Fri 21st Oct 2022 - Daily Reading:
Exodus 4:1-17
Excuses
Moses’ excuses started as soon as God commanded him to go and bring his people out of Egypt. Look at Exodus 3:11, and Exodus 3:13. His first response was to question what God was asking of him. God answered those questions fully yet, straight away, Moses was back with more excuses.
He frets that the people won’t believe him. He claims to be a poor speaker – unlikely considering the education he has had as the adopted grandson of the Pharaoh. Finally, he runs out of excuses and has to admit that, basically, he just wants God to send someone else.
Moses had a lot of good reasons for not wanting to go back to Egypt and demand that the Pharaoh lets the Israelites go. At least 40 years had passed since he fled Egypt in fear of his life. He was a family man with an established life in Midian. Pharaoh would be unlikely to respond calmly to someone marching into his palace from the desert and demanding things. On the whole, it wasn’t an appealing prospect.
I’d like to think that if God appeared before me in a burning bush and asked me personally to do an important task, I’d jump straight to it. I’d like to think that. In reality, though, I have to admit that it’s all too easy to find excuses to avoid the things we know we should do – even things we know the Lord has asked us to do.
I’m too busy. I’m too tired. I’ve got other commitments. I’m no good at that. People might laugh at me. People might think I’m crazy. I’m not sure that’s what the God really means. Someone else will do it, won’t they?
The excuses that Moses gives are the same excuses given by countless people throughout history, both to God and to each other – ever tried getting a reluctant child to do a household chore? If you have, you will have heard all the excuses.
God is probably very used to working with his reluctant children by now, but how it must delight his heart when we trust him completely and submit to him completely! How sweet it must be for God when his children respond, “Yes Lord!” and “Send me!”