Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. Deuteronomy. 11: 26-28

Many words of Moses are recorded in scriptures. This particular passage of scripture has been brought to my mind today. Not that it is any more important than any other passage but I trust it is because of the subject matter contained within the words. How often did our Lord use Moses to speak to man about being obedient to God?  Moses who was called in the backside of the desert when he was tending to flock of Jethro was not the most subservient and obedient man by nature. When he was called to go to Egypt to deliver God's people from their bondage we weren't given the picture of a man that was ready willing and able to do all that God commanded him to do. Rather, we see a man saying to almighty God, " Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Perhaps one might see this as the humility of Moses and the realization of his inadequacies to do anything good. I suppose that would be a good rationalization but the fact of the matter is that Moses was trying in every way to beg off from the duty that God had called him to perform.  God's initial response to Moses should have been sufficient. There we see God saying "Certainly I shall be with thee." Brethren, the Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob found Moses, who was like a needle in a haystack, hiding as a fugitive from justice, stowed up in the backside of the desert. God found Moses and God revealed himself to Moses. He identified himself as God. He shewed Moses that where he stood was holy ground, yet Moses refused to take heed to that which God commanded of him. He engaged his Maker in a long argument. Moses Began with the question: What shall I say that when Israel asks what is thy name? Moses asked what shall I say unto them? God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM.  Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. But Moses then said they will not believe, nor hearken to my voice, Israel will say the Lord hath not appeared unto you. Then the Lord blessed Moses with the rod and many signs and wonders to confirm the fact that he is God's called servant. Now that too was not sufficient for Moses as we see he now says "I am not eloquent neither heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue."   Moses calls himself a "servant", but what kind of servant is so contentious with his master? God asks rhetorically "Who hath made man's mouth, or who hath made the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind, Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." I reckon that would have been enough, but not for Moses. We see Moses saying "send by the hand of him whom thou wilt send."  

Moses protested against God's call. Scripture says, "The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses." Of course God knew that Moses would resist and protest. Did our Lord do as Moses said?  Did he send Him that He would send? I take that to be our Lord, the Lamb of God who was promised in the Garden of Eden and foreordained before the world began (1 Pt. 1:20) . We see the entrance into the world of the Levite, a picture of the law, which would come before our Lord, He that would fulfill the law to every jot and title. God said I know that thy brother Aaron the Levite can speak well. God said that Aaron would be to Moses instead of a mouth, and Moses shall be to Aaron instead of a God.

When Moses finally did go to Pharaoh he delivered God's message. Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, "Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness." Pharaoh said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, to let Israel go? I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go (Ex. 5:2) ." Only man would vaunt himself to the degree that he would think that he ought not to obey God. Consider darkness. There was a point before time when darkness was on the face of the deep.  Scripture asks what communion hath light with darkness (2 Cor 6:14) ? The natural man isn't in darkness, he is darkness. What communion hath light with darkness? None whatsoever unless one was elect, chosen in the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Darkness has no communion, unless that one that is darkness was chosen in Christ Jesus by grace before the world began. Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord, walk ye as children of light (Eph 5:8) .  When God commanded light to shine out of darkness, darkness did not protest. Darkness said I know not God or who is God that I should obey His voice. Only the dust worm called man would say such a thing. Whether or not one knows God has no bearing on the truth of God's word. Peter when he responded to the High Priest spoke correctly. The high priest said, "Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.  Peter didn't say, well I can understand why you said what you said seeing you don't know God. Peter didn't justify the high priest because he didn't believe the word of God.  Peter told the truth and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." All men ought to obey God but we know that all man will not obey God.  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live (Heb. 12:9) ? Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right (Eph 6:1) .  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. Shall he not render every man according to his works here in this world (Proverbs 24:12) ? That servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:47-48) . The more obedient we are   the fewer stripes we shall suffer here in this world by the grace of God.  2/21/2004 Marty Hoogasian