Monday, July 1

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Joshua 3:1-8

Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. ² After three days the officers went throughout the camp, ³ giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. ⁴ Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits (3000 feet) between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

⁵ Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

⁶ Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

⁷ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. ⁸ Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you”

Our theme this summer is GO…but before the Israelites actually did the GOING they were obedient with regards to PREPARATION.  They consecrated themselves!

Consecrate -- To declare or set apart as sacred

Please pause…really…and think about what one would actually “do” if one was to consecrate oneself today…in the western suburbs in July 2013.  Would you have to start  “doing” something?  Or stop doing something?  Would you need to remove obstackles in your life – people, hobbies, addictions, you know where I am going here.

Care enough RIGHT NOW to go public and declare to ANOTHER how you will consecrate yourself today…this week.  Stop reading ten minutes with God and make the phone call or write the email or text and implement accountability regarding your personal consecration.

Following the Israelites obedience…God promises amazing kingdom impact and influence when we make ourselves fully set apart for his Great Purposes.

Bruce McEvoy

Pastor of Family and Serving

Friday, June 28

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Exodus 33:12-23

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other peoples on the face of the earth?”

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

When I was a senior in high school I played quarterback for the football team. In one particular game we had the ball on the 1 yard line and needed to score a touchdown just to keep the score close. I knew our star running back was tired because he had carried the ball for four or five plays in a row; and I knew that the defense was expecting him to get the ball again. So I gave a signal to the center that I was going to take the snap and just follow him straight into the end zone because I thought we could surprise the other team with a quick quarterback sneak. It worked perfectly and I scored the touchdown. We ended up losing the game something like 33-14 so that one touchdown ended up being rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things; or so I thought. 

On the following Monday our coaches set us down to watch the game film. When we came to the part of the game where I scored on the quarterback sneak the coach stopped the film. He looked at me and said, “Hey Coffey, why didn’t you give the ball to Foley? What are you, some kind of glory hound?”

I knew I shouldn’t open my mouth to explain, so I didn’t. But I can still remember him calling me a “glory hound” in front of the whole team. Glory really was the furthest thing from my mind while I was playing the game, but when I thought about it I could see how it might have looked that way to my coach!

In our common use of the word “glory” we mean honor or fame. The dictionary defines glory as “high renown or honor won by notable achievements.”

So, in that sense, sure, as an athlete I certainly wanted to achieve something worthy of honor and glory! But the phrase “glory hound” implies desiring glory beyond what I deserved; or scheming to steal the glory that belongs to another.

The Hebrew word translated as “glory” in the Old Testament is “kabod” and it carries the root meaning of heavy or weightiness. When applied to God it refers to the weighty importance and shining majesty that always accompany God’s presence.

So there are two main differences between God’s glory and the kind of glory that we, as human beings, often seek for ourselves. First, glory already belongs to God therefore he does not need to seek it. Human beings do not possess glory and therefore do all kinds of things trying to earn it or obtain it. Second, and this gets us to the point of the story, God’s glory is infinitely “weightier” than any glory we might seek for ourselves.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who had, only days before, been in a meeting at the White House that was attended by President Obama. In describing the experience he said something very interesting. He said that the President was about 15 minutes late in arriving at the meeting so the whole group was gathered in the room and waiting. At some point a spokesperson entered the room and announced that the President had just arrived at the White House and would soon be at the meeting. My friend said that those in the room could actually “feel” the approach of the President even before he set foot in the room. He said it was as if the glory of the office had preceded his arrival.

I think most of us have experienced what C.S. Lewis calls “The weight of glory.” If superstar basketball player LeBron James walked into our West Campus worship service some Sunday morning, the whole room would tilt, in a sense, in his direction. That is, within seconds everyone in the room would be aware of his presence and his fame, his glory, his weightiness, would overwhelm everything else in the room – at least for a few minutes until we remembered who we were there to worship! 

That brings us back to God; and, specifically, to the glory of God. 

