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There are times in the christian
life when, without us being
conscious of it, the Holy Spirit
prompts the individual to do
something or go somewhere. It may
be afterward the individual may
learn the reason why. This is what
Moses experienced. I suspect he was
looking for fresh pasture for the
sheep when the Spirit brought Moses
to the backside of the desert, for
God wanted Moses to have time alone
with Him. He still does that with
individuals today. This was not the
only time when Moses would spend
time alone with God. For instance,
when Moses went up to the mount for
40 days and nights he was alone with
God (Ex. 24:18; 34:28). |
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I am sure there were times during
the long exile when Moses had
possibly given up all hope of doing
anything for God. His life for the
40 years had very possibly been
somewhat sorrowful. For him it may
have seemed like a wasted life with
apparently nothing of God’s purposes
for him being achieved. Not that
the entire 40 years were sorrowful,
for he had married a
woman who had two sons. There would
have been moments of joy, but there
would have remained in his memory
that dreadful action of killing the
Egyptian and being far away
from his people. |
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a) |
Now being 80 years of age, it seemed
he was to live out his days a
Bedouin shepherd, working night and
day and a failure in the purpose of
God for delivering Israel? Could
a man slow of speech, void of
influence be used by God? For many
years he was a forgotten shepherd in
the desert (Ex. 3:1). Could he be
used by God? In considering David
and Elijah, I realize the best of
individuals can have negative
thoughts and get depressed (1 Kgs.
19:4; Psa. 42:5,
43:5).
Many a saint has felt as Moses would
have felt. In past days there were
high hopes of doing a work for God
but something was done and it seems
God has put them on the shelf, just
living out their days. |
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b) |
God encouraged his aging servant by
informing him that he would be used
by God to triumphantly lead the
children of Israel from Egypt (Ex.
5:1, 7:16, 8:1, 9:1). |
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c) |
Moses would not have understood he
was in the school of God where he
had to learn to lose sight of
himself and be fixed on the
unchanging glory of the omnipotent
God. God had to educate his servant
to the greatness of the God of His
father, and Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. He had to learn by depending
on God he could have a holy
boldness, and not in fleshly bravado
go to Pharaoh. The audience with
the great king and his court must be
met with boldness but not with an “I
can do this” attitude. |
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Moses in the School of God |
I suggest his actual practical
schooling began when he learnt that
deliverance of Israel would not be
by the brilliance of a man
strategizing
(Ex. 2:11-12).
Moses had
to learn that every individual who
is going to do a work for God will
have time spent alone with God,
learn their own futileness to
spiritually assist in the spiritual
development of the saints, or the
salvation of sinners.
I never read of Moses having
any expectation of God appearing to
him, or God making Himself real to
him prior to the burning bush.
This
illustrates that which John wrote:
“The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh,
and whither it goeth” (Jn. 3:8). We
do not know when the gracious Spirit
of God will, in a moment, give an
enlightenment to a spiritual truth
or conviction of sin. The Spirit of
God came in a thunder and lightning
storm to Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:4. He
came to Saul on the road to Damascus
(Acts 9:3-6). He can become
personal to an individual making
them aware of eternity etc. in a
meeting, by the singing of a hymn,
the reading of a tract, by
statement. God got Moses’ attention
by a bush on fire, nothing special,
until it did not burn up. |
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a) |
It is very serious to hear the voice
of God, for that conviction is not a
normal conscience process. God can
speak by the sudden or expected
death of a loved one, a serious
illness or job loss, a feeling that
something is wrong that one cannot
discern, a hymn being sung, a melody
from the past, a sunset, the stars
at night. God can use anything to
make one aware of Himself. How was
God going to get Moses’ attention in
a desert? This was the first
necessity. |
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Moses at the Burning Bush is a Major
Happening |
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Possibly Moses had seen many bushes
burn in the desert but this was
different. God got Moses’ attention
by a bush that did not burn up (Ex.
3:2-3). |
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This was something special and
deciding to investigate, he decided
to approach the bush. Then he heard
the voice of God. God will not
permit anyone to study or
consider Him out of mere
curiosity. Nor does He appreciate
casualness for the Angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a flame of fire
which indicated the holiness of God,
therefore the removal of everything
contrary to His person and
character. |
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a) |
This was Moses’ first recorded
encounter with God. It is of note
that the children of Israel heard
the voice of God out of the midst of
the fire at Sinai (Deut. 4:33; 5:24,
26). On the occasion of Moses and
the children of Israel’s first
encounter with God was of fire, and
on both occasions, distance was to
be observed between them (Ex. 3:5;
20:18).
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The Lord and God do not always
reveal themselves in the same way. |
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a) |
God revealed Himself to: |
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i) |
Isaiah after the death of King Uzzah
(Isa. 6:1) |
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ii) |
The disciples when they were
together in a boat in a storm (Matt.
14:24-26) |
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iii) |
John and revealed things to come
when he was on the island of Patmos
(Rev. 1:9) |
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iv) |
Gideon when thrashing wheat (Jud.
6:11) |
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b) |
There are times when the Lord
reveals Himself but there is a
failure to recognize Him. For
instance: |
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i) |
Mary at the tomb (Jn. 20:14-16) |
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ii) |
The two on the road to Emmaus (Lk.
24:17-27) |
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. . . .Rowan Jennings |
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