I invite you to read Exodus chapters 3 and 4 before you read the following.
Moses receives a personal restoration to a F-S-P for his life in Exodus chapters 3 and 4. He is invited into the biggest God-event since the world-wide-flood. He is to be sent as God's representative to accomplish God’s will in the earth and in the people whom God has chosen for the same purpose—the not yet existent nation of Israel.
Moses has already said, “Hineni (Here I am, v. 4),” when specifically called by name. A few details into the conversation (v. 11) he takes a clear tone of reluctance saying, “Who am I...?”. Just a moment before he knew. Now, even after he has heard the clear and unmistakable voice of the LORD, he, much like us, begins to question God’s understanding of what has been asked. By implication he is asking God, “Are you sure you have the right person? Can't you see your plan is flawed from the outset?”.
We are prone to the same thing. We have received our ‘burning bush,’ a clear word of instruction, calling, and unmistakable clarity of a promise, or whatever else. Yet almost in the same moment, begin to infuse this clarity with doubt or deflection as if God somehow climbed down the wrong chimney; that he got his addresses confused.
While on the other side of his wilderness (v. 1), a most unlikely venue, Moses is given a ‘Word’ for the very situation that has driven him there in the first place. His effort to do what He saw needed being done, failed.
His first response to God's invitation is not, “thank you,” nor does he drill down to the details to grasp the finer points of exactly how He and God are going to do this thing that has been asked. Rather, it is, “You, the Creator of all that is, the Omnipotent One the fathers told us about, must be mistaken!”
Moses’ longing and purpose is momentarily rejected by his humility.
Let’s discuss his humility, for a moment. Later on, Moses will be declared more humble than any man who was on the face of the earth (Nu 12:3). But for now, this expression of humility is a barrier of pride between he and God — and an obstruction to God’s ask of him.
When challenged to take up God’s First-Sentence Perspective challenge of His priority for his life, Moses tries to use what he himself lacks as a barrier to the God who, by contrast, has and can supply everything! By doing so, he is declaring that God is not big enough to overcome his personal deficits. In the presence of the declared holiness of the place on which his feet are standing, Moses chooses to worship his weakness, submitting to his weaknesses rather than God’s calling.
Let’s do like Moses for a second and ‘turn aside’ (v.3) and take a look at this word, humility. Our practice of humility is often to deny any worth in ourselves or any personal ability. Now, even if those two things are true, that is pride, not humility. Instead of standing on God's promises we stand unmovable on our fears, failures and weaknesses. Self-assessment of our virtues is elevated above God’s call out of them.
Humility is not a lack of anything but pride. Pride elevates our preferences and wisdom for living life over God's priority. Humility toward God is a return to a First-Sentence Perspective (Ge. 1.1) taking whatever we have, whether skill, knowledge, strength, or even the lack of these things, and submit them to God, for His priorities and purposes. Humility is an F-S-P lifestyle.
Humility before God is the willingness to lay down self-confidence in our strengths AND our self-awareness of weaknesses, yielding ourselves to His guidance and trusting that He both can and will do resource and bring about what he has promised or asked.
Humility is when the Creator of all that exists extends an invitation to a personal or corporate partnership for His purpose in the earth, and the response is a committed and enthusiastic, “Yes!”.
God indulges Moses’ pointing out of all the flaws and weaknesses of God’s plan by a series of proofs that He in fact does have a workable plan and that Moses can explain this to the others who may have doubt or fear.
Moses stubbornly submits his lack of eloquence as the coup d'état against God’s plan and proof of his missional inadequacy.
The LORD reminds him of the F-SP that should have dominated the discussion from its beginning but has been momentarily set to the side.
The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? “Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” Ex 4:11
Even so, Moses makes one final attempt to let his feigned humility (really it is pride and fear) overthrow God’s authority and priority in this conversation and plan. God will have none of it. His anger, no longer residing in the bush, flairs against Moses and He ‘fixes’ the last ‘hole’ in His plan.
It is after this fiery eruption that purifies Moses of his fear and pride. Just like the bush was not consumed by the fire, neither was Moses. Instead, he was refined by that fire—the presence of the Lord.
Don’t be that Moses who argues with God. Be that Moses who, having encountered God and receiving a clear word, who began to adjust his current obligations to be available for an epic partnership with God for His purpose in the earth to be worked out by you in partnership with Him.
When God comes to you with an incredible invitation, respond with, "Hineni (here I am)" in concert with "Yes" and positioning yourself to understand and execute God's plan as He directs you. This is truly a return to a First-Sentence Perspective. It worked for Moses, and it will work for you.
