Mar 9-15
Who Am I That I Should Go?
๐ Exodus 1-6
Exodus 1-6: When God Calls the Unqualified
Moses had five excuses.
When God spoke from a burning bush and told Moses to go confront the most powerful ruler in the world and free an entire nation of slaves, Moses basically said: nope, wrong guy, please try someone else.
Not once. Five times.
And here's what's wild: God didn't replace him. He answered every objection and sent Moses anyway.
The Backstory
Egypt was bad. The Israelites had been slaves for generations. Pharaoh was so threatened by their numbers that he ordered all Israelite baby boys killed at birth.
Moses survived because his mother made a tiny waterproof basket, placed him in the Nile, and trusted God to do something with that. Pharaoh's own daughter found Moses, recognized he was a Hebrew child, and kept him anyway. He grew up inside the palace of the man trying to destroy his people.
Later, after killing an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating an Israelite worker, Moses fled to Midian. He spent forty years there, tending sheep, building a quiet life, probably assuming his chance to change anything had passed.
He was eighty years old when God showed up in a burning bush and said: now.
The Objections
Moses brought up every reason it wouldn't work.
"Who am I?" - I'm nobody. I don't have the status, the reputation, or the power to walk into Pharaoh's court.
God's answer: "I will be with thee." Your qualifications don't matter as much as my presence.
"What do I say?" - I don't even know what to tell them.
God's answer: Here's exactly what to say. I'll give you the words.
"What if they don't believe me?" - What if I do everything right and it still fails?
God's answer: Here are signs and miracles to back you up.
"I'm not a good speaker." - I stumble over my words. I'm not eloquent. This requires someone better at this than me.
God's answer: I made your mouth. I can handle a speech problem.
"Please send someone else." - This was the honest one. Moses wasn't just listing concerns. He just didn't want to go.
God's answer: I'm sending Aaron with you. But you're still going.
The call didn't change. Moses's adequacy was never the point.
Why This Matters for You
You are probably not going to liberate a nation from slavery this week. But you might face a moment where God is nudging you toward something that feels way too big.
Maybe it's defending someone who's being talked about. Maybe it's sharing your testimony in seminary. Maybe it's choosing the harder, more honest path when an easier one is sitting right there.
And there will be a voice in your head saying: Who am I to do this? I'm not the right person. I'll mess it up. Someone else should handle it.
Moses's story says: those feelings don't disqualify you. They're part of the process.
Check Your Understanding
๐ฎ Why did Moses end up in Midian?
๐ฎ What was God's response to Moses saying "I am not eloquent"?
๐ฎ What did the burning bush represent?
๐ฎ What did God say when Moses asked for His name?
๐ฎ How does Exodus 6 connect the deliverance of Israel to earlier scripture?
๐ฎ What was Moses's fifth and final objection?
God called Moses when Moses was eighty years old, living quietly in the desert, convinced his moment had passed. He still answered every objection Moses brought up.
If God has something for you to do, your excuses aren't going to stop Him. The question is whether you'll eventually say yes.