USE WHAT YOU GOT IN YOUR HANDS

 

TEXT: EXODUS 4:1-5

Exodus the second book of the Torah (Book of law) was named Shemoth by the Jews. The English name is derived from its Latin name Exodus, meaning exit, departure, road out. It refers to God’s mighty deliverance of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and their departure as the people of God. The Book of Exodus is a continuation of the Genesis account, dealing with the four hundred and thirty year development of a family group of seventy into a large nation of millions. What Genesis set forth in prophecy, Exodus records it in history.

The Hebrews lived most of the time in bondage. The reason the Exodus story is so fundamentally important is because that bondage trickled on down into our day and still is very much alive and well.

You will find that a group of people (people of color) are still battling with enslavement and suffering from both economic and political bondage as well as at time genocide which is a deliberate killing of many people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation; infanticide, the killing of a child within a year of birth.

 MOSES, (the author), whose name means “drawn out”, is the central figure of Exodus. He is the Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt. The first forty years Moses spent in the palace of Egypt’s King, known as Pharaoh. The second forty years he spent in the wilderness as a shepherd (place of preparation), and the third forty years, he led the Israelites to the promise land through perseverance, which is continued effort to do something despite the difficulty.  In Deuteronomy 34:1-7, the LORD allowed Moses to see the Promised Land, but he didn’t enter into it, because he didn’t glorify God. (Exodus17) [The water from the Rock]:  vs 6: Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt SMITE the rock, and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink.  And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.  But in Numbers 20:1-6:  [the people again had no water to drink and gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron]: (Water from the Rock):  vs 7-8: And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying, “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and SPEAK ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock:  so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink”.  But now, Moses himself had become angry at the people because of their actions against him and Aaron:  vs 9-10: And Moses took the rod from before the LORD as he commanded him.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, “Hear now, you rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock”?  Vs 11: And Moses lift up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice:  and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.  Vs 12: And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron, “Because you believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them”.

Hebrews 9:24: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:  vs 25: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entered into the holy place every year with blood of others.  Vs 26: For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:  but now ONCE in the end (sunte’ia) [entire completion; consummation of the dispensations] of the world (kos’mos) [that which has been orderly arranged by men] (philosophies; traditions of men; vain deceit; rudiments of the system of men; ages] hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Under the old covenant the priest had to go into the most holy place once every year for himself and the people, but when Jesus died and rose and entered into the most holy place, He only had to go in there once and for all!  So when Moses "struck the rock twice” in Numbers 20:11, he was actually striking “CHRIST”!

·        1 Corinthians 10:1-4 [In relation to the Israelites in the wilderness]:  v 4: And did all drink the same spiritual drink:  for they drunk of that spiritual Rock that followed them:  and that Rock was Christ.

So Jesus Christ didn’t have to be smitten three times.  He was smitten once in the Old Testament, Exodus 17:6 to give water to God’s people, once in the New Testament when He died on the cross to give His life for mankind.  By Moses "smiting the rock" twice in Numbers 20, instead of “speaking to the rock” as God told him, was a total violation of God’s command and didn’t glorify God in the eyes of the people, and it kept Moses and Aaron from entering into the Promise Land with that congregation.  What Moses did was he smote Christ twice, when at that time all He had to do was speak to the Rock (Numbers 20:11). But that wasn’t the end of Moses because God used him on the Mountain of transfiguration along with Elijah to minister to Jesus in relation to His death, burial and resurrection (Luke 9:28-35).

In Exodus chapter 3, we see Moses’ call to ministry by way of a burning bush. He was tending the flock of Jethro (his father-in-law), the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the back of the desert and came to the Mountain of Horeb (desert; desolation).  It is here that Moses becomes transformed and leaves this mountain with a new mission, new message, new view of himself, and a new view of God.

Moses has an astounding encounter with God, Exodus 3:2 states that “The angel of the LORD appears to him.” The word angel in the Hebrew is malak (malawk’) and in the Greek it is aggelos (ang’elos), both meaning God’s heavenly “messenger” or servants.  This “angel” is different from all others in that this angel received worship. How could this be?   No angel can receive worship, which belongs to God alone. Remember, the angel Lucifer was expelled from heaven (not beyond the clouds) for trying to receive such worship. In most cases, where you see the phrase “the angel of the Lord” is used, the messenger is the one who receives worship or has attributes of deity. Understand him as a pre-incarnate (before virgin birth) manifestation of the Godhead, our Lord Jesus Christ. This angel is the Lord Himself. Look at what he said in Exodus 3:6 in no uncertain terms: “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”.  And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.  Fire is the symbol for God!  Hebrews 12: 29: “For our God is a consuming fire.”  The “fire” is the glory of God’s Presence, the Shekinah, which transforms everything and everyone it touches!!