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

I get goose bumps almost every time I read this story! First of all, I love it that Moses is so hungry to know the glory of his God. Moses had been close enough to the glory of God to know it was dangerous (see Exodus 19), but now he wants even more. May we all hunger for the glory of our God!

But notice that while God is willing to show Moses all his goodness, mercy and compassion, he is not willing to show Moses all his glory. Why?

Because it’s just too heavy, too massive, too overwhelming for any human being to endure. Even though he has been close to God’s glory before, Moses has no idea what he has asked. The full glory of God, simply put, would crush him like a bug.

So remember that when you are thrilled to your bones by a fiery Midwestern sunset; or when your heart leaps at the beauty in the face of a child; you are only seeing the trailing edge of God’s glory! 

May we long to see him as he is!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, June 27

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Exodus 33:12-23

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other peoples on the face of the earth?”

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

Back when I was a senior in college, and playing on the basketball team, we got new practice uniforms with monogrammed shorts. This was a big deal. We had all seen other guys from other schools who had their names stitched on their practice shorts and now that we were going to get them it meant that we were “big time.” So, along with all my teammates, I was excited to find my near gear in my locker on the first day of practice. But when I looked at my new shorts the name stitched on them read “Coffee” not “Coffey.” I didn’t let on, but I was devastated. After three whole seasons of blood, sweat and tears, and they still didn’t know how to spell my name. 

Even though I understood that it was just an unintentional clerical error, it made me feel insignificant and unimportant. I wasn’t a star player on the team; in fact, I was a bench-warmer. So I found myself wondering if they would have ever misspelled the star player’s name. I guessed not.

When it comes to names, I have good days and bad days. Sometimes, on a Sunday morning at church, I can recall dozens of names and speak to people using their names. Other times, I struggle to remember the names of people I’ve known for 20 years! But I try to remember as many names as I can because names are important! 

In a very significant way we are our names and our names are us. If our names are mispronounced, misspelled or forgotten, it is we who are mispronounced, misspelled and forgotten. 

God not only knows this but he created us this way!

This is why he says to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

God wants Moses to know that even though things have been difficult; even though the people he is trying to lead are difficult; even though he feels at times like he is alone, God has not forgotten him. God wants Moses to know that he knows who he is; where he is; and what he needs.

And God wants us to know the same thing. God never has a bad day with names! He never looks at us and thinks to himself, “Now, who is that again? Oooooh, his name is right on the tip of my tongue…” He never looks at us and pretends to know us by saying, “Hey there, uh, Sport! How ya doin’?” as I sometimes do.  

In Psalm 139 we read:

You have searched me and you know me…

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:1,13

Do you know that God knows you by name? Take a moment to just dwell on that thought.

There are something like 7 billion people in the world today; not to mention the billions who at one time walked the face of this planet and are no longer living. And the Bible says that God could, if he wanted to, line all of us up in one long line and go down that line calling each one of us by name; first, middle and last; pronouncing every one correctly. More than that, if we had time to listen, he could recite our family trees going further back than any of us could through ancestry.com. He could also tell us who our first grade teacher was; what our favorite subject was; and what parts of our homework we never showed our parents.

Again, from Psalm 139:

O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Psalm 139:1-3

So, unfathomable as it is to us, God knows us as if we were the only human being he ever created. And the most amazing thing to me is, knowing all that, he still loves us.

He knew Moses had killed an Egyptian in a fit of rage and buried his body in the sand (Exodus 2:12); he knew Moses had made a bundle of excuses about why he couldn’t do the  job when called to confront Pharaoh; and he knew Moses would become so frustrated with the task of leading a “stiff-necked people” that he would defy God’s command by striking the rock to bring water instead of simply speaking to it (Numbers 20). God knew Moses was not perfect, but God called him and used him anyway.

None of us is like Moses! But the good news is – we don’t have to be! God knows us by name. He knows we are imperfect people who struggle with doubt and fear and faith, and yet he wants to use us in his eternal plan.

I believe there is something right now that he wants for you and from you. I believe that right now God is speaking your name; and after he speaks your name he says, “Go.” 

Where do you think he is calling you to go? What do you think he is calling you to do? 

