“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” Exodus 3:11
Are you timid and fearful in using your abilities as Moses seemed to be when the Heavenly Father sent him to speak to the Egyptians and lead his people out of captivity?
- Fear often prevents us from getting out of our comfort zone, even for righteousness’ sake.
- Timidity can even stop us from standing alone and DEFENDING THE TRUTH.
- Human emotions often causes us to fear rejection by our friends. It can even paralyze us and block the voice of God as He speaks through the Bible and providence.
- Anxiety and depression can cause us to be overly concerned about something that is not reality.
If you can identify with any of these symptoms, then read on for some good news – as this post is for you!
As an infant, Moses was placed by faithful parents where an Egyptian princess could find him, amidst the bulrushes of the Nile. Seeing the young baby, she decided to adopt him.
Safe in the midst of his enemies, he received an ample education.
“And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.” (Acts 7:22)
The honors of the Egyptian Court were his, but when Moses learned the truth of his origin he no longer could enjoy the benefits of his high station while his kinsmen—the Israelites—suffered under the burden of slavery.
After killing an Egyptian taskmaster for his cruelty to an Israelite slave, he was disappointed when his brethren did not appreciate his endeavors to help them, but instead, reported him to the Egyptians (Exodus 2:11-22).
He fled to Midian, and was gone forty years. Then…
GOD’s time having come,
he was sent to deliver his people—Israel; but by now he was timid and feared his inability.
By Divine command, Aaron became his mouthpiece, and the message was carried to Pharaoh that Israel must be released from bondage. This commission to Moses was given at the burning bush which was not consumed. The Lord used this miracle to impress on Moses that God was with him. It provided the courage and confidence for Moses to fulfill his mission. We read of this in Exodus chapter 3-4.
Exodus Chapter 3 (ESV)
[Note: Most commentary in green from “Expanded Biblical Comments.”]
1Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7 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, 8 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.
9 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. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
Exodus Chapter 4 (ESV)
1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
[A staff signifies divine authority. R4058:4. A special manifestation of divine power and rule. R5419:5]
3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
[Became a serpent—Symbolizing that all the evil there is in the world is the result of God’s having let go of his rod of authority temporarily. R4058:4 Those things closest to us might become injurious except for God’s power to overrule. R5419:2 Antitype may be that the power of God may appear to be evil.]
4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
[Put out your hand — Typifying God’s purpose to lay hold upon present evil conditions. R4058:4 It became a staff — Typifying the re-establishment of divine authority. R4058:4
Representing God’s power to turn evil things into good things through the operation of FAITH. R2910:4, R5419:3 From this we should realize that of ourselves we could accomplish nothing. R5419:2]
R3990: “The assurance that he would be able to give the people this demonstration [with the staff] and other demonstrations that God had sent him to them strengthened Moses’ confidence in God and made up for his lack of confidence in himself. And this should be the case with all of us; we are not to have confidence in ourselves, but if we go forth strong in the Lord and in the power of his might, confident and rejoicing because he is with us, we are not only safe as respects ourselves but in the proper condition for the Lord to more and more use us in his service—”He that humbleth himself shall be exalted; he that exalteth himself shall be abased,” is the divine method of procedure.”
6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
[He put his hand — Leprosy is a symbol of sin. Divine power was first manifested without sin or imperfection or blemish (in Jesus Christ); secondly, that the same divine power, hidden for a time, was afterward manifest in sin and imperfection (in his Body members) and thirdly, that the same divine power, hidden again for a time, will subsequently be manifest without sin (in the glorified Christ) R4059:2]
7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
[Restored — By and by the Church is to be received into Christ’s bosom and “changed” in the first resurrection. R4059:3
As his other flesh — Be used again of the Lord as his agent in stretching forth his rod and bringing forth the plagues, and delivering the residue of God’s people. R4059:3]
8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.
