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Jan. 13, 2023
Moses’ Burning Question
When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush it was to begin answering a question that Moses obviously had burning in his heart. Moses had an identity crisis. Once he understood who he was he understood what he was to do. If you struggle with various pieces of your life and wonder how it all fits together – just ask God to show you. God wants to use your unique background and call you to do something that no one else can do.
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Moses’ Burning Question (Out of Zion Episode #160)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,920
Well, when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, it began an answer to a
2
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:11,040
question that Moses had burning in his own heart. Yes, the burning bush and the
3
00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:17,680
burning heart, but Moses had an identity crisis and once he understood who he was,
4
00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:23,460
he understood what he was to do. So welcome to this week's Shabbat Shalom
5
00:00:23,460 --> 00:00:28,000
devotional and I seek to share just a little inspiration, bring a little piece
6
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:33,880
to the close of your very busy week. This week's Torah reading is from Exodus 1
7
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:43,040
verse 1 through chapter 6 verse 1. It's called Shemot or in English names. These
8
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,480
are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt. That's the beginning
9
00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:52,440
of our session. Now we have finished the book of Genesis so we've finished the
10
00:00:52,440 --> 00:01:00,200
stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. We are now beginning the story
11
00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:06,600
where our main character is Moses and it's the story of the actual birth of
12
00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:12,920
the nation of Israel. So Pharaoh wants all the Hebrew boys killed. We know the
13
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:18,040
story. Moses' mother makes a waterproof basket and lowers the child into the
14
00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:23,480
water and Pharaoh's daughter finds him and she knows that he is a Hebrew but
15
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:29,560
defies the orders of her father and adopts Moses. Moses spends the first
16
00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:35,760
three years of his life with his family in the Hebrew camp but then he has
17
00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:40,120
returned to Pharaoh's daughter and it grows up in the palace where he has
18
00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:47,080
everything and in life he could have everything but Moses had a need. He
19
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:54,800
needed to know his real family. I think he wanted to know who he belonged to. He
20
00:01:54,800 --> 00:02:02,440
wanted belonging, not just things. So he turns against his Egyptian identity and
21
00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:09,160
he goes and he actually kills an Egyptian for mistreating the Hebrew and
22
00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:14,800
this puts him right in the line of fire for Pharaoh. Unfortunately, as people
23
00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,680
don't accept him so well, so he ends up fleeing to Midian out into the wilderness
24
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:26,200
and he marries a Midianite woman and he lives there for 40 years. So he has left
25
00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:32,640
Egypt and any Egyptian identity far behind but it seems he's even left his
26
00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:40,720
Israelite identity far behind because he didn't even circumcise his son. So God
27
00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:46,400
appears to him now in the form of the burning bush and he speaks to him and
28
00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:51,980
he reveals himself to him and he tells him, not that he's the God over the
29
00:02:51,980 --> 00:02:57,920
universe and over all of Egypt, he tells him, I am the God of your father, the God
30
00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:06,880
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God reminds Moses who he is and that the God of his
31
00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:12,880
people, his family, is the God who is speaking to him and then God explains his
32
00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:18,400
mission which is to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of
33
00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:24,960
Egypt. Moses' response reveals the burning question that's in his heart
34
00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:32,800
and he says in verse 11 of chapter 3, who am I that I should go and bring them
35
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:38,000
out? Now we often read that question and we interpret it as indicating his
36
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,420
humility, who am I? I'm nobody but actually it was a very honest question on
37
00:03:43,420 --> 00:03:50,680
Moses' behalf, who am I? The Israelites are not going to accept this, he says,
38
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:56,440
because the Israelites had rejected him once, he had no reason to believe that
39
00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:02,040
they were going to accept him now. So their first question is going to be who
40
00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:07,880
is it that has sent you? So who are you? He says and God reveals to Moses his
41
00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:15,640
name, I am that I am. And then Moses returns to the basic question here, well
42
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:21,440
what if they don't listen to me? God then gets angry and says I'm going to bring
43
00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:29,520
your brother Aaron to go with you, he can help you. So God is saying you are of
44
00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:35,080
this family, I am the God of this family and I'm bringing a family member to you
45
00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:42,120
to help you carry out this mission. So Moses now knew who he was, an Israelite,
46
00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:48,200
and the God of Israel had spoken to him and was reuniting him with his brother.
