Getting Ahead of the Will of God

Im going to describe some processes and some sad results and then ask you what
possibly went wrong. Ladies, friends are on their way over latter tonight; you want
to impress them so you decide bake a cake from scratch. You are in a hurry; you
havent baked a cake from scratch in years so you have wing it. Theres only
enough time to mix it, bake it and then serve it. The kitchen is a mess but the cake
is in the oven ready to be done for the serving. But then to your surprise as you
open the oven, and the cake that should have arose to your praise has not arose at
all.
Instead of a cake its more of fancy pancake.
Why was it that you overlooked the ingredient that makes the cake rise?
You got ahead of yourself.
Men at the very last minute of the day, your presence is needed in another state or
far off city. It cant wait until Monday so you must leave within the hour You rush
home pack a bag with what you need stock, ties, shirts, shaving kit, shoes, pants,
belt, everything or least everything.
You think you have it all until after all that driving; you shower ready to sleep like a
baby when you realize that you have forgotten the most important item of all; your
fresh underwear.
Why was it that you overlooked the most basic item needed?
You got ahead of yourself.
Getting ahead of yourself can come back to bite you, cant it? But imagine about
getting ahead of Gods will in your life. Its possible as we shall see tonight from the
life of Moses. There are three passages of scripture that if you read each alone
doesnt make right sense. Even if you read only two of the three; you would still
have more questions. But read together we find that they fit and present maybe
something that you never knew about the man Moses. How Moses got ahead of
Gods will.

Ex 2:11-15

Act 7:23-30

Heb 11:24-25

These scriptures taken together make an interesting arrangement in the life of

Moses. To get a correct idea of what Moses did you have to put these three
passages together. The Jewish historian Josephus says that when a prince came to
his 40th birthday he was to step up in line and take the throne. Apparently growing
up in Pharaohs house helped Moses realize that he was not Egyptian after all; he
was Jewish. Any glance in the mirror could tell him that! Moses must have come to
his 40th birthday; refused the throne of Egypt believing that God was going to use
him somehow as a deliverer of his people! So Moses as these verses tell refused the
crown. So the crown was passed to the other son of Pharaoh. That's Where
Hebrews 11:24-25 comes in. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh;
refusing the throne choosing rather to suffer with his people the Jews.
Why did Moses refuse such an honor as Pharaoh? Because he believed God was
going to use him as the Jews deliverer. Think about it. Moses knew the promises
made to the people of God, by being raised by his real mother. In his mind no one
was more qualified for the job. He was schooled as an Egyptian; in their wisdom
and warfare and he had the heritage and ancestry of the Jews! Surely Moses could
work out the Jews release since being so close to Pharaoh.
That's what was working in his head as he stepped out for a walk and found an
Egyptian beating a Hebrew. Moses slew the Egyptian and hid the body. The next
time he went for a walk there was two Hebrews fighting and he presumed to break
them up; assuming that they would realize him as their promised deliver. That's the
incident in Act 7:23-30. Notice v 25; for he supposed his brethren would have
understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.
Guess what, they didnt see things like he did. If fact that they rejected Moses as
their deliver. Thats why Stephen even brings up the life of Moses here in the first
place, because he was rejected as Israels deliver just as Jesus was rejected! They
basically thought about Moses "who died and made your judge over us!"
Moses was shocked and feared for his life and so he left Egypt for the back side of
the dessert to be schooled in the school of hard knocks for forty years! And there as
an old man of 80 years God comes to him asking him to do what he attempted to
do 40 years prior in his own way.
What was Moses problem? Wasnt Moses right in thinking that God was going to
use him to deliver his people? Yes, he was. So what was the problem?
The problem was his timing! Moses was trying to do the right thing at the wrong
time! Moses got ahead of the will of God and became a murder which he probably
regretted all his life. Now, it wasn't God's will for Moses to murder that Egyptian;

but it happened because Moses felt at that time that he had to make it work and
this Egyptian was in His way! Thats real typical when someone is outside of Gods
will; whether they are lagging behind or rushing ahead. They force their hand and
something that they will be ashamed of happens which will haunt them the rest of
their lives!
Well, I must do this, we think to forcefully stay in Gods will.
I bet thats what went though Moses head right before he killed this man. I have
seen some Christians do dumb things that they think they have to do! Later they
wish they werent so forceful, but just wait on God!
Thats where most good natured Christians get themselves into trouble! They just
cant wait, so they force it and bam!
Some even think that this murder was Moses effort to start his deliverance of the
people that very moment! If it was, no wonder God allowed Moses life to be
endangered so as to get Moses to flee and get all these crazy ideas of deliverance
out of his head! Moses had to be emptied of this pride; my deliverance, my people,
mine, mine, mine!
So we read that Moses spent 40 more years on the back side of the desert just
tending sheep! How humbling for someone taught in the best universities of the
day! Someone rightly said; that Moses was a somebody as an Egyptian; but then
had to learn how to be a nobody as a shepherd; to be moldable into a mighty one
with God!
But before God would speak to Moses; he was there just tending his sheep minding
his own business probably thinking where he had when wrong years before. Moses
went wrong when he got ahead of God's will!
Getting ahead of God's will can take on different situations for us. We are not called
to deliver a captive people like Moses was yet there are some areas where we can
still get ahead of God.
I. Marriage
I went to a school where the students were either in one of two groups;" the haves
and have nots". if you had a wife you were in the haves group. I was in the have
not group. I remember the verses that my single department at Sunday school had
for each single boy and each single girl. For the boys it was; Gen 2:18 And the
LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone..." and the verse for

