Then he said, “(6) Moreover He said, “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 upon God. (7) And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their [a]sorrows. (8) So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. (9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. (10) Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

As I sit here preparing a new series from this Book of Exodus, I am reminded that God not only calls us to himself; to salvation, but to kingdom service.

The book of Exodus begins with the descendants of Abraham oppressed and enslaved. And yet they were never forgotten by God. God never abandoned them. Instead, as they cried out to Him, their words fell on attentive ears. God acted on their behalf. God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 2:23-25). He raised up a redeemer figure. His name was Moses.

Moses, in a very real sense was a miracle baby. When the king had ordered all male Hebrew babies to be destroyed, his parents chose to protect him. When they couldn’t hide him any longer, they trusted their God and placed him in a basket amongst the reeds by the riverbank. There…God made sure he would be found. Who found him? The Pharaoh’s daughter. And although he was raised as an Egyptian, he did not lose his compassion towards his fellow Hebrews. We see that in Exodus 2. Moses was outraged when an Egyptian abused his fellow Israelite. Now, fast forward to Exodus chapter 3. There, God call this man to lead his people out of oppression and slavery. Just as we are called to minister to a world that is also oppressed and enslaved.

In Exodus chapter 3, God revealed himself to Moses. It’s the story of the burning bush and you probably know it well. But God spoke to Moses and he called him to service. He told him he would need to go before the king. Of course Moses objected. In chapter 3 and 4 we have a list of his excuses. But still God called him to obedience; to serve. Remember, Moses had to flee from Egypt because he killed an Egyptian. So there had to be some anxiety surrounding the call to go back; to meet with the Hebrew elders and the new king (for the old one had died). There had to be some feeling of inadequacy when God told him he would lead the people out of oppression and slavery. Like no pressure…right?

Let me encourage you to reread Exodus chapters 1-15. And as you read them, I want you to keep in mind the truth that we are not only called to God, but to service; regardless of age. Now, like Moses, we tend to make excuses. We say things like, “I’m not courageous enough. I’m not qualified, I’m not eloquent”. But here’s the truth: as God calls, he equips and you’ll see that in these chapters as well. God gave Moses certain abilities; certain power. He gave him wisdom. Moses not only obeyed, he learned to trust God as God moved him towards uncertain territory. The details of Exodus chapters 1-15 tell us much about God and his redemption. However, they also reveal much about our human nature. You see, I believe if we go back through this account, that is the Exodus, we are going to find God waiting for us there. He is going to speak to our hearts. He will not only call us to himself, but to kingdom service. And along the way, we may just become increasingly aware of how many excuses we tend to make in order to avoid service.

Was Moses obedient to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? You bet he was and it took great courage! But what an incredible journey we have recorded for us in the book of Exodus. I hope you will make it a priority to work through these chapters once again and allow God speak to you today.

May God bless you!
Pastor Mike