Exodus 3:4: When the LORD saw that Moses turned aside to look, HE called “to him from the midst of the burning bush, Moses, Moses! And Moses said, “Here I am.”  You see, Moses had been living a solitary life out in the wilderness. And now someone, he did not know, someone he had never encountered before was calling him by name.

 I want to inform you today that God knows your name, your story, and He knows where you are coming from. He knows your past, present and your future.  Luke 12:7 states, “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” This statement has a different tone than saying He knows the very number of hairs on your head.  God is so amazing in His creation of man maybe we have numbers on the strands of hair (food for thought).  But there is nothing about you that God doesn’t know.  Then there are times when He wants to call you to the side and have a little talk with you. Question, are you willing to hear what HE has to say?

This bush in Exodus 3 represents, the Nation of Israel. At this time the Hebrew people were suffering in the “iron furnace” of the slavery of Egypt, but as fiercely as the flames had burned against them for forty years they had not been consumed. Since that time, the fires of persecution have blazed hotly, yet they have been miraculously sustained.

This symbol selected by God was not a majestic tree of the forest that God appeared to Moses in, but in a humble acacia, or thorn bush of the desert which represented both a lowly origin of Hebrew people and a separated nation dwelling in the desert. This bush possessed neither beauty nor comeliness, and became temporarily the abode of Jehovah and from it He revealed Himself to Moses. The fact that it was an acacia bush burning with fire represented the spiritual history of Israel bearing thorns rather than fruit, consequently being chastened (punished, rebuked) by God. Thorns are abortive branches which if developed would bring forth leaves and fruit.

Here God comes to Moses through the commonplace, out in the desert, on the mountain top, no buildings, with a steeple, or stained glassed windows. The bush there becomes special and holy by God’s Presence. Spontaneous combustion was not unusual in the desert, but a non-consuming flame was an extraordinary and commanding event.

Exodus 3:3:5, God’s initial revelation to Moses was of His holiness (meaning, separation from sin and all evil, commitment to righteousness). He tells Moses, “Do not draw near this place, take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” At God’s command Moses was obedient. Taking off his shoes was an act of reverence, conveying his own unworthiness before God. To approach Him in a frivolous manner shows a lack of respect. Moses as God’s servant had to remember constantly that the God whom he served was holy—so holy that for a human to look fully at him would bring death (Exodus 3:6; 19:21; Isaiah 6:1-7). To hear clearly from God, it is important to be willing to live on holy ground (a life of purity) and keeping our thoughts in line with God’s Word. Jesus did say, “The pure in heart would see (clearly discern; perceive) God” (Matthew 5:8).

God reveals His great plan to Moses, Exodus 3:7, “I have seen the affliction of my people.”  “I have heard them crying because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” It is time to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them to a land flowing with milk and honey. The same applies to us. It matters not how our oppression comes, whether from circumstances, people, Satan, sin or the world. God hears our cry, and He will come to our rescue. God’s comfort, grace, and help are more than sufficient to meet all our needs (Romans 8:32).

 God said, Moses, here is the good news! I have chosen you to make this happen (John 15:16). It is God who makes the first choice to love and to die for us, to invite us into His Kingdom. We make the next choice, to accept or reject His offer. Without His choice, we would have no choice to make. God chose Moses to represent HIM, to be His voice, to deliver the Israelites.

So much for those who say, “God does not need us He is God all by Himself.” Sure, He is God all by Himself, but John 4:24, says God is Spirit, HE is invisible, and He’s not contained in buildings, but abides on the inside of mankind. The only way that HE can be seen is through you. God’s choice to use Moses is proof that He needs man to transport HIM and do what He tells him to do.

That was the purpose of God making mankind in His image and after His likeness so that he (male and female) could dominate the earth and do the same works He does. Not only that, but even greater works than these shall ye do (John 14:12). The proof is in our text as we see Moses transform into Super Moses through the power of God’s Spirit.

As we journey through this text, ask yourself, (1) what do you have in your hands and (2), are you going to use it? Everyone possesses something that God wants to use in this hour to help other people throughout the world. Again, are you going to use it?