47
00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:54,240
So Moses now knew what he was to do and he accepted the mission. So if you
48
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:59,080
struggle with various pieces of your life and you wonder how it all fits
49
00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:06,000
together, just ask God to show you. He wants to use you just because of who you
50
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:12,080
are, who he made you to be. You might be fashioned to do something that no one
51
00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:17,600
else can do because of your unique background. So get before the burning
52
00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:25,520
bush this weekend, ask God who you are, who he is, and let him illuminate your
53
00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:33,000
heart and direct your path. And with that I wish you Shabbat Shalom.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,920
Well, when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, it began an answer to a
2
00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:11,040
question that Moses had burning in his own heart. Yes, the burning bush and the
3
00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:17,680
burning heart, but Moses had an identity crisis and once he understood who he was,
4
00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:23,460
he understood what he was to do. So welcome to this week's Shabbat Shalom
5
00:00:23,460 --> 00:00:28,000
devotional and I seek to share just a little inspiration, bring a little piece
6
00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:33,880
to the close of your very busy week. This week's Torah reading is from Exodus 1
7
00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:43,040
verse 1 through chapter 6 verse 1. It's called Shemot or in English names. These
8
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,480
are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt. That's the beginning
9
00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:52,440
of our session. Now we have finished the book of Genesis so we've finished the
10
00:00:52,440 --> 00:01:00,200
stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. We are now beginning the story
11
00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:06,600
where our main character is Moses and it's the story of the actual birth of
12
00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:12,920
the nation of Israel. So Pharaoh wants all the Hebrew boys killed. We know the
13
00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:18,040
story. Moses' mother makes a waterproof basket and lowers the child into the
14
00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:23,480
water and Pharaoh's daughter finds him and she knows that he is a Hebrew but
15
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:29,560
defies the orders of her father and adopts Moses. Moses spends the first
16
00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:35,760
three years of his life with his family in the Hebrew camp but then he has
17
00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:40,120
returned to Pharaoh's daughter and it grows up in the palace where he has
18
00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:47,080
everything and in life he could have everything but Moses had a need. He
19
00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:54,800
needed to know his real family. I think he wanted to know who he belonged to. He
20
00:01:54,800 --> 00:02:02,440
wanted belonging, not just things. So he turns against his Egyptian identity and
21
00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:09,160
he goes and he actually kills an Egyptian for mistreating the Hebrew and
22
00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:14,800
this puts him right in the line of fire for Pharaoh. Unfortunately, as people
23
00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:19,680
don't accept him so well, so he ends up fleeing to Midian out into the wilderness
24
00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:26,200
and he marries a Midianite woman and he lives there for 40 years. So he has left
25
00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:32,640
Egypt and any Egyptian identity far behind but it seems he's even left his
26
00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:40,720
Israelite identity far behind because he didn't even circumcise his son. So God
27
00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:46,400
appears to him now in the form of the burning bush and he speaks to him and
28
00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:51,980
he reveals himself to him and he tells him, not that he's the God over the
29
00:02:51,980 --> 00:02:57,920
universe and over all of Egypt, he tells him, I am the God of your father, the God
30
00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:06,880
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God reminds Moses who he is and that the God of his
31
00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:12,880
people, his family, is the God who is speaking to him and then God explains his
32
00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:18,400
mission which is to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of
33
00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:24,960
Egypt. Moses' response reveals the burning question that's in his heart
34
00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:32,800
and he says in verse 11 of chapter 3, who am I that I should go and bring them
35
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:38,000
out? Now we often read that question and we interpret it as indicating his
36
00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,420
humility, who am I? I'm nobody but actually it was a very honest question on
37
00:03:43,420 --> 00:03:50,680
Moses' behalf, who am I? The Israelites are not going to accept this, he says,
38
00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:56,440
because the Israelites had rejected him once, he had no reason to believe that
39
00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:02,040
they were going to accept him now. So their first question is going to be who
40
00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:07,880
is it that has sent you? So who are you? He says and God reveals to Moses his
41
00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:15,640
name, I am that I am. And then Moses returns to the basic question here, well
42
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:21,440
what if they don't listen to me? God then gets angry and says I'm going to bring
43
00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:29,520
your brother Aaron to go with you, he can help you. So God is saying you are of
44
00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:35,080
this family, I am the God of this family and I'm bringing a family member to you
45
00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:42,120
to help you carry out this mission. So Moses now knew who he was, an Israelite,
46
00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:48,200
and the God of Israel had spoken to him and was reuniting him with his brother.
47
00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:54,240
So Moses now knew what he was to do and he accepted the mission. So if you
48
00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:59,080
struggle with various pieces of your life and you wonder how it all fits
49
00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:06,000
together, just ask God to show you. He wants to use you just because of who you
50
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:12,080
are, who he made you to be. You might be fashioned to do something that no one
51
00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:17,600
else can do because of your unique background. So get before the burning
52
00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:25,520
bush this weekend, ask God who you are, who he is, and let him illuminate your
53
00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:33,000
heart and direct your path. And with that I wish you Shabbat Shalom.
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