T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S Moses’ atten tion was arrested one day by a strange sight— a . tho rn bush on fire but not consumed. He tu rn s aside to study th is strang e phenomenon when, lo, in th e m idst a Personality— a voice. He hears h is name called, and a warning given, “P u t' off thy shoes from off thy feet; for th e place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” God desired to teach Moses a great lesson. He has heard th e cry of Israel, seen th eir affliction, remembered His covenant, He purposes to deliver them. Moses is to be His in strum en t— a hum ble in strum en t— b u t m ighty through God. Moses feels his own insignificance and makes -a four-fold objection. (1) “Who am I ? ” F o rty years have hum bled him. He has learned some needed lessons. (2) “W h a t is thy nam e?” To th is God replies, “ I AM h ath sent thee.” (3) “They will not believe me.” God’s answer to th is is “What is th a t in thine h and ?” (4) “ I am not eloquent.” God’s answer: “ I will be w ith thy mouth.” Because of his persistent refusal to use his voice for God, God’s anger was kindled gainst him, and th is privilege was given to Aaron. Aaron was God’s second choice. He became th e mouth piece of Moses, and Moses was the mouthpiece of God. The divine attestation to Moses’ au tho rity was to be the rod— the humble and ordinary in strum en t of his calling. (3) THE WILDERNESS WITNESS. Three views of Israel are given to us in Exodus,— enslaved, redeemed and consecrated. It was the tim e of Egypt’s greatest glory. God had a purpose in p erm itting Israel to go down into Egypt (Gen. 4 6 :3 ). “And he said, I am God, th e God of thy fath e r; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will th ere make of thee a g reat nation .” Egypt was God’s school of learning for Israel. Five words characterize this period,— Preservation, Education, Mul tiplication, Isolation, Consummation.
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While God was train ing Moses in the w ilderness He was train ing th e nation fo r th e wilderness. In delivering Israel from Egypt God manifested His long-suffering and th e judicial hardening of P h araoh ’s h ea rt through th e te n judgm ents (or plagues), which were all directed against the gods of Egypt; Moses was the leader and was led by the pillar of cloud and of fire, which was th e m anifest presence of God among them . To him was given the high honor of personal communion in the mount w ith God, and of being the bearer of th e law of God to the people. The law,— or the “Ten Words,” or “Ten Commandments,” was given on two tables,— th e first having to do w ith m an’s duty to God, and the second with m an’s duty to his fellow men. The law sets forth the principles of life in th eir practical application as well as a revela tion of God’s own character and man’s absolute insufficiency to meet His re quirements, necessitating the blood of fering for sin, as set forth in th e sacri fices prescribed in th e Tabernacle wor-' ship, the p attern for which was given to Moses by God in the Mount. Here is a simple outline of th e life of Moses, under which all th e leading events can be gathered and th e picture painted: (1) The Lad, leaning on the arm of his mother. (2) The L earner, living in th e lap of luxury. (3 ) The Laborer, leading the sheep in the land of Midian. (4) The L iberator, leading Israel out of bondage. (5) The Lawgiver, linking Israel w ith God in worship and walk. (6) The Lonely Man, laying h is life down all alone in th e mountain. (7) The Living Man, in loving fel lowship w ith Jesu s and E lijah, on th e Mount of T ransfigura tion. Moses was one of God’s g reatest
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