Submitted by admin on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 7:11am
MP3 File:
The last couple of weeks we've been considering those times when we fall flat on our face, when we squander a great opportunity, when we drop the ball, when we mess up...
We have a lot of ways to describe it-a lot of ways to spin it. But the Bible cuts through all that and gets to the heart of the matter-we are broken people; we are flawed; our entire race has been damaged by Adam's fall.
...we are like clay jars... (2 Cor 4:7, NCV) ... perishable containers...weak bodies (NLT)
Eugene Peterson's paraphrase describes "the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives... You know for yourselves," he says, "that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles... we're not sure what to do... we've been spiritually terrorized... we've been thrown down... (2 Cor 4:7-9, MSG)
But we're talking about more than our human limitations! We know there has been spiritual damage:
...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... (Romans 3:23)
All have turned aside...there is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalms 14:3)
There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. (Eccl 7:20)
Many people spend their lives doing damage control, trying to look better than they are, trying to impress others with how "put together" they are, with how cool they are.
But whenever you're with people (look around), remember that you live among brokenness, heartache, disappointment, failure, sin. We're all in this together.
"Woe to me!" Isaiah, the OT prophet exclaimed. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." (Isaiah 6:5)
God knows all this, and he loves us anyway. God's extends his grace and mercy to fallen, sinful people. And God wants to give you another chance. A fresh start. A new beginning.
22 The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. (Lam 3:22-23, NLT)
So today we come to the story of another second-chance person, someone who got another chance to do things God's way instead of his own way. It's the story of Moses—who went from being fugitive in a distant land to the forefront of history, from the backside of the desert to the front of the nation.
We pretty much know the basics of the story:
- How God met Moses at the burning bush;
- How, despite his feelings of inferiority and his reluctance, Moses finally agreed to answer God's call;
- How Moses rallied the people of Israel and confronted Pharaoh, telling him to "let my people go";
- How Moses pronounced ten plagues on Egypt until finally, he could lead the people out of slavery;
- How Moses brought the Israelites through the Red Sea and the desert wilderness for 40 years;
- How Moses was used by God to perform miracles (water from the rock, manna in the morning, healing from snake bites, meat to eat) until finally the next generation was ready to move into the Promised Land.
We know that story. We've seen the movie.
But go with me for just a few moments back to the beginning! Back before the burning bush. Back to the time when Moses messed things up. Back to when this great leader and man of God failed to do what God had raised him up to do.
You see, God had his hand on Moses from the beginning. God had a plan for Moses and began working out the details of that plan even before Moses was born.
Moses didn't choose to be born. He didn't get the opportunity to choose his parents. He couldn't help the circumstances of his birth. He couldn't help it he'd been born in such trying times. The Pharaoh had decreed that all the boys born to the Israelites were to be put to death...
- Moses had no choice about being born—and neither did you. You couldn't help it you were born in this generation, in these times. But here you are—now, in this place—because God has something in mind for you.
Just as Moses had nothing to do with the circumstances of his birth, he couldn't help what happened in his childhood:
- He was still a baby when his mother, hoping to save his life, had to give him up for adoption.
- God used Pharaoh's daughter to save him, pulling up the basket where his mother had left him, floating in the reeds along the swampy shores of the Nile River.
- But God arranged for Moses' birth mother to be his nanny—so she could influence him during his early formative years. In fact, she was paid by the princess to raise her own son in her own home! His own birth mother was able to teach little Moses about the God of Israel, and that the Hebrew slaves were really his people.
- Later, when he was perhaps four or five years old, his mother gave him up to Pharaoh's daughter, who raised him in the palace with all the advantages of royalty.
- Moses had nothing to do with all those decisions about his childhood. He didn't ask to be adopted, but he was. He didn't ask to be raised in a wealthy home, but he was. He didn't ask to be treated in a special way, but he was.
- In the same way, you had nothing to do with the circumstances of your childhood. If you were raised in a home with privileges and advantages, it wasn't because you chose that life. If you were raised in a poor home...or by a single-parent...or in a dysfunctional family, that wasn't something you chose either!
But then Moses grew up, and he started making choices. Undoubtedly, the choices he made were influenced by his upbringing—he enjoyed the power and the privileges of his adoptive family. But he also identified with the abused and down-trodden Hebrew slaves.
We can't say for sure, but I imagine the growing sympathies he had for the suffering Hebrews were prompted by a couple of things: (1) his mother's early training; (2) God's influence on his heart.
I think God had been speaking to Moses long before the burning bush. I suspect that even when he was back at the palace, Moses may have felt that God had put him into that special place with unique resources and opportunities to do something great. I'm guessing Moses sensed that God had a special purpose for him—perhaps even to be part of the process to set God's people free from their slavery.
