THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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back on th e court and on th e prospec tive position of high place there, and his m u rder of th e Egyptian (probably an official) would not be viewed lightly, nor easily forgotten by those in power. 3. Moses had to overthrow P h a r aoh ’s power. W hat a task to be a t tempted by one man and a host of slaves, when we remember th a t Egypt, in th a t day, was one of th e g reatest m ilitary powers in the world. Even the case of Belgium and Germany falls far sho rt of being a fitting illustration. II. Moses’ P rep aration fo r H is Work. 1. It was lengthy. He was a man of eighty years when God though t he was fitly trained. To pu t it in another way, two-thirds of Moses’ life was spent in g etting ready for his life’s work. Deut. 34:7. Our Lord spent th irty years getting ready for th ree and one- th ird y ear’s work. W hat a con trast to tw entieth century impatience. 2. The years have transform ed Moses’ life in many ways. His self- assurance th a t led him to k ill the Egyptian, has become self-distrust. In fact, he has gone almost to th e extreme of not only d istru sting himself, bu t of d istru sting God. Three excuses he urges, when the call comes; his own unfitness (v. 11 ); his ignorance of the One to whom he is talking, (v. 1 3 ); the unbelief of th e people (Chapter 4 :1 ). 3. His vision given to him, while he was about h i s _ordinary, every-day business. Is th e re any record of God having called a lazy man, or an idle man, into His service? God gained Moses’ atten tion by an unusual sight, b u t if Moses had no t kep t his eyes open, even th e unusual sigh t could not -have a ttracted his attention. How many of us w alk th rough God’s won derfu l world of n atu re w ithou t seeing any of the wonders th a t are on every hand? A leafless tree,— w hat a con tra s t to Moses’ burning bush— led to th e conversion of B ro th er Lawrence To Moses th e bush revealed God’s glory,
God’s holiness, and made him con scious of his own sinfulness. Compare the experience of Isaiah, Job, Peter, John and Paul. Has th e re ever been a man who was highly used of God, who has not had th is experience? 4. Moses discovered God’s in terest in men. God’s long silence and indif ference were only apparent, not real. He reveals to Moses th a t He is ac quainted with, and vitally interested in, all th e affairs of His people. He is interested in th e ir present m isery: “ I have seen” (v. 7 ); “ I have h ea rd ” (v. 7 ); “ I know” (v. 7 ); “ I am come down” (v. 8). He is interested in th eir fu tu re happiness “To bring th em .in to ” (v. 8 ). Though tfie phrase is some times misused, the fact rem ains th a t the “ immanence of God” is revealed in the word- of God from Genesis to Revel ation. R ightly taugh t, it is th e g reat tru th th a t men th e world over need to realize today. How many men and women who can say tru th fu lly enough, “ I believe in God,” could also say, “ I know Whom I have believed?” 5. Moses was divinely commis sioned. To present him self to the He brews and to P haraoh as merely Moses, would mean nothing, bu t to come as God’s representative, would mean every th ing ; and God said “ I will send th ee.” A certain gentlem an whom most of us had never heard of un til th ree or four years ago, wields a m ighty influence a t Versailles, or wherever the Allied W ar Council is m eeting; b u t it is as the representative of th e P residen t of the United States, th a t he speaks, and not as Col. House. Has no t our Lord Jesus commanded every follower of His to be a rep resen tative of Him in th is world, “Ye shall be my w itnesses?” 6. Moses was streng thened by the prom ise of God’s presence. “Certainly, I will be w ith thee.” And our Lord promises, “Lo, I am w ith you always.” When th a t officer was ordered by the general to ta k e his men and silence a certain b attery of the enemy, a task
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