March 5 I Saturday

Numbers 32-34

Mark 9:30-50

“The LORD said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering....So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’”   —Exodus 3:7, 10

Some of us may think that God uses extraordinary people to do His work, but the truth is, God uses ordinary, normal people to be a part of His redemptive process. In the beginning of Exodus, we find that the Israelites were enslaved by Egypt. To make matters worse, because of the Israelites’ great population, Pharaoh issued an edict: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile...” (Exodus 1:22).

      Despite these difficult circumstances, God rescued Moses through a miraculous set of events and raised him to be the deliverer of His people. But, what remained a mystery was why God waited until Moses was 80 years old before activating him to be the agent through which He would carry out the redemption of His people. We could imagine Moses in a stage of life where he was probably enjoying his senior years. Yet, God waited, till effectively, Moses was powerless to do anything.

      Moses was quite concerned about going up against the greatest military might of his day, but God promised him, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). God made Moses a promise, almost like Him saying, “I will be with you. I will be the One who protects and delivers good on My promise through you. Don’t be afraid, Moses. Just walk into the fray.”

      Through miraculous signs and wonders, God made good on His promise. God sent ten plagues against Pharaoh, which caused Pharaoh to eventually relinquish his grip on the Israelites. As the Israelites fled, they encountered a dead- end—ahead of them was the Red Sea and behind them was Pharaoh’s army, because Pharaoh had a change of heart to keep the Israelites in Egypt when he realized he would lose his labour force after the Israelites left.

      In these dire circumstances, Moses encouraged the Israelites, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today....The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:13). Then the Lord told Moses, “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:16). The Israelites safely crossed the Red Sea, while Pharaoh’s army drowned in pursuit. God’s champion that He sent to defeat Egypt was an 80-year-old man with a stick. If God could use Moses, He could use us in His redemptive plan.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for using ordinary, normal people like Moses in Your redemptive plan. Show me how I can best serve You in Your kingdom work. Praise You!