Have you asked him?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, June 26

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Exodus 33:12-23

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other peoples on the face of the earth?”

And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.”

And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

One summer while I was in high school I worked for a man in our church who owned a flooring company. Even though I was just 16 years old and a brand new driver, my job was to fill a small truck with flooring material from the warehouse and deliver it to job sites all over Westchester County in New York. I though it was a cool job because I got to drive and I got to tell my friends that I “worked in construction.” 

At first, my boss just gave me very short, safe trips to make. But as the summer went on he started to trust me with longer and longer trips. Finally, he sent me on a trip that involved getting on the New York Throughway (at least that’s what I remember it being called) that ran from our town all the way into New York City some 45 miles away. The directions said to take the Throughway to a certain exit and to get off and go to the construction site. No problem! I could handle that.

But I had never driven on the Throughway before and I quickly realized I was in over my head. Traffic was moving fast and I was concentrating on missing the other cars more than the exit signs and I missed my turn. 

“No problem,” I thought, “I’ll just get off at the next exit and turn around.”

But there was no next exit. The next sign I saw said, “George Washington Bridge” and then “Prepare to pay toll.”

I was heading into New York City with no chance to escape and no money in my pocket to pay a toll. I had no idea what to do so I just kept driving.

I got to the toll and started telling my story to the guy in the booth. People started honking and he looked at me with utter disdain and said, “Whatareyastupid? Gettoutahere!” and he waved me through.

I don’t really remember how I managed to turn around, get back on the same road going the other way and eventually find my destination, but I did. 

I learned a lot that summer! I learned about work; about responsibility; and that, when going somewhere you’ve never been before, be sure to get good directions or have someone you trust go with you!

God has called Moses to go up into the Promised Land, but he has not promised to go with him. Moses is understandably uneasy and knows that he needs both the presence and blessing of God to complete his assignment. 

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other peoples on the face of the earth?”

As someone charged with a certain degree of leadership responsibility, I have come to understand and love this part of Moses’ story. I think I often missed it when I was younger; and it has to do with Moses’ humility.

Think about it. Here is a man who grew up as an adopted son of Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth. Here is a man who had been called and commissioned by God himself (in the burning bush) to confront Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of captivity. Here is a man who had received the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments from the very hand of God and had spoken with God like one man speaks to another. And yet, despite all his vast resume of leadership experience, he has the humility to ask for help.

How tempting it is as a leader; as a father or mother; as a student; to say to God, in essence, “I’ve got this! I know what I’m doing God. I’m good!” When, the truth is, we don’t have any idea what will happen tomorrow; let alone five or ten years from now. 

Moses was a great leader because he knew what he didn’t know; and because he was humble enough to seek God’s help, God’s presence and God’s favor.

Who am I, and who are we, to think we need God any less than Moses did?

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, June 25

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Exodus 33:1-3

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

As the oldest sibling in my family I was the first to graduate from high school and the first to head off to college. Since I had never seen an older brother or sister go through that process I had no idea what to expect. I can remember feeling vaguely excited about college but mostly awkward, uncertain and apprehensive about leaving home.

One day in early August, while I was sitting in my room just kind of thinking about things and feeling kind of blue, I heard a knock on my door. It was my Dad. He came in and sat on the edge of my bed but didn’t say anything right away. Then, as I remember it, he said something like, “Thinking about going to school?” 

I nodded, “Yeah, kind of.”

He said, “Feeling a little nervous about it all?”

I nodded again, “I guess.”

Then he said, “I have one question for you: Could you take another year of High School?”

The question actually made me laugh a little because the answer was so obvious! 

“No!’ I said.

Then my Dad said something that, at the time, made little sense to me. He said, “I envy you.”

“Envy?” I thought to myself, “Why in the world would he envy me? I was scared to death!”

He said, “I envy all the things you’re going to learn and the experiences you’re going to have in the next four years!”

While I didn’t fully understand what he meant at the time, that conversation did help clarify both what I was feeling and why my fears should not keep me from going to college!

