The Life of Moses – The Victories of Moses

We have been seeing a very different version of Moses in the Bible than you see in the movies.  What the Bible shows is also quite different than what most Christians like to believe about Moses.  Many like to believe that Moses made a decision at the burning bush and all of the sudden there is this great very useful servant of God.  A man of great faith.  But that is not what the Bible shows.

During the first plagues Moses does not speak and Moses does not handle the Rod.  Aaron is doing it all.  As the plagues advance, we see Aaron less and less.  In the first 3 plagues God tells Moses, say unto Aaron.  In the 4th and 5th plagues the word was to Moses only.  In the 6th the command is to them both.  But in the 7th the command is given exclusively to Moses.

The faith of Moses grew with every trial as he saw the faithfulness and reliableness of God.  Until finally the faith of Moses was able to act as the vehicle of divine will.  We see a man who at first could not speak, then starts to speak, and then we see his power increase.  The tone of Moses rose with every plague.  The plague of Locusts is a good example.

Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:

Before this plague, Moses had been content with repeating his demand, but now he alters his tone.  He does not treat Pharaoh as a king, but as a sinner.  And cuts straight to his proud and obstinate heart.  How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me

Moses has grown to the point of boldness and strength.  I love the strength in Moses’ response in Ex 10:25.

Exo 10:25  And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.

Exo 10:26  Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind;

We are going and not a hoof will be left behind.  O’ how Moses has grown.

And this is the way the Christian life is supposed to go.  A man does get saved and all the sudden he is a man of giant faith.  A person does not make one decision and he is done growing.  A Christian needs to make a decision, then stick it out, and let God work.  And thru that process learn, and grow, and trust more.  Then do it again, and again.  It is how we grow.  Listening to the Word of God and acting upon it.  That is what Moses did over and over again.

God can work wonders in our hearts, but we must make decisions, step out, and stick it out.  We must be willing to, and want to grow.  If we do we can see, many spiritual victories in our lives.

As we have been walking thru the life of Moses we have seen him get many what we could call spiritual victories.  Let take a quick look at some of them this morning.

Victory over the lures of the world.

Heb_11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

We saw in an earlier lesson that Moses had it all.  Talk about the lures of the world.  He was in the palace of the mightiest kingdom on earth.  Moses had power, money, servants.  Almost any pleasure that was available in that day and age was available in Egypt.

This is the same victory God wants all of us to have.

1Jn_2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Col_3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Tit 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

At 40 years old we see Moses gain this victory.  He put the true God and His people over the pleasures of sin that the world has to offer.  This is a great victory but it is only a start.  We all have many things to conquer in this life.

Victory over self-importance.

Moses’ focus was on himself.  First he tried to deliver the Israelites by his own hand.  Of course this did not work.  Moses may have chosen God over the world, but Moses’ focus is still upon himself.  He wanted to deliver his brethren.  Moses then spends 40 years in the desert and his I can do it attitude is drained away.  But his focus is still upon himself.

Exo 3:11  And Moses said unto God, Who am I

Exo 4:1  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice:

Exo 4:10  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent,

Are you seeing a pattern?  Who am I, will not believe me, I am not.  Moses’ focus was on himself.  It was all I, and me.  On what he could not do.  On his speech ability.  Over and over Moses makes excuses until God gets angry.  And each one of his excuses has to do with something about Moses himself.

As the plagues progress we see Moses completely get over this.  He sees that it is all about what God can do.  His eyes get taken off Moses and put on His great God.

This is what God wants for us all.  We are to look upon His great power and not our puny selves.

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

We all need this victory.  To see God greatness and focus on His ability and not on our inability.  Our inability is not what is important.  What is important is God’s will and God’s ability.

Then we saw Moses get victory over disobedience.

Moses learned to submit in all things.  At first he did not want to go to Egypt.  Then he had not obeyed in circumcising his son.  Then he did not want to use the rod.

