Flaps Blog

So here?s the Egyptian who?s actually a Jew, who marries a wife from Midian and lives in the desert with her?who?s only real contact with God is an encounter in a bush. In this encounter this God says to this man, Moses, who happens to have a major communication issue, stuttering (I forgot to mention this when I spoke about his identity issues earlier), and tells him he was going to be the savior of the Hebrew nation.

Then when this man, Moses, protests ? quite vehemently for someone who doesn?t know God too well ? God in anger, gives the brother as a helper, which was nice of Him, but first and foremost stamps his authority on Moses in another way. God gives Moses His name. I AM. I AM WHAT I AM sent you. That?s enough.

We can talk about this for hours, which I don?t have as I am already envisioning how I have to multi-task not to be late for my next meeting. But isn?t it something else?

God doesn?t give an argument ? he just gives a statement. I AM. Simple. He follows this with some miraculous sign that affirms his word. (Something he did with his disciples as well)

To me that statement is enough to keep me encouraged in ministry. And in His call. I don?t know how. People won?t always agree. But, I AM. That?s enough.

Please mind out of my way.

I touched on this issue when I preached today at Re:Verb.

I think Moses must have had some issues and questions about his identity. A Hebrew child raised as an Egyptian. I wonder what his friends called him?. ?Funny Nose?!? Come to think of it ? I don?t think Egyptians have much of a case to tease people about their noses! But anyway, here is this Jewish kid, his adopted ?Grandfather? is the Pharaoh. He must have had many questions. ?Where do I come from?? ?Who was my real mother?? ?How could she abandon me? Yet she did save my life?? ?Why did the Hebrew God allow this? Does this God even exist? How can such a God allow his people to be in slavery??

We see Moses? passion for his own people when he kills the Egyptian, and when he gets involved with the 2 arguing Hebrews. Then his adopted grandfather tries to kill him and he has to flee for his life. Again questions may arise. ?Now I?ve lost my second family as well ?? ?How am gong to live in this desert?? Too many to list.

So he finds a wife ? neither Hebrew or Egyptian ? and makes a new life. A very ordinary life. Shepherding. But he?s still confused, and calls his son Gershom, which means ?I have become an alien in a foreign land?. What a statement! And you wonder if he was referring to his new land in the desert, or his upbringing amongst the Egyptians. Then, in his very ordinary circles inside a very ordinary bush, he meets with God. And what does God tell him? Well importantly, He doesn?t start answering questions. And I?m sure Moses wanted to ask some! But God does make himself know to Moses. He says, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” And this meeting goes on to introduce Moses to his life-calling. And this would not have happened, had Moses not allowed this tension to push him outside of his regular life, his family, his comfort place; and pushed him towards somehow finding God.

I think the bottom line is that we embrace the tension we sometimes carry inside us.

Tension that pushes us into wanting to ask questions, but actually, into seeking God.

Even though we are pleading for answers that makes sense, to realize that what our underlying need is, is not a factual answer of reason, but a meeting with God. Some divine meeting where God reveals himself.

It?s 4 in the morning and as usual I am awake ? JETLAGGED. I?m reflecting on all the great things Moses had done.

Here?s this man who grew up as an Egyptian ? yet still a Hebrew in spirit. He deftly kills an Egyptian who bothers a Hebrew. Then reaches out to help 2 Hebrews with their conflict management issues.

You could never take the ?Hebrew? out of this man who was raised in an Egyptian palace.

There?s a different ?Hebrew? that we carry inside of us. The spirit of the greatest Jew that ever lived. A spirit that wants to stand up and save a people that is under oppression. A spirit that wants to make peace where there is conflict. That wants to fix what is broken.

Some of us see Moses? bold heroics of killing the ?poor innocent? Egyptian slave master as rash, impulsive and ?unChristiany? ? how?s that for a new word?

Yet this rash act mobilized Moses into making the shift from comfort zone to desert. And then from desert to life calling.

What if Moses had chosen the comfortable route, and just slipped back to the palace to watch some TV?

What if Moses had decided to not ?get involved? in other people?s business? (What if Nelson Mandela had? ? But let’s leave that for another day.)

Perhaps we should go back to the core of who we are. Allow the spirit of that great Jew to stand up inside of us. And if that means killing an Egyptian, then so be it.