Week Four: Deliverance (a.k.a. “The Reluctant Swashbuckler”)

 In all the stories in the Bible, there is no more daring and adventurous a hero as Moses!  No one can forget the classic portrayal by Charlton Heston in the movie that reruns every year on tv around this time… “The Ten Commandments.”  He has most recently been played on the screen by Christian Bale, best known as Batman in the Dark Knight series.  I have to admit to being a little giddy when his casting was announced.  I imagined him uttering Heston’s famous line in his signature “Batman” voice… “Let my people go.”  Alas, I was disappointed.  But I digress…

As we come to chapter four of “The Story” and move into the opening chapters of Exodus we immediately realize that the situation we left at the end of Genesis has changed quite a bit.  Its one of those “we’re not in Kansas, anymore, Toto” moments as the Scriptures reveal to us that a new Pharaoh has arisen in Egypt- one who careth not about Joseph… or his descendants.  In fact for most of the 400 years they have lived in Egypt since the time of Jacob, Joseph and his brothers, they have been slaves… forced to work tirelessly for their relentless Egyptian masters. 

Never fear!  God has heard their cries of despair and has been preparing a young man to deliver them from their oppression.  As always with God, it all happens in His timing, however.  Moses is born during a particularly harsh time for Hebrew boys.  The Pharaoh, fearful that the Hebrews will outnumber and eventually overpower those in control, has ordered the infanticide of infant boys.  Moses’ mother saves him only by giving him up.  Left in the Nile River, Moses is found and subsequently adopted into the home of the Pharaoh’s daughter.  He grows up in the household of Pharaoh, no doubt being exposed to all of the finer things in life.  The best education.  The finest foods.  The fastest camels.  His life is destined for luxury at least.  Yet it takes a turn when he –in a fit of anger- picks a fight with an Egyptian slave-master who is mercilessly beating a Hebrew slave.  The man ends up dead and Moses hides the body to avoid suspicion.  Obviously, Moses is aware of his identity as a Hebrew by this time and has in mind that he is going to free them.  (cf. Acts 7:25)  This does not happen.  Instead Moses is driven from Egypt into Midian where he will spend the next 40 years tending sheep for a man who becomes his father-in-law.  I love his name: Jethro.    

God’s plan springs into action when He appears to Moses from within a burning bush… and some would say the rest is history.  What strikes me is the reluctance with which God’s call on Moses’ life is met.  When God calls Moses, in contrast to Abram’s reaction back in chapter two of “The Story”, Moses refuses.  “You’ve got the wrong guy,” he says to God.  In fact, he goes on and argues with God!  He gives God every excuse in the book as to why he should NOT be the one to go down and face the new Pharaoh demanding the release of his people.  He gives a pretty convincing argument, too.  I wouldn’t hire the guy.  But God never picks the wrong guy… and when you’ve been picked by God you better believe that God is going to get his way!  We haven’t read the story of Jonah yet, but he should’ve read about Moses before he did what he did!  That’s what I think anyway. 

Why do you suppose Moses struggled with the call of God on his life?  Why didn’t he want to go?  Do you think he was afraid?  Was he tired? (he was 80 afterall!)  What about you?  What has God asked you to do?  Have you accepted or are you still arguing back-and-forth with Him?  Why or why not?