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| When He calls, do you hear the call and ride towards the sound of gunfire or away? |
Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark
16:15)
But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye
should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into
his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the
people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1
Peter 2:9-10)
Our calling in God is always an impossibility except He be with us, and He is,
indeed, with us every moment. When He calls us to a work, He will “go
with us” in that work so the work will not be our own, but His! God has
called many men to the ministry, and many women to a mission, which both are
reluctant to accept. They invent excuse after excuse as to why the thing cannot
be accomplished by them – “perhaps another can do it, but not me!” I am
not a polished speaker, I lack education, I have a family to care for, etc,
etc. Please know that to whatever the Lord calls us, He will make us worthy of
accomplishing. Moses, just like every man called of God, questions the calling.
In fact, it is proper to question whether it is God, or our own vain
imaginations, that call us to His service.
Please observe some of the reservations and excuses Moses makes as to why God
has sought out the wrong man for the mission of going down into Egypt. In the
first instance, note the wonder and mystery of the calling of God to Moses from
out of a burning bush: “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush
burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” (Ex
3:2) This is an
intimate and personal calling – not one of public revelation – because no one
will believe us when we relate how God called us. The calling of God is a
personal calling!
Response # 1
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I
should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11) It may seem too fantastic to us that God would
find us worthy of any calling. The first impulse is to question the wisdom of
God in calling US! Yes, Moses was once living in the palaces of Egypt, but that
was forty years ago. He is now an eighty year-old shepherd in Midian. It is
incredible to his mind that God could have such a use for him. This is actually
questioning the wisdom and providence of God, is it not? But God reassures: “Certainly
I will be with thee.” (Ex 3:12) This fact should resolve all doubt, but
does it?
Response # 2
“Behold,
when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of
your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name?
what shall I say unto them?” (Ex 3:13) Is it possible that Israel has
forgotten the God of Abraham. Yes, it may be true owing to years of bondage in
Egypt. But is it not also true that Moses, being called by God, needs some
reinforcing knowledge of the Great Being who has called him? We are not called
of God for our great depth of knowledge, spirituality, or respectability; but
for reasons known only to God and which may not be fathomed by man. “Not
that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our
sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new
testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but
the spirit giveth life.” (2 Cor 3:5-6) On the other hand, some clergy
presume that they are better than they are in seeking the highest seats at the
feasts, or the front seats on every occasion. Should we not be humble servants
to the people of God and put ourselves down that God might lift us up? “What
shall I say?” Moses asks. Do not worry, God will fill your cup to
over-brimming with the beauty of His Word. We have the same call: “Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
(Mark 16:15-16)
Note: Though we have made reference to the principle many
times before, please take note of the two cutting edges of this counsel of God.
Remember the two-edged sword that cuts both ways, and consider the purpose of
preaching. We are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel; but to what
end and purpose? First of all, to reveal faith that leads to baptism and salvation.
Secondly, to remove any excuse of ignorance of God’s Word from the wicked. They
cannot say, on the Last Day, “Nobody ever told me!”
Beginning with our present chapter 4, we read further of
Moses’ reluctance: “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken
unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.”
(Ex 4:1) This
is a strawman that most raise up at the call of God. No one will hear, or
believe, me. That is not our concern. That is the role and mission of the Holy
Ghost. We plant the seed and allow the Holy Ghost to germinate that seed in the
dark soil of the human heart! Whether accepted or rejected, the preaching of
the Word has achieved its intended purpose. But god will, nonetheless, give the
man called by Him convincing proofs of the call. No one goes into ministry with
his eyes closed. “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand?
And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the
ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD
said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put
forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:” (Ex
4:2-4) This, and
other proofs, were shown to Moses that he might have confidence in his calling.
He does the same with you and me. And God showed Moses other proofs as well in
verses six through ten. But fear of failure is never a reason to forbear
preaching the Gospel. God’s Word does not fail of its purpose.
Response # 3
“And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but
I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” (Ex
4:10) How many men,
when called by God, are terrified that they cannot speak before an audience? It
is a normal emotion. But it is not the minister’s voice that convicts, but the
Lord’s speaking through His vessel. “And the LORD said unto him, Who hath
made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?
have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach
thee what thou shalt say.” (Ex 4:11-12)
Response #4
The Lord will abide a man wanting evidence of, and
confirming, his calling to ministry; but He will not abide an unwilling heart. “And
he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses.” (Ex
4:13-14 (KJV) Moses
desires that God will send someone ELSE! Moses doubts the wisdom of God as a
judge of character perhaps. But Moses has taken one step too far here. “ . . .
he (God) said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that
he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he
seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and
put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and
will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people:
and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be
to him instead of God.” (Ex 4:14-16) Even as they speak, God has made
provision for Aaron to come and meet Moses out of Egypt. None of us are
indispensable, though we would like men to believe so. When asked to rebuke His
disciples for preaching, Jesus answered: “I
tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out.” (Luke 19:40) So God’s Word will be preached with, or
without, your complicity. This last response of Moses was his cause from the
beginning. He did not want to do as God said and preferred God send another
instead.
What does one learn from this account of Moses? We learn
that every excuse not to answer the call of God is merely a smokescreen of
defiance. We really have no desire to do as God has commanded – neither did
Jonah! The Anger of the Lord is kindled against all to whom the Lord issues a
calling, and God will not relent in pursuit of that person until the response
is made.
As Paul Harvey used to say, “Here is the rest of the
story.” Moses, a mere shepherd from Midian did answer God’s call and
went down into Egypt and confronted the mightiest sovereign of that day – with
the success that God granted! Has God called us to lead a Bible Study/Prayer
Group, to be a teacher in Sunday School, or to preach the Gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ? How did WE respond. Have we done so faithfully, or are we still
on the ship with Jonah to Tarshish? The Call of God is not a matter to be
trifled with. You WILL answer the call, only after how much trouble and energy
in attempting to evade that Call?