One more thing about Moses' upbringing: we learn later that though he had been educated in Pharaoh's palace, though he was a member of the ruling class, though he was trained to be a leader, Moses had a problem getting his words out—he stuttered and stammered.
Like Moses, you didn't get to choose your gifts and talents...or your handicaps.
Moses pleaded with the Lord, "O Lord, I'm not very good with words. I never have been, and I'm not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled." (Exod 4:10, NLT)
Knowing that, it's not hard to imagine Moses being someone who avoided talking. He may have become more of a doer than a talker. More action than talk. It's entirely possible he had a leader's strong personality—but became more of a hands-on leader than a motivational speaker.
And that's the situation we find when Moses made a major decision that proved to be life-changing. We read about it in Exodus 2.
Exod 2:11-12 (NLT) - 11Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.
Here's the situation: Moses knew he was a Hebrew. He identified with his own people. He felt terrible that they were forced to work so hard. It's also possible he felt guilty about living a life of privilege and ease while they slaved.
As he watched the abusive Egyptian beating the helpless Hebrew slave, Moses grew angry. This wasn't fair! This wasn't right! Where was the justice? Moses knew something needed to be done.
Moses knew he was a Hebrew—but he also knew he was Pharaoh's adopted grandson. As a prince of Egypt, Moses knew he could throw his weight around. He had some power and authority.
He wasn't very good with words. He knew he would stutter and stammer if he tried to order the Egyptian to stop. He couldn't argue. He wouldn't be able to persuade the Egyptian slave master to ease up on the poor Hebrew.
So Moses made a choice to take matters into his own hands. He didn't bother talking. He didn't take the matter to court. He didn't waste time. He simply decided to take action right then and there.
I doubt he checked with God to see if this was the best course of action. He just did what he thought best. He looked around in every direction to make sure no one would see what he did, and he killed the Egyptian.
So much comes in life that we don't choose, but we still have choices!
It's when we take matters into our own hands... when we make impulsive decisions without seeking God's guidance—that's when we mess up. That's when we wreck our future... when we throw away the opportunities and resources God gave us to accomplish his purpose.
So what happened? Moses had to leave the place God had put him. He lost his influence and his position. He squandered the opportunities to bring about change for the Hebrew nation.
Exod 2:13-15 (NLT) - 13The next day, when Moses went out to visit his people again, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. "Why are you beating up your friend?" Moses said to the one who had started the fight. 14The man replied, "Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?" Then Moses was afraid, thinking, "Everyone knows what I did." 15And sure enough, Pharaoh heard what had happened, and he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in the land of Midian.
Now, if you go to Hebrews 11—the "Faith" chapter—there is an interesting perspective on Moses' story.
Heb 11:24-27 (NLT) - 24It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to share the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.
It's hard to see why Hebrews would say that Moses left Egypt by faith, not fearing the king's anger! In fact, the account in Exodus seems to say the opposite—that Moses left the land of Egypt in fear rather than faith. Hebrews says he left Egypt, "not fearing the king's anger"; Exodus says, "Moses was afraid... Moses fled from Pharaoh."
So what's going on here? Why this apparent discrepancy? I think this is an example of what happens when God gives us a second chance. When we take matters into our own hands and we mess up, God's grace can wipe the slate clean.
It's almost like rewriting history, though not exactly. When we make a foolish decision with life-changing consequences, God wants to give us another chance. He wants us to learn to do things his way instead of our way. He wants us to try again—this time guided by faith and trust in him.
You see, what Hebrews does not say is that it's telling the end of the story. This is the way it all worked out after God gave Moses a second chance to get it right.
Moses did renounce his life as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He did give up the treasures of Egypt. He did identify with God's people and suffer oppression as a result. And he did all that because he learned to live by faith instead of fear.
That's why—the second time—he was fearless. He could stand up to Pharaoh! The Lord told Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh" (Exod 7:1).
This is what redemption is about. That sounds like a big theological word—redemption—but it's really about finding something that was lost...it's about buying back something that was stolen...it's about taking something wrong and making it right.
Here's the deal: we all have sinned. We all have tried to get things right and we all have failed. But there is redemption. There is a second chance. God's grace and love is available to rewrite the story!
Earlier I read portions of a passage paraphrased by Eugene Peterson about our lives being like clay pots. Let me read it again—this time with the whole passage intact, where the rest of God's story of redemption is included:
2 Cor 4:7-9 (MSG) - 7 We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. 8 As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; 9 we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken.
Or, as another pastor (J.B. Phillips) paraphrased it to a previous generation: We are handicapped on all sides, but we are never frustrated; we are puzzled, but never in despair. We are persecuted, but we never have to stand it alone: we may be knocked down but we are never knocked out!
If you've been like Moses—running from your past, a fugitive living in fear, afraid someone will discover how you messed up—there is redemption available for you! You can receive God's grace today! You can have another chance!
Will you let God back in? Will you give him the chance to work in you?