Here's a paper I wrote for the only religion class I'm required to take at DBU. I thought this would serve as a good reminder and perhaps a food-for-thought for the day for all of us..
Blessings!
Berylynn
Moses is a well known leader in the Bible who was radically called by God to deliver Israel from the bondage in Egypt. There are many things that can be observed and learnt from the way he experienced the call of God in his life.
Although Moses was a Hebrew, he grew up as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. As a Hebrew himself, he must have grown up watching his own people suffer from the mistreatment of the Egyptians. I believe that Moses already possessed an internal growing passion and burden to deliver his people from tyranny of the Egyptians way before the Lord spoke to Him through the burning bush. So strong was his passion to liberate his people that when “he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren” (New King James Version, Exod. 2.11), “he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand” (Exod. 2.12). According to Alice Cullinan in “Sorting It Out”, “God made us and often works with our interests and abilities to accomplish divine purposes through us” (32). The call of God for Moses that came later in his life resonates well in perfect harmony within him because of his personal interest for the well being of the Hebrews.
However, it is necessary to note that Moses was in a little hurry to accomplish the will of God in his life. Moses tried to rescue a fellow Hebrew by his own initiative and strength which led to a terrible disaster. Moses was not patient in waiting for the specific word from God before he stepped into this divine task and calling. As a result, Moses murdered an Egyptian and spent the next forty years of his life a fugitive in the desert. We can clearly see from Moses’ life that “running ahead of God may be as disastrous as not seeking God’s will in the first place” (40).
Although the forty long years that Moses spent tending the flock of Jethro—his father-in-law in the desert—may seem like a total waste, nothing is ever a waste from God’s perspective. God is a specialist when it comes to making “all things work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8.28). As humbling as it is for Moses to transition from being an Egyptian prince to becoming a simple and unknown shepherd, I believe that his character was shaped and he was taught to wait upon the Lord and His perfect timing for the call. It is through this desert experience that the Lord prepared Moses for his ultimate destiny in leading the Israelites out of bondage and into freedom. God is good in that He shaped Moses’ character and humility before using him in the mighty deliverance that displayed some of the greatest signs and wonders recorded in the Bible. His strength of character and heart condition were God’s top concerns, rather than the mission itself.
As Moses was tending the flock at the mountain of God, God suddenly appeared to him in a burning bush that was not consumed. When Moses turned to examine the burning bush, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”. Consequently, God revealed Himself and the call that He had for Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Although the call may seem like a sudden one, God had already been gradually calling and preparing Moses’ heart prior to this significant moment. With the sure word from the Lord and a great task at hand, Moses still wavered with doubt concerning his identity and capability. The Lord was once again gracious with Moses’ apprehension and provided him with confirmation signs of the rod and the leprous hand to assure Moses of His call. God also promised to strike Egypt with great wonders and allowed Aaron to be Moses’ spokesman.
Cullinan is absolutely accurate when she says that “God will give you what you need to carry out the divine calling” (39). God indeed prepared, called, confirmed, and equipped Moses for his great calling and destiny which marked a significant milestone in biblical history. Had Moses not heeded God’s calling on His life, our Christian history and heritage would have been a little different today.
