Read an Excerpt
How God Takes Our Little & Makes it Much
By James W. Moore Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2010 The United Methodist Publishing House
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4267-0878-7
Chapter One
Session One
God Takes a Reluctant Shepherd and Makes a Bold Leader
The Story of Moses Exodus 3:1-20
Their names are Bob and Karen. They recently moved into a brand-new home in north Dallas. Bob and Karen are the proud parents of two fine boys, David (age four) and Jack (age two), and they were delighted to discover that all around them in their new neighborhood are young couples who also have preschool-age children.
Recently, two little girls from across the street came over to play with David and Jack. The two little boys were excited because the two little girls are really cute. Four-year-old David was especially pleased because he has something of a crush on the five-year-old girl. As soon as they arrived, all four children ran upstairs to play in the playroom.
Bob said they were playing together so well—no crying, no fussing, no squabbling—and no crashes. However, after about thirty minutes, Bob thought that he had better go up to check on them. When Bob walked into the playroom, David took one look at him and said, "Daddy, don't you have a meeting downstairs with Momma?"
That sounds like something a junior high or senior high young person might say, doesn't it? But it is also similar to what happened when Moses experienced the presence of God in that burning bush. Things were going well for Moses. He didn't want to be bothered or interrupted, so in effect he said to God: "Lord, don't you have a meeting somewhere with somebody else? Surely you don't want me to be the one to go face the pharaoh and demand the release of your people. Things are going great for me. Couldn't you call on somebody else?"
This was a dangerous mission, risky business, a frightening task that God wanted to lay on Moses—and Moses knew it. I mean, you don't tell Egyptian kings what to do. I mean, you don't tell pharaohs anything, do you? Pharaohs do the telling, and everybody jumps to quickly obey—or else! Heads will roll! Notice how Moses responds, just as we would have: "Who? Me? Lord, you're not talking to me, are you? Of all people ... why me? You have got to be kidding. I have lots of good excuses. I'm not a good speaker. I'm not eloquent. And besides, I'm already in big trouble back there. And it's so peaceful here, so calm and serene. Lord, couldn't you pick someone else? I can't do this. Lord, I can't do this! Couldn't you go meet with somebody else about this?"
But God would not be put off. "Go, Moses," he said, "Set my people free. Go, and I will go with you!" Moses, still not too excited about taking on the power of Pharaoh, hedges a little more, "But Lord, by what authority? I don't have any authority. I can't just go over there and demand the release of these captives. They are going to want to know where I'm coming from and by what authority I'm speaking from. Lord, who are you? Who shall I say sent me? What is your name?" God answers, "I am who I am." At least, that's the way most scholars translate it.
However, the great Old Testament scholar, Martin Buber, said something about this toward the end of his life that touched my heart greatly. After studying the original Hebrew text for many years, Martin Buber said he finally came to the conclusion that we may have mistranslated that verse. Instead of being translated that the name of God is "I am who I am," Buber believed it should read, "I Shall Be There."
Isn't that beautiful? The name of God is "I Shall Be There"! That is God's name, and that is God's greatest promise, and that is good news. We can wrap our arms around that promise and always remember that whatever we have to deal with in this life, come what may, the name of God is "I Shall Be There."
Let me show you what I mean with three thoughts that emerge from this story of Moses in the book of Exodus.
I. First of All, When We Have to Face the Pharoahs of Life, We Can Remember That the Name of God Is: "I Shall Be There"
Can you just imagine how Moses must have felt as he approached the pharaoh? The pharaoh had all the power, all the clout. This was a scary, frightening situation that Moses had to face. He had to confront and challenge one of the most powerful, threatening, intimidating men in the world of that time. All of us who live in this world sometimes have to face frightening situations like that, although perhaps not so dramatically.
Let me ask you something. What are the pharaohs you are facing right now? What are the frightening, scary things you are up against right now? Is it a problem at work or at home? Is it a health problem? Or a financial concern?
