Moses Accepts God's Call (MP 39)

God’s call for Moses His people to free,
Was not accepted by him right away;
“What if the Hebrews won’t listen to me?
My speech is slow; I don’t know what to say!
Please send someone else, this hard task to do,”
He objected. God countered ev’ry one,
Till in anger, “Aaron will speak for you;
I will give you words till the job is done!
Your brother speaks well, and is on his way;
He will be your mouth, and you God to him;
Your staff will miraculous signs display;
A successful team you will make with them!”
So Moses heeded the summons of God,
And with wife and sons back to Egypt trod!

Scripture Quoted: Exodus 4:10-12 (NIV)
“Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ “

Commentary on Exodus 4:1-17 (NIV)
Men have always underestimated the miraculous power of God, which is understandable, since men’s limitations are constantly with them. In Genesis 18:14 God said to Abraham, “Is anything impossible for the Lord?” Here in Exodus 4 Moses doubts his own ability to free Israel from the powerful grip of Pharaoh without comprehending that He who made the universe is calling him to the task and will certainly be able to provide whatever is necessary to succeed in the task. You must realize that the Hebrews had very little knowledge of God. There was no Bible, no prophets, no priests, no churches or synagogues. They hadn’t known His name until He told Moses He was I AM. It was somewhat miraculous that Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph had obeyed Him as well as they had during their lifetimes. Moses was now to change all that, however; when he finished his work, Israel had the Pentateuch, weitten by Moses, the first five written books of the Bible and knew a great deal about their Creator.

God gave Moses three miraculous signs in this first encounter—turning his staff into a snake and back again to a staff by throwing it down and picking it up by its tail; making his hand turn white with leprosy and back to normal; and turning water from the Nile into blood by pouring it on dry ground. These signs were to be used to convince the Israelites that Moses was really called by God so that they would follow him. Moses was to use these and many more miracles in his leadership of Israel out of Egypt, through the forty years in the desert, and bringing them to the Jordan River which was the border of Canaan. Aaron, his brother who was still in Egypt, was to join Moses in the task. He was reluctant to begin the work God gave him, but Moses did accept the responsibility and was faithful in its fulfillment until he died.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)