moses said No to G-d?

“Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” Exodus 3:1-12

The story of Moses is one of intrigue, mystery, near death experiences, remarkable survival, and incredible feats. He cheats death by being sent down the Nile in a reed basket to be discovered by the daughter of Pharaoh. He is raised in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. While watching two men argue one day, (an Egyptian was beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen) he ends up killing the Egyptian. He escapes to a far away land, the land of Midian and becomes a shepherd. He marries and has children. He is living his life as a shepherd, when he encounters this strange sight – a burning bush in the desert, but the bush is not being consumed. From this bush comes the voice of G-d who tells Moses he is to go to Egypt and free his kinsmen. And Moses launches into his dialogue with G-d as to “Why” he is not the right person to go. He says to G-d “I am just an Israelite”; the people will not believe that their G-d has sent him; I do not know your name to tell the people who sent me; “I am not eloquent”. Moses now has one more excuse: excuse number five. Despite all the incredible promises God has given him, he now says, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Moses thought: “God, you have got the wrong man!”

What if Moses had convinced G-d that in fact he was the wrong guy? What if Moses returned to Midian and the people were not freed from Egypt? Surely, he thought, there must be other younger, more energetic, better qualified people who do not have the baggage he has, who could do the job. Moses may have felt he already had far too many responsibilities – family and job, etc. Who would take care of all his father-in-law’s sheep? He had 101 reasons why God should choose someone else rather than him. Do you ever feel like Moses? The Lord asks you to do something for Him and you look around looking for someone else more suitable who you might suggest instead.

What if Moses said “No”? Well, the people would have labored for more years under the weight of Egypt’s cruelty. G-d may have found someone else but they possibly would not have the same gifts, the same abilities, the same perseverance. And, they may not have had the tenacity to lead the people for forty years to the Promised Land. There isn’t a person born every day with the G-d given gifts of Moses – not even born every year – or even every millennia. G-d needs us when our time comes for goodness, and for greatness. Will we respond when G-d calls?

Pastor Dave