Do you remember Dean de Ovies' famous cemetery story? When Dean de Ovies was a little boy in England, he used to play in the cemetery at night. One night he accidentally fell into a newly dug grave that was so deep he could not get out no matter how hard he tried. Finally, in exhaustion, he sat down in the dark corner of the grave to wait until morning. Suddenly he heard footsteps, then whistling (that's what people do in graveyards at night. They whistle!). It was his friend Charlie. Dean de Ovies said his first reaction was to call out for help, but he decided to wait a while and see what would happen.
Sure enough, Charlie fell into the same grave. Dean de Ovies sat quietly and undetected in the dark corner as Charlie tried frantically to get out. After a bit, Dean de Ovies decided to have some fun and he said loudly in a deep voice, "You can jump all you want to, Charlie, but you'll never get out of here!" But Charlie did! In a single bound, he went up and out of that grave as if he had wings!
Now, there is a strong point here, namely, the power of motivation. If Charlie were that motivated by fear, why can't we turn the coin over and be that strongly motivated by confidence—the confidence that comes from claiming God's most significant promise, "I Shall Be There"?
The claiming of that promise turned Simon the denier into Peter the Rock. It turned Saul the persecutor into Paul the missionary. It turned the weak, stammering, reluctant Moses into the powerful, eloquent, courageous Moses, the champion of Israel.
Now, we can claim that promise too. Today! Right now! In your life and mine, we can claim that promise. When we feel frightened or threatened or scared or inadequate; when we feel insecure or troubled or burdened or challenged by the frightening pharaohs of this world, then we, like Moses, can remember with confidence that God's name is "I Shall Be There"!
This is the good news of the Bible. On page after page of the Scriptures, over and over again, we find it—God's greatest promise—that he will never desert us. He will always be there for us. Nothing can separate us from God and his love. Whatever frightening situation we have to face, we can remember with confidence that God's name is "I Shall Be There!"
That's number one—when we have to face the frightening pharaohs of life, we can remember that the name of God is "I Shall Be There"!
II. Second, When We Have to Wander in the Wilderness, We Can Remember That the Name of God Is "I Shall Be There"!
Some years ago, a young actress named Jeannette Clift George had a wonderful dream. She wanted to take Christian theater into the marketplace. She wanted to put on plays out in the community to teach people the Christian faith, to reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ, to present good theater to the secular world that lifted up faith and family values, and that acted out onstage the drama of redemption.
But she was wandering in the wilderness. She had no resources, no money, no theater—just a handful of young, starving actors who wanted to be a part of her dream. On faith, Jeanette and her players started rehearsing a play. A reporter came out to do a story on them and he asked, "What's the name of your group?" Jeanette hadn't even thought of a name, but as she looked into the hungry faces of her fellow actors, she suddenly blurted out, "We are the After Dinner Players!" She said she thought, "We are all starving actors, so maybe with that name, somebody might invite us to perform after dinner and they might give us a meal as a part of the deal."
Well, that's exactly what happened. Jeanette and her company of actors would go to big banquets in town and get a meal, and then be the entertainment after dinner. Along the way their name was shortened to the A.D. Players—and you know what A.D. means, don't you? It means "the year of our Lord." Today, they have their own theater (they call it, appropriately, Grace Theater), and they are "the year of our Lord" Players, the A.D. Players, which Jeanette says is the name God had in mind for them from the very beginning. Today, Jeanette says we were "wandering in the wilderness, somewhat lost, but God was there with us all along."
All God asks is for us to be faithful to the dream, to not lose heart, and he in his own good time will bring us to the promised land! So, when we have to face the pharaohs of life and when we have to wander in the wilderness, we can remember with confidence that God's name is "I Shall Be There"!
III. Third and Finally, When We Have to Face Death, Then Too (Even Then, Especially Then) We Can Remember That the Name of God Is "I Shall Be There"
Let me ask you something: Did you realize that Moses never made it to the promised land? He died just before they got there.