[Voice of the first sign — Literature on the subject of “Why evil was permitted” has been circulated to the extent of millions of copies throughout the world ever since the year 1879. R4058:6
Voice of the latter sign — The sign of the leprous hand—the “Millennial Dawn” series of volumes (later called “Studies in the Scriptures”) the first of which was published in 1886. In these books the relationship between justification, sanctification and deliverance is distinctly shown. R4059:4]
9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
[Water from the Nile — The truth, as contained in millions of pages of tracts, poured upon the symbolic earth, society, liberally on many lands and in many languages. R4059:6
Upon the dry land — Typifying society. R4059:5
Shall become blood — To society the truth seems repulsive, undesirable, bloody. They not only view the typical sacrifices as bloody but they resent the thought that the antitypical sacrifice for sins was the death (blood) of Christ. R4060:1]
10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
[I am not eloquent — Moses was so meek that he could not realize that with divine help he would be successful. R5262:2]
11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
*[I will be with thy mouth — So God declares to the humble ones now; that having no confidence in ourselves, we should have every confidence in God. R5262:4]*
13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
[Aaron represents the Royal Priesthood still in the flesh, still sacrificing. R4058:3]
15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people [to true Israelites], and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.
[The understanding of God through studying Scripture and prayer and developing the fruits of the spirit allows the called ones running for the prize of High Calling during the Gospel Age to be used as the “mouthpieces” of the Heavenly Father through Christ.
Be as God to him — Moses was to be like God unto Aaron in that he would tell Aaron what he should say and do. Q498:5 Moses, not Aaron, was the one competent for the great work because of his schooling. Aaron was his servant, or mouthpiece, speaking only as authorized by Moses in whom, because of his meekness, God was reposing the responsibility. R5262:4, R4537:1; PD32]
17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”
20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt [for the last 40 years of his life]. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”
24 At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death [because Moses has not circumcised their son.] 25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
[The circumcision — Symbolizing a cutting off, a separation from the flesh, its aims, hopes and desires. R3022:3]
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God [Mount Horeb, one of the peaks of Mt. Sinai. R4011:3] and kissed him.
[Does not the Lord God also tell us: to shelter ourselves from all evil by finding rest under his wings of care and Divine supervision when feasting upon the Words of Life in Scripture and when in prayer communion with the Him through Christ. Here the New Creation can “meet” with Christ and his Body members – in sweet fellowship for as we are told “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20) and “where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather” (Luke 17:37).]
28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do.
This reminds us of Jesus’ words in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people.
31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
Moses’ experiences changed him for the better. How?
By God giving him the perfect experiences—which for the first 40 years of his life taught him to depend on his own strengths (i.e. he killed the Egyptian rather than depend on God to bring justice, etc); then the next 40 years of his life, Moses learned to not depend on his own strength (i.e. he worked for his Father-in-law looking after the sheep—which were not his own) and finally in the last 40 years of his life, Moses learned to put all his past experiences into practice hence why we read in Numbers 12:3 that “the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.”
Lessons from the Burning Bush
“God usually has a symbolical meaning in every miracle, and in this one the representation is supposed to be Israel in the midst of tribulation, yet not consumed. Later on, in Reformation times, the Church of Scotland appropriated this burning bush as its emblem on its banner, because its experience had been similar in that it had passed through severe afflictions and distresses and trials, yet had not been consumed.
Is not the burning bush a good illustration of the experience of Christ and all of his members? Are they not indeed surrounded by fiery trials? And do they not emerge from these unscathed, uninjured?—on the contrary, blessed, developed, strengthened, made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light? (R.3990)
The Fear, Reverence of the Lord –
“Well do the Scriptures declare that the fear, reverence, of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We greatly deplore the growth of irreverence in our day, and urge upon all of our readers for themselves and for their families the cultivation of this proper attitude of mind, so helpful to our preparation for the life that now is and that which is to come. Liberty and independence, while excellent qualities, are always to be valued and conserved and protected, are never to become license, never to lead in any degree to irreverence. This is the more necessary to us for two reasons: (1) Because of the growing irreverence of the world about us, born of a declining faith in God and everything supernatural; (2) because of our growing enlightenment in the Truth, by which we see that the fears of an eternity of torture were groundless, there is a danger of losing that proper reverence for God which belongs to and is an integral part of love.
“The Prophet David writes, “Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God”—take heed to your standing, take heed to your walk, take heed to your conduct. Whether the house of God be a great temple, as in past times, under divine direction, or whether it be the temple of God, which is the Church of Christ in the flesh, we should realize that reverence is befitting to us in connection with everything that is holy and consecrated. We should realize that whoever neglects the cultivation of reverence in respect to these matters is making his own pathway slippery and dangerous. He who reverences little and is careless is much more likely to stumble, to fall, and be utterly cast down.