the girls was; Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me,
let him..." So marriage was on the fore front of everyone's mind.
I can remember a lot of guys in my exact case; they were sure that God wanted
them married as part of his overall will, so they dated and courted. I remember
man who studied to be an English professor who got saved and then called to
preach. He was the most grammatically correct guy have ever heard when he
preached; he defiantly was a scalp and not a chainsaw in God's hand.
He used to accompany us as we preached and passed out tracks in Sundance
square, he was a great guy. But he was lonely and he wasn't getting any younger,
so he married a girl that had just become saved at his church.
And guess what? That was the end of his perpetrations in his calling. He dropped
out of school because now as a husband and father; he had a wife and three girls to
care for. But the saddest thing is that I saw him three separate times since he
dropped out and all three times he assured me he was making plans to finish school
and preach. The last time I saw him though was about three or four years ago. So I
don't know where he is today. He might be right where the Lord wants him or he
may not!
I saw his case lived out time after time; the guy gets married while in school and
that's the last of him. I'm not saying he shouldn't have married at all; but I can't
help but wonder if he jumped the gun a bit; because being a husband and dad
doesn't always harmonize at that time you are preparing and sacrificing to preach.
That's why most Doctors and lawyers start their families in their latter thirties or
forty's because their preparations and sacrifices take much of their present time up!
It was hard enough just for me to balance work, church, and school together; much
less a new family, a new wife, a new place to live, new this or new that. I saw guys
that could preach circles around me fall to the side lines not in open, gross sin but
to just other meaningful priorities but maybe just simply at the wrong time of life.
Marriage is just one of those things of life that you should never rush into. I believe
what the bible says; Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven..." That means there is a natural and proper God
honoring season in life for everything you want to do and should do! God knows the
right time for everything in our lives. It would be wise to get in on this agenda for
our lives.

One wife said to another wife, Yes, I married Mr. Right. But it was after the
wedding that I found out that his first name was Always.
That doesnt even scratch the surface of the problems that could come from a
rushed marriage. Time would fail us tonight if we brought before us all those that
had married in a rush, who realized after the fact that they should had waited,
should had asked more questions, or paid off more bills, or whatever, it is different
in every case. They have realized this all but too late; they forever closed a door
and opened a new one; and that's what they have to walk through. Whether they
like it not. Whether it is easy or not.

I will give you one example of someone that we all know. The niece of Mrs. Venus
comes to my mind. Venus told me that her niece is having a tuff time about here
her recent divorce. The problem is you see, she's young enough to identify with her
peers, which would be late 20's; but none of her peers that are that age want a
ready made mommy with two kids hanging off of her. Rebecca realizes that she
could go out and have "fun" and in the morning the guy would get up go his way
and she would have to go back to wiping noses and behinds facing the fact that she
has just too much responsibility as a mom to live the average American single life.
And what makes it worst is to realize that no one forced her into marriage but
divorce was forced on her. Marriage is so important that you just can't leave it up to
chance, or fate, or to blind love; you have to leave it up to God! If you believe that
God has your best interests in mind; then that certainly includes marriage.
II. Financial Agreements
Another area where we can get ahead of Gods will is in our finances. The bible has
a very specific word about obliging oneself rashly in financial matters.
The word is surety. Being someones Surety maens one who becomes responsible
for another. This idea is applied to what Jesus is to us as Believers. Heb 7:22 By so
much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
But this word carries amore literal sense in the bible; especially when it comes to
finances. SURETY was a pledge made to secure against default; one who contracts
to assume the debts of another in the event of default. Being a cosigner on a debt
is our equivalent of a person whos a surety for another.
Notice what the bible says;