Moses is reassured by three demonstrations by God, first we must:

GET OUR EYES OFF SELF

God speaking to Moses from the midst of the bush has given him as a directive (authoritative order) that he would be the one to deliver the Israelites from bondage. You can tell by Moses’ response, if he had not been barefoot, he would have been shaking in his boots. “Wait a minute, God. You are sending me”? What if they will not believe me or listen to my voice? What if they say, the Lord has not appeared to me? Can you see how self, human reasoning, can get in the way. Moses at that point was full of “what if, what if” and “me, me, me”!

How many of you have had a Moses moment! When God ask you to do something for Him and we can find all kinds of excuses and become fearful? I can tell you that I have had my share of Moses moments. One of the biggest fears of Christians is when it comes to witnessing about Jesus Christ and that is the fear of not being believed. No one likes rejection or debating about the Word. Moses’ big concern was how the people were going to respond to him, so he commented, “Suppose they will not believe me or hear my voice” (Exodus 4:1). He was not asked by God to worry about the response, just be faithful to the mission and the message! He had a great message, one full of hope, what slave did not want to hear about freedom? 

Many did not believe Jesus, but it did not hinder him from doing what He was sent to do. The thing we must remember is God told Moses, “My Presence will be with you” (Exodus 33:14). God does not ask us to do something strictly based on numerical success, nor going where He has not provided the means to help. It is based on service and His will (determination) to get the message out! Once God gives you a task, you are already equipped by His Presence.

 

SECONDLY THE TEST OF AUTHORITY

Exodus 4:2: And the LORD said unto him, “What is that in thine hand”? And he said, “A rod.”  I am sure Moses has routinely picked up rods and sticks along his way during his childhood. When he answered God, this rod was not anything special. He most likely just used it to help him climb the mountain, to guide sheep, kill snakes and many other tasks.  So, when God questioned him concerning it, he probably answered without giving it much thought.

But God used the simple shepherd’s rod Moses carried as a sign to teach him an important lesson. God sometimes takes joy in using ordinary things for extraordinary purposes. Surely, He used twelve ordinary men to turn the world upside down. What are the ordinary things in your life—your voice, a pen, a hammer, or a musical instrument? While it is easy to assume God can use only special skills, you must not hinder his use of the everyday contributions you can make. Little did Moses imagine, the power, his simple rod would wield when it became the rod of God.

Moses was more concerned about his own rejection than God’s possible rejection. Did he really think that God would feel sorry for him? Do you think that God would allow Moses' excuses to override 3,000, 000 fellow Jews continuing in slavery? What about us? Are we so afraid of rejection that we would rather let millions go to Hell rather than risk telling others about Christ? Are we any better than Moses?

One thing I do know, we can do nothing for God if we use the excuse “they might not believe me.” Jesus called us to witness and has given us the authority to do so! What did Moses need to be able to do the job? Did he lack a university degree in theology, or the lack of necessary finances to accomplish the task? All he needed was what he already had in his hand. When God calls us, we already possess what is needed to fulfill the call to win the lost! All he owned was a Shepherd’s staff. True! By itself it was not an impressive weapon against Egypt but yielded to God and used by Moses it was transformed into a powerful symbol of God’s power. God can use the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

The Lord said “Cast it to the ground” (Exodus 4:3). Throwing it down was symbolic of giving it over to God, only then could it change into something more. His obedience in laying it down first was critical to getting it back from God in a new way. As he throws it down it becomes a snake, no doubt a venomous snake by the reaction of Moses.  The Cobra was the symbol of Egyptian authority and sovereignty.  It was on Pharaoh’s headdress shaped in gold.

Moses ran from this at first, just as he wanted to run from God’s authority out of fear. Did you know that God has given you the authority to preach His Word already, but how many of us run from it out of fear when we see it?

And the LORD said, put forth thine hand and take it by the tail. Any snake handler will tell you this is crazy; you never pick up a poisonous snake by the tail; you do it by the head if you want to live. This request was a test of faith and obedience on Moses’ part. God was asking him to trust him to pick it up in a way that the world would have scoffed at it. Moses faces his fear and obeys God’s Word (authority) and puts his hand forth and grabs it by the tail, and immediately it became a staff.

This test was to be done in the eyes of Israel first, before doing it before Pharaoh! Israel needed to see that God’s authority was with Moses. Through faith and obedience to God’s Word Moses won the right to exercise authority and Israel would see this and understand that God had ordained this shepherd. It would establish God’s authority over Egypt later when the same incident has Moses’ rod that became a serpent swallowing up the magicians of Egypt rods that became serpents (Exodus 7:12).  Israel understood the symbol of the serpent as the sovereignty of authority and now Moses would be shown to have this greater authority and that he could lead!