I think Moses knew what it was like to feel anxious about going into the unknown. If we look back at the beginning of Exodus 33 we can see why.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”

In other words, before God promised his own Presence to Moses (later in Exodus 33), he actually tells him that he will not be going with him, but rather will send an angel ahead of him to drive out the pagan peoples who were living in the land.

This might seem a bit out of character for God, but we need to remember that it was only one chapter earlier (Exodus 32) that we find the story of the Golden Calf. When Moses stayed on the mountain longer than anticipated, Aaron had allowed the people to craft an idol so they could worship like the pagan people groups around them. They had turned away from God’s commandments and God brought judgment on them for their sin.

So Moses knows God has called him to go up into the Promised Land, but he also knows it is inhabited by all kinds of people groups that won’t be thrilled at the arrival of the Israelites; and he knows that God is not going with them because they have sinned against him.

It would be an understatement to say that Moses felt uneasy!

Moses is uneasy because he has already learned two spiritual truths the hard way. First, he has learned that we can’t go where God wants us to go without obedience. And second, he has learned that we can’t accomplish anything without God’s favor, which comes through obedience.

That’s why, later in the same chapter Moses says:

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Exodus 33:12-13

Looking back on my experience of leaving home and going to college; and thinking about that same journey that our sons are making now, it all comes down to “who” and “why”. The ultimate questions of any new journey or adventure are, “Who is going with me?” and “Why am I going?”

For Moses, the answer to the question “Who is going with me?” was the “Presence of God”; and the answer to the question “Why am I going?”  was “to find favor with God.”

Once those two questions are settled we are good to go, no matter where the journey takes us!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, June 24

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Exodus 33:12-13

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

When one of our sons was about 3 or 4 years old he developed a fear of going into dark parts of the house by himself. If we were all in the family room and he had to go upstairs, he would stand at the foot of the stairway and look up into the darkened second floor of our home until either his Mom or I walked up the stairs with him. The same scenario would take place if he wanted to go into the basement. We would say really helpful things like, “It’s OK buddy; it’s just the basement; you’ve been there a thousand times. Just go down the stairs and flip the switch, you’ll be fine!” But he would just look back at us with apprehension in his eyes and say, “I’m scary, Daddy, I’m scary.”

So, eventually, one of us would walk with him part way up or down the stairs and then he would go the rest of the way by himself. After some time we would only have to go to the bottom or top of the stairway and he could navigate the rest of the way. Finally, the time came when he would just look back at us and we would just make eye contact and nod our heads, as if to say, “You can do it!” and off he went. 

So it was our physical presence at first; and then, later, just the look on our faces; that allowed our son to muster the courage to complete the journey that he found unsettling and frightening.

In a way we see the same thing in the life of Moses.

Moses said to the Lord, “you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.

You may recall from our study from a couple of weeks ago that God called Moses to do very unique and difficult job! The first part, confronting Pharaoh and leading God’s people out of Egypt was hard enough; but the second part, leading them into the Promised Land, was proving to be an even greater challenge! The journey was long; the people were rebellious; there were obstacles along the way; and Moses basically says, “I’m scary God, I’m scary!”

So Moses asks God for help. 

You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

I notice three things about Moses’ request. First, he starts by affirming his relationship with God. He knows and trusts that God knows him by name; that is, knows him not just in a generic sense but in a personal sense. So before Moses asks God for anything, he acknowledges a deep and intimate relationship that God has already offered to him.

The same is true for us. The Bible teaches that God knows each one of us by name. We’ll talk about the significance of names later this week, but for now, as hard as it is to fathom, God wants you to know that he knows who you are and that he knows you.

Second, I notice that Moses expresses a desire to find favor with God. He wants to please God; he wants to obey God; he wants to do what God wants him to do. All too often when I pray, or when I hear others pray, we are really trying to get God to do what we want him to do instead of asking him what he wants us to do. Moses wanted to do what God wanted him to do.

Finally, I notice that Moses can’t help reminding God of his responsibilities! He says, “Remember that this nation is your people.” In other words, “Remember, God, that all this was your idea in the first place, so, it’s really in your best interest to help me out a little here!”