But before we get to the end of the plagues Moses is obeying every command from God without any hesitation.  Moses is the one using the rod and Moses is the one doing the speaking.  Which was God’s original request.  Moses has gotten the victory over his not obeying.  He has truly humbled himself before God.

This is a victory that God wants all of us to have.  There are many Christians who will obey some of the time.  There are others who will obey most of the time, but they have one or two things where they will not.  They know what God says about it, but refuse because they want their own way.  Some will do something thinking that makes up for it.  However, the Bible tells us that what God wants is obedience.

1Sa_15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

You see obedience is actually connected to love.

Joh_14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Moses learned to be obedient.  God wants each of us to have the same victory.

Moses gets victory over doubt.

Moses had great doubt that God could use him at the burning bush.  And if you remember before the first plague Moses had doubt in God’s plan.

Exo 5:22  And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me?

Exo 5:23  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Not long after that Moses had victory over his doubt.  God tells Moses to bring the locusts or the darkness.  Moses just does it.  No doubting questions.  What will that do?  No doubt on will it happen.  Moses had learned to trust.  Where trust abides doubt flees.  What a wonderful victory trusting God is.  And God wants all of us to trust him.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

And not just when it is easy.  Or over just the little things.  But even when things are difficult or dangerous.  Paul talks about this in 2 Cor.

2Co 1:8  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

2Co 1:10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

God will help give each one of us victory over doubt, if we are willing.

Moses gets the victory of being bold.

We have already seen how Moses went from not being able to say anything to being very bold in his statements to Pharaoh.  God can do amazing things in us, if we ask.  We see this in the book of Acts.

Act 4:29  And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

Act 4:30  By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

Act 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

In Acts they prayed for boldness and God answered.

Jesus wants us to be bold witnesses for Him.  Boldness is a victory God wants to give all of us.

Moses got over the fact that God asks men to do difficult things.

Why is that a victory?

If you never accept that, you will never answer the call to do anything difficult.

If you never attempt to do something difficult for God, then you will never get to see Him do great and mighty things.

God wants to show us great and mighty things.

2Ch_16:9  For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…

Jer_33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

The point is that God wants to show Himself strong, and He wants to show you great and mighty things.  And one of the ways that He does that is by asking you to do something for Him.  God does indeed ask men and women to do difficult things.  Those that answer get the privilege of seeing God work in amazing ways.

Moses gets victory over being impatient in God’s work.

At 40 years old Moses wanted the children of Israel delivered now.  Then 40 years later Moses wanted them delivered before the first plague.  Then Moses learned to have patience and let God work.  After the first few plagues Moses learned that God has a plan, That God had a purpose for each and every plague.

He learned to just let God work in God’s time.

We see this patience continue at Mount Sinai.  Moses had to climb up that mountain over and over again.  It took 40 days to get the commandments.  They were not done when they were interrupted by sin in the camp.  And then Moses had to go back up the mountain again to get all the instructions for the tabernacle.  It took a lot of time.  And you never see Moses get impatient with it.

Too many get impatient with God’s work.  Some start a church and want it to run 200 in the first year.  God has reasons for growing a work at a certain rate.  We need to let God work in His time and not get impatient because we want to see it now.

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Luk_8:15  But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Patience is something that God wants all of us to follow.

1Ti_6:11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Our part is to be faithful and keep serving.  We need to let God bring the fruit in His due season.

Conclusion

Moses is a different man who leads the children of Israel out of Egypt than the man who sat in the royal palace.  He is a different man than the man who tended sheep.  He is a different man than he was at the burning bush.  And he is certainly a different man than he was during the first interview with Pharaoh and even the first few plagues.

This is the way God works.  He builds you.

He is the potter, we are the clay.

Our part is to be tender and moldable.

As Christians we should be growing.  And if you remember Moses did a great deal of his growing at 80 years old.

While God will not use burning bushes and plagues of Hail to build you, He will use other things to build you.

While God will not give you the service that He gave Moses, He has other areas of service for you to build you.

We need to be tender to His leading.  We need to be willing to change; to have Him build us into people who are bolder and more useful for Him.

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