The Jesse Tree: Day 8
GOD'S LEADERSHIP
From his earliest days, God was with Moses.
Born into the midst of a genocide, life didn’t look promising for Moses. But his mother hid him for three months, hoping to spare his life. When it became clear that hiding wouldn’t work any longer, she took her son and placed him in a basket, and then she gently set it in the shallows of the river, caught among the reeds.
And then she left, praying that God would save her son.
While he sat floating there, Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe and found him. She saw this abandoned child and had compassion on him, and chose to raise him as her own son, saving his life.
Clearly, God was with Moses.
As he grew, somehow Moses learned that he was Hebrew by birth. As an adult, the oppression his people faced burdened him, and he sought justice for their sake. However, his attempts were guided by his own wisdom and strength. He failed quickly. Instead of leading a revolution, he fled Egypt as a criminal, wanted for murder.
In the decades after, he learned to shepherd in the desert. He married and had children. He settled down, and tried to forget his past. His people still suffered, but he’d tried and failed. What else could he do?
One day, when he’d taken his sheep into the deep wilderness, he noticed a bush burning, but not being consumed by the fire. Drawn to this oddity, he looked closer. And then, God spoke to him from this burning bush.
Born into the midst of a genocide, life didn’t look promising for Moses. But his mother hid him for three months, hoping to spare his life. When it became clear that hiding wouldn’t work any longer, she took her son and placed him in a basket, and then she gently set it in the shallows of the river, caught among the reeds.
And then she left, praying that God would save her son.
While he sat floating there, Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe and found him. She saw this abandoned child and had compassion on him, and chose to raise him as her own son, saving his life.
Clearly, God was with Moses.
As he grew, somehow Moses learned that he was Hebrew by birth. As an adult, the oppression his people faced burdened him, and he sought justice for their sake. However, his attempts were guided by his own wisdom and strength. He failed quickly. Instead of leading a revolution, he fled Egypt as a criminal, wanted for murder.
In the decades after, he learned to shepherd in the desert. He married and had children. He settled down, and tried to forget his past. His people still suffered, but he’d tried and failed. What else could he do?
One day, when he’d taken his sheep into the deep wilderness, he noticed a bush burning, but not being consumed by the fire. Drawn to this oddity, he looked closer. And then, God spoke to him from this burning bush.
“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Exodus 3:7-8
Exodus 3:7-8
Then God explained his strategy of deliverance—Moses.
“Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
Exodus 3:10
Exodus 3:10
Moses hesitated, and in those moments, his imagination strained to invent excuses, reasons to refuse this call from God. He’d already tried and failed! He wasn’t good enough for this; he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t.
He asked, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Exodus 3:11
God responded, “But I will be with you.”
Exodus 3:12
Exodus 3:11
God responded, “But I will be with you.”
Exodus 3:12
It didn’t matter if Moses wasn’t wise or strong enough, if he wasn’t a skilled enough leader. What mattered was that God was with him, just as he’d always been, ever since that day he sat floating among the reeds in a basket.
The same is true for us—what matters more than our credentials and prior accomplishments is the reality that God is with us. We can follow the call of God, not because we’re great, but because he’s with us.
And this we know because another child was born. This child too would go on to deliver and save God’s people. His name is Jesus, and they called him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”
The same is true for us—what matters more than our credentials and prior accomplishments is the reality that God is with us. We can follow the call of God, not because we’re great, but because he’s with us.
And this we know because another child was born. This child too would go on to deliver and save God’s people. His name is Jesus, and they called him Immanuel, which means, “God with us.”
Pause to reflect
Moses’ attempts on his own to rescue his people were complete failures. It was only when God was with him that he was able to accomplish anything. Have you ever tried to accomplish something and it was clear that God wasn’t in it?
What matters most is not our abilities, but whether or not God is with us. Is there something in your life that God is calling you to join in, but you’re hesitant because you aren’t sure you’re able?
What matters most is not our abilities, but whether or not God is with us. Is there something in your life that God is calling you to join in, but you’re hesitant because you aren’t sure you’re able?
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