I love how honest Moses is with God! He doesn’t pretend he knows what he’s doing; he asks for help. He doesn’t cover up his frustration that God has not yet promised to go with him; rather, he challenges God to hold up his end of the deal. By this point in his life Moses has learned that he not only can be honest with God, but that a relationship with God requires honesty.

So here’s what we learn from this part of Moses’ story: God’s call sometimes leads us into some scary places. He calls us to serve or give or reach out in ways that stretch our comfort zone. We can feel inadequate or afraid or hesitant. But we see in this story that when he calls us God also promises to go with us! Finally, we see that God invites us into a personal relationship with himself that both allows for, and requires, complete honesty.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, June 21

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In Exodus 4:6-8, God gives Moses three miraculous signs to convince him (Moses) and the Israelites that GOd has truly sent him as their deliverer.  Yet even after witnessing and performing these miracles by the hand of God, Moses still doesn’t want to go.

Let's remember, the Lord is not requesting the help of Moses . . . He is sending Moses!

This is an assignment, not extra credit. Moses now resorts to an excuse which is very popular in Christian circles. In today's vernacular He would be saying, "Lord, you know, speaking in public is not my gift."

Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (4:10-12)
It is possible that Moses did have a problem

• He may have had a speech impediment
• He may have been "rusty" with his Hebrew or Egyptian
• It is possible that he didn't like speaking in public

There is certainly much to be gained by trying to discern what God has equipped you to do. It is good to try to identify your spiritual gifts but we should do so in an effort to find direction for our lives . . . not in order to limit what we do for God.  If the prophets handled spiritual gifts like we often do, most of the prophets would have never left home! They would have concluded that it was not "their gift". Moses is trying to hide behind His inability but God is telling Him that He will not call Him to something that He doesn't equip him for.  

God says the same thing to you. If you will follow Him, He will give you what you need. If you are willing to serve Him, He will equip you to serve Him well. You may not have a natural talent in a particular area but if God has called you to a particular work, He will give you what you need.  There have been many times in my life where I was called into situations I felt completely unqualified for . . . and yet when I took a step of faith and agreed to what God called me to do . . . He gave me the ability, strength, wisdom, the words, the patience . . . whatever was necessary. 

Finally, Moses has run out of excuses. He can't stall any longer. 

But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it." Then the LORD’S anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.  - Exodus 4:13-16

Moses is stalling. He's digging in his heels and bordering on throwing a tantrum. He says, "I don't want to!" and God says, "Tough! If you're scared I'll give you Aaron to work with you." 

I wonder how many people are living miserable lives right now because they refuse to do what God has told them to do. Rather then moving forward, they continue to make excuses. Instead of obeying God they try to come up with reasons why they shouldn't have to obey. Instead of trusting God's promise they trust their fears. Are you one of those people? 

Moses is out of excuses. He has a job to do. He and Aaron are going to walk into an impossible situation with a God who shines brightest in impossible situations. And as a result, Moses became the leader of Israel. As a result of Moses moving forward he came to talk with God as a friend.  In the end, Moses came to know an intimacy with God unlike any other individual other than the Lord Himself.

But what if Moses hadn't gone?  What if he had flat out refused? I think Moses would have faced the discipline of the Lord. He would have forfeited the joy that came from living God's way. But Moses didn't refuse. Instead he was used by God in astounding ways.

Do realize that the same choice is before you? Are you making excuses so you don't have obey? Are you making excuses so you don't have to do what you know God wants you to do or to go where He wants you to go? Are you making excuses for why you will not trust Him? Is there some excuse for why you have not made the decision to trust His grace for your eternal life?  

Jeff Frazier

Thursday, June 20

To download an audio version, click here.

Yesterday we saw how moses responded when God met him in the burning bush and called him to go back to Egypt and deliver God’s people from the hand of Pharaoh.  Moses did not exactly jump up and say, “great, let’s go!”  He had some questions first.  

Moses isn't finished with his excuses.

“Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt...“The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.‘   - Exodus 3:16-18

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”  - Exodus 4:1

God has just finished telling Moses that the Israelites will listen to Him. He told him that Pharaoh would resist but would eventually be brought to his knees. And . . .the Egyptians would end up giving the Israelites treasures before they leave. After God says all this Moses says, "I don't think it is going to work."

Moses doesn’t seem to be listening.  Perhaps Moses has a different scenario in his head. Maybe he is imagining standing before Pharaoh's receptionist telling her that he was sent there by a voice coming out of a bush that was on fire but not being consumed. He knows that everyone will think he is crazy!

Do you remember the movie "Oh, God!" It starred John Denver and George Burns. It's a story similar to Moses. God tells his Moses (a supermarket manager) to tell the world about him. And guess what? No one believes that this supermarket manager has actually talked with God. We probably wouldn't believe it either. Moses can imagine what is going to happen. 

The problem was that Moses was focusing on his imaginary scenarios rather than on God's promise.  He was seeing obstacles while God pointed to opportunities. He saw problems and God saw potential. That's the way it is most of the time, you know. We see the mine field ahead of us when we should be watching the one who knows His way through the minefield. 

God had already told Moses that His plan IS GOING TO WORK. Moses wasn't paying attention. Sometimes we don't either. God tells us,

• I will supply all your need
• I will never leave you or forsake you
• You can do everything through Christ who gives you strength
• Ask and it will be given to you
• The Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth

He tells us these things and we aren't listening. It's kind of like those neat toys your kids would get for Christmas. They come with simple instructions but we put them aside believing that we know better. We struggle, we get angry at the "stupid manufacturer" while all the time the instructions are right before us.

God in His wonderful patience gives Moses three "signs".  First, he gives him the ability to turn his walking stick into a snake.  This is one of the greatest pictures in all of scripture.  God tells Moses to throw down his walking stick.  Moses throws it down and it becomes a snake. Moses starts running!  God tells Moses to pick up the snake . . . by it's tail.  Moses responds, "Uhmm . . .Lord, my father taught me to NEVER pick up a snake by it's tail.  Always pick it up (if you have to) right behind it's head so it can't turn and bite you." 

God says, "Pick up the snake by the tail." For that moment Moses is in a crisis. Does he do what God tells him to do . . . which is against everything he had always been taught; or does he refuse the Almighty. To his credit, he acts in faith and picks up the snake. And the snake turns back into the walking stick! What a boost to the faith of Moses this must have been! It is obedience in the little things that leads to the ability to serve God in the big ways.

God doesn't stop here. He gives Moses two additional miracles: he gives him the ability to produce and remove leprosy from his hand and the ability to turn water into blood. These were simple signs that were designed to strengthen Moses more than to impress the people. There is no evidence that the people would not have believed without the signs. 

You and I don't need these kinds of things. We have history. We have the resurrection of Jesus Christ! We have the Bible. We have the evidence of changed lives all around us. 

Jeff Frazier

Wednesday, June 19

Wednesday

I remember an old college football coach of mine saying that “excuses are like noses, everybody’s got one, but some are worse than others.”  The truth is that we live in a culture full of excuses. Americans are especially good at making excuses. 

Sometimes we make excuses to try to keep from hurting someone's feelings. For example, If you were asked out on a date but really didn't want to go, you might want to spare the feelings of the asker and come up with some excuse as to why you had to decline. 

Sometimes we make excuses to avoid responsibility for our actions.. We make excuses for things we did wrong, times we failed, things we don't want to do, situations we don't want to be in.  How many times have you told someone "I forgot" when in reality you just didn't want to do what was asked of you? 

Making excuses is never a good practice and it is especially dangerous when we start making excuses in our spiritual lives.

• We make excuses when we don't want to obey
• We make excuses when we don't want to go where God sends us 
• We make excuses when we don't want to believe what God tells us 

We are not alone in our tendency toward excuse making.  Moses was called by God to go back to Egypt as God’s chosen deliverer for the Israelites, but Moses doesn't want the job and so he gives God his list of excuses, and the first two excuses are really profound questions that we all ask in one way or another. 

