The Five Excuses of Moses (pt2)

Chuck Hartman
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read
Which is bigger, your excuse or your God?

Last time, I put myself in Moses’ sandals and looked at three of five excuses he gave God. The first excuse dealt with Moses’ lack of feeling qualified. God quickly dealt with Moses’ feelings by stating, “‘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’” (3:12, NIV). I believe at this point Moses is without excuse, but, how many times have we handed God this same excuse? Listen, God seldom asks us to do what is comfortable, often God’s call takes one outside one’s comfort zone. God doesn’t call the qualified, rather, He qualifies the called.

The next two excuses deal with the topics of what if they doubt me, and suppose they do not believe me. Moses was making me-centered excuses. We do this when we take our focus off God and His greatness.

The fourth excuse is like the three before it, “‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue’” (4:10, NIV)?

I love God’s response to Moses, “‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say’” (4:11–12, NIV). I am confident when God said He gave humans their mouths He was reassuring Moses that speech is not a problem.

Finally, his fifth excuse, reveals Moses’ heart, and root reason for making excuses to beguine with, “‘Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else’” (4:13, NIV). He’s not asking a question; he is making a statement. God, I do not want to do what you are asking. It’s almost as if he’s saying to God, I do not care that my kin is suffering, I am safe, and I am no longer burdened by their affliction — out of sight, out of mind.

How many times are we like Moses? I don’t care that my fellow humans are suffering next door, in the next neighborhood, or across the way. I am safe and in my comfort zone. God send someone else. I do not want to get my hands dirty in the affairs of others; I don’t want to get in the trenches and dig in the dirt. God send someone else. God, I am comfortable. The people You expect me to help are different from me. I could never adequately help — God send someone else.

I believe most of the time when we make these kinds of excuses to God; it reflects our desire: I do not really want to accomplish what He is asking. It’s hard to give up the comfort of home and do something new, something you’ve never done before. It’s not easy to lay the life you want to live aside to do the thing God has placed in your heart to do. However, we will never know real joy and contentment until we step out in faith and do the things God has placed in our heart. We will never know true success until we have exercised His ability and surrendered our inability.

Chuck Hartman

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Chuck lives with his wife Sonya, in Perquimans County, North Carolina. In addition to writing, Chuck is also an artist, puppeteer, pastor and musician.

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