If even Moses, the “meekest man in all the earth,” needed from the Lord as his first instruction a lesson of humility, shall we not suppose that such a lesson is necessary to us? Yea, verily!
Let us honor the Lord in our hearts, in our outward demeanor. Whether we bow to give thanks for our daily bread, whether we bow our knee night and morning in acknowledgment of divine care and providences, or whether we meet with those of like precious faith, let us see to it that reverence marks our conduct and our words as well as rules in our hearts. Let us, too, take off our shoes, let us lay aside the ordinary conduct of life by which we are in contact with the world, and in all our ways acknowledge him, especially when we hearken to his voice in the study of his Word as his people.” (R.3990)
Like Moses was asked by God, does not our Heavenly Father also ask us:
“What is in your hand?”
“God can use our humblest talent to his praise. If, then, we would serve, we should look to see what we have in our hands.” (R5419:2)
How to overcome timidity and fear
Jesus gives us the ANSWER in overcoming fear of others (i.e. timidity.)
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (Matthew 10:28, 29)
God is mindful of every creature that lives. He even knows when a sparrow dies. So, we can be confident that He cares for us and we have nothing to fear from others. David echoed this sentiment when he said, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:6).
- Fear of doing wrong in the eyes of God
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:1, 2).
Christians who are committed to serving God have a special relationship with Him. Jesus, as their “Advocate” covers their sins. We can take great comfort in knowing we do not have to be perfect for God to accept us. The blood of Jesus provides our standing before God.
- Fear of being misunderstood which can lead to being hated
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).
Though every Christian should be sensitive to the feelings of others we should not fear what they will think of us. Only God’s view truly matters. If we live according to His principles and serve Him the best we can, then we have nothing to worry about.
- Fear of standing for the Truth when others will not
“And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matthew 10:22-24).
Enduring to the end is important as we stand for truth. God sees and remembers all that we do for the cause of Truth. That’s what matters most.
Do you deal with any of these fears?
Then please STOP right here!
“God has the plan, man has the problem, the Bible has the solution.” – Dewey Aaron.
May the words of Holy Scripture , be your comfort and your strength.
We cannot do more than to give our best to the Heavenly Father as we present our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). It sometimes involves much pain and suffering for righteousness sake. But whatever suffering we are asked to endure will be well worth it in knowing that God is pleased.
“As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-5)
As Christians, we have a guidebook, as well as a guide, to show us how to live. The more we follow the instructions left by our guide, the more we begin to understand the plans, and influence others to do the same.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
We cannot seek God’s help if we do not believe that He will help us.
When we come to Him, we must do so with the faith that He knows all, sees all, and has power over all.
“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (Psalm 147:10-11)
The Lord is not impressed with the things that the world sees as important.
Our Heavenly Father cares little for our physical strength, speed, or agility.
What makes our Heavenly Father smile is
the strength of our love for Him.
“My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26
This is the ANSWER to overcoming ALL things through CHRIST!
It involves falling in love with the one who reads the heart’s deepest sorrows… deepest regrets… deepest pains… deepest secrets of our good intentions …
The Heavenly Father’s delight comes when our faith in his perfect abilities is strong.
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-16)
FOCUS ON YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE.
This does not mean shutting ourselves away from everyone. The Lord wants us to serve one another and share each other’s burdens.
“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians_6:2 )
If physical or mental impairment prevent one from being able to meet the needs of others, this too, is something the Lord understands perfectly. He reads the heart and understands the difficulties we often face in life.
This is where PRAYERS for each other ARE WORTH MORE THAN GOLD.
“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16)
Comfort and Reassurance
How reassuring to know that our Heavenly Father helps our weaknesses to become our strengths as we DEPEND WHOLEHEARTEDLY upon Him—that we might look to Him in every time of need and receive strength through CHRIST. He becomes our strength when we remain in Him and His Word remains in us.
Here are some Scriptures to meditate upon to gain strength from our Heavenly Father through CHRIST Jesus. These can give us great JOY. He is OUR STRENGTH as we fight the good fight of Faith to overcome sin and sorrow, focusing on the author and perfecter of our Faith, Christ Jesus.