Who Am I?

The first excuse that Moses gives is one that we should recognize. Moses suggests that God has the wrong guy for the job.  He feels he's not qualified.  Listen to what he says,

"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.

Moses felt overwhelmed with the responsibility. He didn't feel that he was up to the challenge. That wasn't the case 40 years earlier, but now he feels that this job is just too much for him...

• because of his past failure in jumping the gun and killing an Egyptian
• because of his advanced age
• because of the magnitude of the task
• because of past rejections by the Hebrews
• because of the time that had passed . . . Egypt had changed

God answers Moses with some profound truth, "I will be with you." God doesn't tell Moses that he is wonderfully gifted.  He doesn't tell him that he has more talent than he realizes. He doesn't tell him that his problem is low self-esteem. He tells Him that what Moses lacks, God will supply.

I can't imagine that any of the great servants of God ever felt qualified for what God called them to do. Paul told us in Philippians that he had learned that "he could do all things through Christ who gives him strength." The key was not Paul's ability, but God's.  In fact, God speaks to Moses as if this whole project is a "done deal" He doesn't say, "Moses, if you bring the children of Israel out" . . . it's when you bring them out. 

It doesn't matter what you are facing.  It doesn't matter what God has called you to do or to endure . . . you can do it if you trust His strength!

Who Are You?

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’" God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

Moses is really asking about the character and identity of the God who is calling Him.  He wants to know just who this God is and what He is like before he trusts Him. 

God tells Moses that he should tell the Israelites that God's name is: "I am who I am". In other words, tell them that the God who always has been, is, and always will be has sent you.  Sure, it would have been easier if God had just said, "Tell them my name is Clarence."  But God is not like that.  He is not human.  He cannot be confined in that way. He transcends any description of Him that we can muster. 

It would be helpful for you to know that the name "I am that I am" in Hebrew is four letters YHWH. In theological circles this is known as the "Tetragrammaton". In an effort to transliterate (write in an english form) YHWH vowels were added. And from that we get the name Yahweh or Jehovah.  Every time we read about Yahweh or Jehovah in the Bible it reflects back on this particular passage. Every time the word LORD is in your Bible in all capital letters it is referring to this name.  

Let me state it again. It is important for us to understand that in giving Moses (and us) this name, God was revealing His character.  He is the God who is, was, and always shall be.

God answered Moses' question. The problem with the excuse "I don't know enough" is that there will always be something that you don't know or understand. Moses could have continued his protests. What if the people of Israel ask me where you live? What if they ask me about the Trinity?  What if they want an answer to the question, 'Where have you been for the past 400 years?'  If you wait until you have all the answers .. . you will never serve the Lord.

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, June 18

To download an audio version, click here.

One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.  He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.  When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?”  He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.”  When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.   - Exodus 2:11-15

After Moses fled from Pharaoh, he fled into the wilderness of Midian, where he would spend the next 40 years of his life, living in obscurity.  In his 40 years in the wilderness of Midan, Moses must have often reflected on how he murdered an Egyptian and how full of foolish pride he had been to think he could deliver Israel himself.  Moses might have remembered a thousands sins, both real and imagined.  He must have assumed that he was living in the wilderness as punishment for his sins.  He probably thought that God was done with him, and that he had messed up so badly that he was no longer of any use to God or to his own people, the Israelites.

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”   - Exodus 3:4

God’s first words to Moses call him by name. This shows that even though Moses was now living as an obscure, forgotten shepherd on the backside of the desert, God had not forgotten him.  God knew exactly who and where Moses was.

Not only did God remember Moses, but He also remembered His own covenant promises to His people.  God revealed Himself to Moses by declaring His relationship to the patriarchs. This reminded Moses that God is the God of the covenant, and His covenant with Israel was still valid and important. This isn’t a “new God” meeting Moses, but the same God that dealt with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God will reveal Himself to Moses more intimately than He had to any of the patriarchs; yet it all begins with God reminding Moses of the bridge of covenant they meet on.

