I've been thinking a lot about Moses lately. His story is really a great one. Born during a time when he should have been killed-just for being born!-he had a mom who let the Holy Spirit lead her to risk everything in order to save his life. She hid him for 3 months then sent him in a basket adrift on the Nile.
God really did have BIG plans for this boy.
Not only was he found, he was found by none other than Pharaoh's daughter! AND, (I love this part!) she offers to pay Moses' own mother to care for him as a young child!
God really did have BIG plans for this boy.
Not only was he found, he was found by none other than Pharaoh's daughter! AND, (I love this part!) she offers to pay Moses' own mother to care for him as a young child!
When he gets a bit older he is sent back to the Pharaoh's daughter and grows up as an Egyptian. Oh, wait, not just any Egyptian but royalty.
So, this little boy was born and should have died. Not only is his life spared but his mother gets to watch him grow then he is given the honor of being treated as royalty-God's big picture is much more grand than we ever imagine.
So, this little boy was born and should have died. Not only is his life spared but his mother gets to watch him grow then he is given the honor of being treated as royalty-God's big picture is much more grand than we ever imagine.
One day, God speaks to Moses and his life is never the same....sound familiar to anyone else?
God allows Moses the privilege of fighting on behalf of an oppressed people. And, not only fighting for their freedom but, fighting for their freedom so that they can enter into relationship with the one true God (yep, missionary).
Sounds kinda great doesn't it? Fighting for justice. Fighting on behalf of people who need someone to fight for them. Fighting to see people enter into relationship with God....I like the sound of those kinds of things!
But, were I Moses, would I have liked it?
Moses had to go before the King...and demand that he stop oppressing the Hebrews. Moses didn't know the Hebrews, they were a foreign people to him but he was moved with fierce passion to see them treated justly (did I mention, I think Moses was a missionary?). In order for this to happen he went to Pharaoh and told him that if he wouldn't let the Hebrews go awful things would happen to the Egyptians.
This is where I'm not sure I would've been able to do what Moses did...when Pharaoh didn't let the people go it was Moses' job to initiate all kinds of awful plagues on the Egyptians (frogs, boils, locusts, darkness...eventually the death of every firstborn son).
For the sake of justice for one group of people he watched as destruction came upon another group. Pharaoh was the one making the decisions and the plagues came upon ALL of the Egyptians.
For the sake of justice for one group of people he watched as destruction came upon another group. Pharaoh was the one making the decisions and the plagues came upon ALL of the Egyptians.
I just don't know that I would have had the strength to watch hardship come upon an entire group of people based on their King's hardheaded decision. I'm certain that the only thing that would've kept me going would have been the knowledge that God told me to....
But, then again....
If today I had the opportunity to
free orphans...
or child prostitutes...
or homeless people....
or widows....
from oppression
and lead them into relationship with God
BUT the condition
was that I had to initiate and watch destruction come upon an entire people group associated with their oppressors.....what would I do then?
I don't know......other than to say that I'd follow God with all of who I am....His plan is so much bigger than the small, momentary glimpses we get during our time on this earth. Yeah, I'd follow Him.
(I really do not know why the font is different sizes and can't figure out how to change it....sorry!)
Moses's story has always been so interesting to me because he is so not what people expected. He couldn't really speak, he never really knew who he was, he killed a man and ran away from the scene, he heard the lord speak through a burning bush, he lead the hebrews out of egypt, he watched the waters part, got the ten commandments, saw the literal glory of the lord and had to veil his face because it was so bright and then wandered into the wilderness for 40 years. So crazy what the Lord can do with a bunch of people with wayward bunch of crazies who choose to put their faith in him!! He's got BIG plans for you too Yvonney!! I am certain that the Lord will use your faith in him to set another group of captives free. Love you!
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting what you're pointing out about all the Egyptians suffering because of a lack of submission to the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI've definitely been being confronted lately with how our culture, here in the US, has made religious practices of worshipping a god to be so out-dated and "stone-age" minded instead of a spiritual reality. As a highly educated society, we've raised science and knowledge to be above everything spiritual, as if trying to make those things non-existant. But that's SO not the case! We Americans find ourselves having such a hard time believing in spiritual realities because our culture is so utterly against it.
Yes, it's true that some religions have the most horrific practices and are worshipping gods other than the one true God...but at least they're acknowledging that there's not an absence of the spiritual. I mean, right?
There's NO Faith in atheism. Everything is standing between you and God then.
.....but back to Moses and the Egyptians...
They had knowledge of the spiritual and chose against God. I think God could have had mercy on those that heard of what was happening and ran to the Israelites and pled for mercy. They could have put Lamb's blood over their door and experienced the passover too, if they had chosen to throw everything aside and Fear the Lord.
Right??? ...
God can use You to confront people and even draw a line in the ground...
ReplyDelete"believe in Him and turn from your wicked ways, or be victim to the Father you serve...Satan."
I don't think there's any lack of compassion in that. God is just.
....I don't know, I've just been convicted of the reality of the assualt on God it is for us to live life as if he doesn't exist. He does, and deserves all of our worship. He is worthy.
Franki-I absolutely agree that it's amazing what He can do when we just trust Him! Can't wait to see how YOUR story unfolds as well :-)
ReplyDeleteJenee-I love that you and I pick up on such different things! I realized as I read your comment that I "think with my emotions" (WHEN did THAT happen??) Thanks for bringing up the point that God didn't want to see the Egyptians harmed and they too could've had the possibility to make different choices.