The Lord let Moses know that this rod was now a rod of truth, and He would use it as a sign for Pharaoh. Moses used that rod to separate the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15-17).

He stretched the rod toward heaven in Exodus 9: 22-24 and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So, there was fire mingled with the hail, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt.

 

THIRDLY THE TEST OF ACCEPTANCE

Moses was instructed to put his hand into his cloak (or bosom) (Exodus 4:6-7) and when he did it came out leprous, symbolizing Israel’s afflicted state and her need of God’s cleansing power. Leprosy was a horrible disease, it was loathed by the Egyptians and claimed to be one of the reasons they let Israel go, it was a symbol of sin. Demonstrating there was uncleanness deep within, but God ask Moses to put his hand once again in his cloak and this time due to nothing that Moses does it comes out totally clean! The sign of the serpent and the staff were for the Egyptians to see (Exodus 7:6-13), but the leprous hand was for Israel as a warning sign against unbelief and one shown by God when he was displeased with Miriam challenging Moses (Numbers 12:1-16). The slaves needed to know that the God of their fathers would accept them after all these years. This is a message of salvation for Israel, yes, they have been unclean, but in obedience to follow God’s call they would come out clean!

Exodus 4:8-9 the LORD said, “It shall come to pass, if they do not hearken unto these two signs, and will not believe thee nor hearken unto thy voice, of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou taketh out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.”

Moses began to plead, vs 10: “O my Lord, I am not eloquent and slow of speech and slow of tongue.” Can you ple-e-e-e-e-a-se send anyone but me? God looked at Moses quite differently. God said, vs 11: “Who made man’s mouth or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?”  Have not I the LORD?”

All Moses needed was some help and who better than God could help Moses say and do the right things. It is easy for us to focus on our weakness, but if God asks us to do something, then He will help us get the job done. If the job involves some of our weak areas, then we can trust that he will provide words, strength, courage, and ability where needed.

God agrees to let Aaron speak for Moses because He formed Moses and He knew what he could do. “I will be with thou mouth (Moses), and I will be with his mouth (Aaron), and I will teach you what you shall do. Aaron will be your prophet or spokesman to the people and he himself will be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to Pharaoh as God" (Exodus 7:1).

God instructed Moses, you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs. Moses clung tightly to the shepherd’s rod as he left for Egypt to face the greatest challenge of his life. The rod was his assurance of God’s presence and power. When feeling uncertain, some people need something to stabilize and reassure them. As we all know that Moses/Aaron/God went on to free the Israelites from the clutches of the enemy.

When you become a soldier in the Army of God, He has made it known “I can’t use no coward soldier.” He used a little 13-year-old boy named David, with a sling shot. Previously, he had used that slingshot to kill a bear and a lion; but when we met up with him in the book of Samuel, he was just taking care of the sheep because he was not old enough to go to war. No one would have ever thought that the little slingshot that David held in his hand was the very instrument that God would use to bring down the fierce enemy Goliath and bring victory to his people.

All God need is a willing vessel. You have nothing to fear and nothing to worry about. The Bible teaches, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:27). You do not have to be afraid of anything. You may feel like you do not have anything in your hand today, but every child of God has something in their hand that the Lord wants to use. But He can only use willing, humble, righteous, holy people.

The Bible says I Timothy 2:8, I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Holy hands are the only kind of hands that the Lord will accept. What kind of hands do you have? If you have holy hands, you will also have a holy heart, live a holy life and serve a holy God. That holy God loves you, and you have something in your hand that He can use in a great and mighty way in this last hour. We are supposed to be soul winners just like our Master. We are going forth as the ninety and nine to win the lost at any cost in this final hour. Nothing can stop us. We have what we need in our hands. We have the rod of truth, and we have the power of the Holy Ghost.

Finally, God uses ordinary people to reveal his plan. He delights in using the ordinary. Are you ordinary? Good, He can use you, if you are available. Henry Blackaby wrote when God was ready to judge the world with a flood, He came to Noah. To build a nation He went to Abraham. When He set the Israelites free from bondage, He used Moses.

Conclusion:

Moses and Israel’s natural fears had to be replaced with supernatural faith. Moses’ success was not in who he was but what he had, a simple staff that became the instrument of God to challenge the world.

God will use what we already possess when that is yielded to Him. It was God’s power to challenge Egypt! My question to you is, “What has God put in your hands to use for His glory”? He uses what we give Him and no doubt about it. He will enable us to fulfill His call to save the lost. What we must do is GO and OBEY! Can He use you today? 

Evangelist Brenda Hansley