There must have been some Israelites in the days of Moses that wondered if God neglected His covenant for the 400 years of Israel’s slavery in Egypt, since the time of the patriarchs. Nevertheless, God was at work during that time, preserving and multiplying the nation.  God was also at work preserving and preparing the heart of Moses to be His chosen instrument to deliver His people out of the bondage of slavery.

Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”   - Exodus 3:7-10

This is amazing!  Our God keeps His promises!  Moses is about to discover that what he thought was punishment (40 years in the desert) was actually preparation!  God has been preparing him for this moment!  Now remember, Moses fled from Egypt when he was 40 years old and he spent the next 40 years living in the wilderness.  This makes Moses how old?  Moses is 80 years old when God calls him to go back to Egypt!

I don’t know about you, but if I were in charge of choosing a deliverer for God’s people, I don’t know if I would have chosen 80 year old shepherd Moses.  I might have picked 40 year old prince Moses living in Pharaoh’s palace, but the old shepherd from the boonies.  But God does not value the things we value, God repeatedly chooses humble servants to display His power and glory through them!

Jeff Frazier

Monday, June 17

To download an audio version of this, click here.

Monday

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.  There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.  “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”  When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!”  “Here I am!” Moses replied.  “Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.  - Exodus 3:1-6

This account in Exodus 3 is a great story with some valuable lessons for your life and mine. Before we draw our lessons, let's make sure we have our facts straight.
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up."

We need to understand our chronology here. It is easy for you and I to read the first few verses of Exodus 3 and think that everything that took place in those passages happened quickly.  But you would be wrong. The first christian martyr, Stephen (Acts 7) tells us that Moses was in Egypt for 40 years before he killed the Egyptian and had to run for his life. He was then in the wilderness (Midian) for 40 more years. 

So, Moses is out with the sheep and he notices a shrub on fire. I suspect, spending so much time out in the desert he had seen shrubs on fire before. But this was a unique phenomena. The bush was flaming but it wasn't really burning!  So, Moses is intrigued and goes over to see what the story is with the bush. 

Up to this moment, Moses has known about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and he has believed in God in a general way, but he has not yet encountered God personally...that is about to change.

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"  And Moses said, "Here I am."

God didn’t speak to Moses until He has Moses’ attention.  I'm sure that Moses did not understand all that what was happening in this moment, and he certainly did comprehend that this burning bush was actually the physical representation of the self-existing, eternal flame that is God Almighty.  He simply went over to have a closer look (the text says he “turned aside”) and God did the rest.

How often do we fail to “turn aside” when God is trying to get our attention?  How many burning bush moments do we miss in our lives because we are distracted or preoccupied?  God’s Word doesn’t touch our heart the way that it might because we don’t give it our attention.  The burning bush was a spectacular phenomenon that captured Moses’ attention; but it changed nothing until Moses received the Word of God there.

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." 

Why did God tell him to "take off His shoes" you ask? Certainly, if his shoes were dirty, so were his feet.  What is the point?  In ancient middle-eastern cultures, taking off your shoes was a sign of respect, much like it is in eastern cultures still today.  Perhaps it would be the equivalent to a man taking off his hat when the flag approaches, or taking off your hat for prayer or when you come into church. It was a gesture of reverence and respect. 

Then God said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

This may sound strange to us, but this is a common response when you encounter the Almighty. When Isaiah saw the Lord He was afraid and cried out “Woe is me, I am ruined!” (Isaiah 6).  When the disciples witnessed Jesus calm the storm they were afraid. 

When we see God for who He is...when we see His purity and goodness it is like the light being turned on in our heart.  For the first time we see our sin for what it really is and we know that we deserve to be consumed by God!   We shrink away because we know that we do not deserve to be in God's presence.

For the first time in his life, Moses encounters the living God.  He covers his face in fear, but God has not come to destroy Moses, He has come to call him to a life-changing journey.  When God calls, it might be confusing and at times even scary, but it is always for our good and for His glory!

Jeff Frazier