CONFIDENCE & STRENGTH THROUGH CHRIST SCRIPTURES:-
“The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:2 (ESV)
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
“He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness. For by strength no man shall prevail.” 1 Samuel 2:9 (NKJ)
“God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.” 2 Samuel 22:33 (NKJ)
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11 (ESV)
“…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (ESV)
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV)
“The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.” Psalm 33:16 (ESV)
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 (NKJ)
“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24 (NKJ)
“God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer. I call to You from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me, for You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy. I will live in Your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings. Selah” Psalm 61:1-4 (HCSB)
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26 (ESV)
“5 Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings. 7They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion.” Psalm 84:5-7 (AMP)
“28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV)
“…in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 (ESV)
“…Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’” Joel 3:10 (ESV)
“17 Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation! 19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!” Habakkuk 3:17-19 (AMP)
“26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (ESV)
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (ESV)
“On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses.” 2 Corinthians 12:5 (NASB)
“9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10 So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (HCSB)
“8 I know your works. Because you have limited strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name, look, I have placed before you an open door that no one is able to close.” Revelation 3:8 (HCSB)
“15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV)
“Thou Mayest Bring Forth My People”
Just as God used Moses to deliver the Israelites out of the hands of Pharaoh, so too, if “the Lord may choose to send us on any special mission, we may be sure that he does not wish us to undertake it as our own mission, nor to claim the honor of the success attending it. He merely deigns to use us as his instrumentalities, whereas he could do the entire work much easier, we might say, without us. How wonderful it seems that God throughout all his dealings, past and present, has been willing to use his consecrated people. Telling them on the one hand that they are unworthy, he assures them on the other hand of his willingness to use their imperfections and to overrule and guide in respect to their services for him and his cause.” (R. 3990)
“The prime essentials evidently in the faithful performance of such a commission would be reverence for the Lord and humility as respects our own talents and abilities. It was so with Moses, the “meekest man in all the earth.” (R.3990)
“Not stopping even to tell the Lord of his appreciation of the facts that he had been chosen for and had undertaken this great work, Moses was overwhelmed with the thought that the Lord would deign to use him as a messenger, and he promptly disclaimed any special qualifications therefor. Indeed, he evidently felt, as well as said, that there were others much more capable of the work than himself. (R.3990)
“But was it not this very appreciation of his own unworthiness that helped to make him suitable for the Lord’s business?
“And so with us: we may be sure that when we feel strong then we are weak, and when we feel weak in our own strength then we are best prepared to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might and to be used of him as his instruments.” (R.3990)
“And all the members of the body of Christ, the antitypical body of Moses, are permitted to have a share, as the Lord’s representatives, in this work of declaring the fall of Babylon, the presence of the King, and the gathering together unto him of all who have made a covenant with him by sacrifice. While feeling our unworthiness of so great an honor, and our inability as respects so great a work, let us remember that the Lord himself is with us, and that since it is HIS work it will go onward and accomplish the designs intended, and gather out eventually all who are truly the Lord’s, whether we are faithful or whether we are unfaithful.
“Let each of us then, dear readers, impress upon our hearts the essence of this lesson, that if God be with us and for us, however humble and weak of ourselves, we may be mighty through him to the pulling down of the strongholds of error and for the building up of his people in the most holy faith, and for their deliverance from the bondage of error. Let us in the name of the Lord do with our might what our hands find to do, but always with the thought that we serve the Lord. ” (R. 3991)
Let his words in Isaiah 41:10 be the strength in our every endeavor in his name and cause.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
By being faithful unto death, may we maintain the relationship to the great antitype of Moses, and ultimately be associated with him in the glories of the Kingdom, in the dispensing of the blessings and judgments of the future age.—Acts 3:23. (R.3
References:
Br. Charles T. Russell, Reprints of the Original Watchtower and Herald of Christ’s Presence. (R)
“Expanded Biblical Comments” — http://www.htdbv8.com/ (Purchase hard copy—https://chicagobible.org/product/expanded‑biblical‑comments/)
Acknowledgment
Br. Tom Ruggirello – for editing assistance.
Suggested Further Reading
The Burning Bush, by Br. Carl Hagensick in “The Beauties of the Truth,” Volume 11, No. 4, November 2000.
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