• He led the people out of Egyptian bondage • He led them through the Red Sea • He led them through the wilderness • He taught them how to be God's people
But when they came to a mountain where they could look over and see the land, Moses realized that his body was old and weak and worn, and that he didn't have the strength to go on. So he passed the torch to Joshua and he let Joshua lead the people on into the land while Moses stayed behind on the mountain alone.
Can you imagine how it felt for him to be so near, but yet so far; so close to the land he had dreamed of entering, and yet too old and too sick and too tired to go on. I can just imagine this conversation between Moses and God. I can hear Moses saying, "Lord, I know your plan is best, but I can't help but feel disappointed. I wanted so much to lead the people into the land. I had dreamed of that. I wanted that so badly, and now this. I'm so weak, so frail, so tired. If only I could have had a little more time."
And God answers, "Moses, Moses, you have served me well. You have done your part. It will very soon be time for you to come and live with me." Moses looks down from the mountain and he sees the people moving forward toward the land without him and suddenly Moses feels so alone. Moses looks up into the heavens and quietly he says, "Are you with me, Lord? Are you with me?" And the answer comes back, "Of course I am, Moses. Of course I am."
This is the good news of our faith—when we have to face the frightening pharaohs of life, when we have to wander in the wilderness, and when we have to face death, we can remember with confidence that the name of God is "I Shall Be There"!
A Biblical Perspective
The story of Moses' encounter with Yahweh in the burning bush is perhaps one of the most dynamic experiences in the Bible. It is nothing less than God's self-revelation. Although no one really knows for sure, scholars believe that God's name, Yahweh, is a play on the phrase "I Am Who I Am" or "I Will Be Who I Will Be." Only after this life-changing encounter with the living God did Moses return to Egypt to face his past and bring the children of Israel out of bondage. God replaced Moses' fear and made him a bold leader.
The Hebrew people, now freed from slavery, heard the same pun when Moses interceded on their behalf for forgiveness. In their desire to see their god, they built a golden calf to worship. We can easily imagine their fear about the future. But God reiterated the promise of his presence by telling Moses: "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The Lord'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exodus 33:19).
God's promise to Moses, and by extension to us, is a profound assurance of God's abiding presence. In essence, God says, wherever you are, "I Shall Be There," to use noted theologian Martin Buber's phrase. But though this burning bush passage might be familiar and distinctive, it is hardly the only time God promises to be present with his people.
Long before Moses appeared on the scene, God was busy with Abraham and his descendants. Consider Abraham's grandson Jacob. A heel-grabber right from the womb, Jacob lied and cheated his way through life, finally stealing his only brother's rightful birthright. Jacob left home with Isaac's stolen blessing and arrived at a place called Bethel. There he rested his head on a stone and had a dream. In the dream, God came to assure Jacob of his place in God's promise to Abraham and to declare God's continued presence: "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.... Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:13, 15).
Afraid, like Moses, Jacob was assured by God that God would be there for him. In fact, when Jacob returned to Bethel years later, he built an altar to acknowledge "the God who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone" (Genesis 35:3).
After the death of Moses, we find Joshua, Moses' right-hand man, faced with the daunting task of actually crossing over into the promised land and facing their enemies, the Canaanites. But again, God was quick to reconfirm the promise: "As I was with Moses," comes God's voice, "so I will be with you.... Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:5, 9). And with that assurance, Joshua and the covenant community of Israel walked through the parted waters of the river Jordan, this time with the ark of the covenant, and took up residence in their new homeland.
However, arriving in a land flowing with milk and honey was by no means the end of Israel's struggle. Israel still needed to be reminded that the God who called Abraham out of Ur, who met Jacob in a dream at Bethel, and who spoke to Moses from the fiery bush was still on their side. As the book of Judges showcases, Israel tended toward covenant amnesia not long after Joshua's death.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from How God Takes Our Little & Makes it Much by James W. Moore Copyright © 2010 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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