Bible Pathways 01/18/2003
January 18
Read Exodus 2 -- 4
In Today's Reading:
Early life of Moses; his flight into Midian; the burning bush; his commission to free the nation of Israel; his return to Egypt.
Moses, the son of Israelite slaves, enjoyed the luxury of the Egyptian palace! After Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people and observed their forced labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his countrymen. Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand (Exodus 2:11-12).
Moses was 40 years old when he executed the cruel Egyptian. This was Moses' legal right, since he was of the royal household and possibly second only to Pharaoh in administering justice. Moses was in the prime of his life and, from a natural point of view, it would seem to be the ideal time for God to use him to set His people free from their suffering.
But Moses fled Egypt. This was followed by 40 years of loneliness as a shepherd. It must have seemed to Moses a waste of 40 years to do nothing of importance. But, with the Lord, such time is never wasted. It was in the desert that the Angel of the Lord appeared and said: Do not come closer! He said, Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground (3:5). Moses could never have learned humility or been able to come closer to God in an Egyptian palace. He was too busy and too important. But both experiences were vital in preparing him to be the person God could use to lead His people out of Egypt, through the desert, and on to the borders of the promised land.
The wisdom of the world cannot qualify us to make right decisions in life We must be taught by the Holy Spirit through reading His word. It is the Holy Spirit's anointing on what we do and say that makes our lives worthwhile Like Moses, our most basic need is the removal of self-sufficiency. It was spiritually necessary for Moses to tend sheep on the far side of the wilderness to eliminate self-will and fully yield to God's will (3:1).
The highly-educated apostle Paul wrote: Not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves (to decide anything by our human wisdom), but our competence is from God (II Corinthians 3:5).
Christ Revealed:
As the I AM THAT I AM who commissioned Moses (Exodus 3:13-14; compare Heb. 13:8). Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was I am (John 8:58).
Prayer Needs:
Government Officials: Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD) and Rep. Kay Granger (TX) · Country: Malaysia (21 million) in Southeast Asia · Major languages: Malay and English · All Christian witness to Muslims is illegal · 49% Muslim; 39% Hindu, Buddhist, and Chinese religions; 4% Roman Catholic; 4% animism, magic, and some headhunting; 3% Protestant · Prayer Suggestion: Pray and the Lord will free you from your fears (Psalms 34:4).
Optional Reading: Matthew 18
Memory Verse for the Week: Matthew 5:4
