Exodus 4:10-17
10 Moses said to the Lord, “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.”
11 The Lord said to him, “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? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
From childhood, we were taught obedience. We learned who had authority over us and we were to listen to them. By the time we were in our teenage years, we began to push the boundaries and rebelled against parents and teachers. Why? Because we felt we were wise enough. We did not need people to tell us what to do.
What is obedience to God?
When God first created the first human beings, Adam and Eve, mankind and God lived in perfect love and harmony. It was until Adam and Eve challenged God’s authority and disobeyed Him that broke the love relationship between God (the Creator) and mankind (the created beings).
Since then, all of us find it hard to put obedience into practice.
Obedience to God means we obey His commandments and His law. Obedience to God means we will listen to Him. Actually, obedience comes from the Latin word, meaning “to hear”. When we obey God, we are listening to what He is saying and we put into practice what He requires of us. Obedience also means that we trust in God for who He is and acknowledge Who He is: the Creator God, the Almighty and Sovereign God. Obedience means we acknowledge God is the Lord of our lives and He is in control of our lives.
Disobedience is disregarding God for who He is. That was what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they chose to disobey God. They thought that they were smart enough and did not need to obey Him.
Who God is?
He is God our Creator. Because He is our Creator, He knows us perfectly. He knows what is the best for us. He has a special plan and a purpose for us one of us.
God enables us
God knows He is giving Moses a difficult task. But Moses will not be alone. God is with Moses.
God said to Moses, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” God enables us when He calls us.
God provides for what we need
When Moses told God he couldn’t deliver what God wanted him to, God provided resources for him. God said, “14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”
The work God has given us to do is not a small task. But God provides for what we need, be it resources or people. We will not be alone. We need help from other people. We can not carry out God’s plan alone because it will not an insignificant task. God will provide resource sfor all that we need to do what He is calling us to do.
Although I am blogging this article, there are others helping me in setting up the blog and proof-reading my article.
How do we obey God?
- We obey God by showing Him how thankful we are for what He has done for us, individually. God has sent His one and only precious Son, Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for our sins to save us from sin and death. Obeying God means we are so thankful for saving us from sin and death.
- We obey God by the way we live. We are living testimonies of God’s goodness and grace. We are all paid with the blood of Jesus on the Cross for us. Our lives should be different now because of what He has done. We believe in a living God, there should be changes in our lives compared to us before knowing Jesus Christ.
- We obey God in prayers and attending church service. We also celebrate what He has done through Holy Communion with fellow believers. When we come together to worship God, we are dedicating this time to worship God alone. We are echoing God’s Word through the psalmist to, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
The joy of Obedience
Moses thought he knew his limit. He was making excuses to God that he was not eloquent to do what God requires of him. He was slow of speech and tongue.
When God calls us for a task, it may not be our talents or natural giftings or something we are born with. It may not be something that comes easily to us. Sometimes God calls us to use the gifts He has already given us, or sometimes He may ask us to trust in Him and step out of our comfort zone. Whatever it is, if God is calling us, will we be able to step forward and trust that God will provide for all that we need?
God promises to be with Moses. God promises Moses that He will teach him what to do. God also gives Aaron, Moses’ own brother to help him. Moses is not alone in this journey.
What is God calling you to do? It will be out of your comfort zone. It will not be comfortable. But will you still choose to obey Him? We may feel we are incapable. However, when we are weak, we are made strong in Christ. God’s power is displayed in our weaknesses.
When God calls me to serve Him as a pastor, I obeyed. There is nothing I can boast. There is nothing I have that I can boast: I don’t have property I can boast, I don’t have any skillsets I can boast.
But I can boast in God’s goodness. I can boast in God’s faithfulness. I can boast that God never short- changed me for giving me life to serve Him. I can boast in God’s love. I have a healthy family and I have friends who love me. All these are the wonderful gifts and blessings from God.
If we love God, obedience is a delight. We are able to respond with joy because we love God. Jesus Christ is the perfect example for us about obedience.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, obeyed God although it was not easy to do so. Jesus was so stressed that He even sweat blood. But He obeyed God, His Heavenly Father and He humbled Himself to do God’s will to save the entire wicked human race so that we can be reconciled to God again.
We are created for a relationship with God. Obedience means we respond to God’s love by putting into action. How much do you love God is reflected on your obedience to God. When we obey God, we are on the path of life that God wants to bless us with. He is a good and loving God who wants nothing but the best for us, and this comes in the form of obedience to Him and His Word.