Pro 6:1-5 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand
with a stranger,
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy
mouth.
Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy
friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.
Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.
Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of
the fowler.
I.e. your mouth is writing checks you cant cash!
Pro 11:15 He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth
suretiship is sure.
Pro 17:18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in
the presence of his friend.
The bible doesnt speak to encouraging about becoming a surety for a stranger, or
friend. Why? Because they could up and leave and their you are, left with their debt
that is now your debt. Notice that the bible said nothing about family though. If you
must be a surety for someone, a good rule of thumb is to keep it in the family.
Lets connect these ideas here of surety and running ahead of Gods will. Think of
this; sometimes it just might be Gods will for you not to help in a persons life as
their surety, why? Because that lesson they were faced with; now its gone. If God
brought that financial hardship into their lives, you can rest assured it had a
purpose. And Guess what? You just took a chance away from them to get right or
grow in the Lord.
Parents with older kids fall into this trap. Think of the father of the prodigal son.
Remember him, he left home for the far country and was living it up in sin. There
came time when the money ran out and he was forced to feed hogs and there in
the hog pin God got a hold of his heart and he came to himself realizing that he had
sinned and he got up and went home and got right with Dad and with God!
But wait, what if that father was like the typical fathers of today are by running
ahead of Gods will. Imagine the prodigal son calling home saying, Dad I wrecked

my car again, could you send another check. Dad, I fathered another child, could
you send another check for the girl. Dad, I lost the other money you sent in Vegas
with my friends. Most dads would just keep throwing money at the problem; and
the problem is that the prodigals heart was not right with God!
If this father would have done that; he would have just delayed the trip to the hog
pin and him getting right and ultimately having his son come back home with a
right Heart!
Parents dont run ahead of Gods Will. Before you come to the rescue ask yourself,
Is God trying to teach them a lesson with this?
Now who do you help? If you are going to help someone, help those who are
putting God first and doing all they possible can for God! Why is it that we just
associate helping someone with bailing them out of sin?
Why not help someone serve God better! My cousin and her husband never have
had a lot of money in their lives; their families dont have a lot of their own money
to begin with. They were serving God in Bible College; she cleaned the church, he
was on staff for the youth, but they still never got rich. Guess what their used car
they drove from Florida to Texas finally gave up the ghost and here they were
facing the problem of getting to Bible College and such. Guess what someone did in
the church for them? Someone out of the blue bought them a nice barely used van.
Guess what they did with it? They finished Bible College, served in their church,
were even more faithful and are now they are pastoring his first church in Alabama.
Imagine having an good quality vehicle and not making one payment on it; because
someone saw you living for God the best way you knew how and they deiced to
help you serve God better! And they did!
III. Salvation of Others
Dont you wish you could get saved for others? But the truth is that you
cant. God wants people saved; thats his will for them: 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to
us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But we cant force their salvation in the least. We can make ourselves and
the truth known but the HS has to do his work. We should pick green fruit! The key
is to be filled with the spirit so; that we follow his leading as we witness to our
loved ones and friends.

Dont forget them but dont force them! Just be in touch with God enough to
see when the Lord opens up a door to speak or to water the truth thats already
there.
Closing:
Moses mistake was doing the right thing at the wrong time. Plan for the future,
save for the future, but you cant live in the future; because you would be
forgetting about today! What does God want me to do today? What does God want
me to master today?
What does God want me to be today?
What part of His will needs to be done today?
Dont worry about what God wants you to do five years from now; worry
about what God wants you to accomplish today, now! Theres enough of Gods will
to keep you busy for today!
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Moses - From Prince of Egypt to Servant of God
by Greg Albrecht
Strangers passing by barely noticed an old man tending his sheep in the desert.
Forty years earlier, the unknown shepherd had been a prince-big man in a big
place. But that was then. Now, the most recent entry on his resume read: "40
years, shepherd in the desert."
At 80 years of age, he was forgotten, a has-been, leading sheep around a forsaken
desert. Once a young and handsome prince, now an old and forgotten shepherd.
One day the shepherd passed a bush that began to burn, and continued to burn,
without burning up. Moses was not so set in his ways that he was beyond learning
something new. "I will go over and see this strange sight-why the bush does not
burn up" (Exodus 3:3).
The invisible, self-perpetuating and self-reliant God spoke to Moses out of the fiery
bush and identified himself as "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:14). God had plans for
the next 40 years of Moses' life.
Moses' life fascinates and intrigues Christians and Jews, as well as those who do not
believe in the God of the Bible. Even 20th century Hollywood has been unable to
resist the magic, mystery and majesty of Moses.

Dreamworks Pictures' The Prince of Egypt was released in late December 1998.
Over 40 years earlier, in 1956, audiences were thrilled by Charlton Heston's
portrayal of Moses in Cecil B. DeMille's epic, The Ten Commandments (a remake of
DeMille's 1923 silent film of the same title).
Speaking of 40 years, Moses' life can be studied in three distinct sections of 40
years. Moses spent his first 40 years as a prince of Egypt. During the second 40year period, Moses was a fugitive and a shepherd in the desert. And, the final third
period of 40 years was a time when God transformed Moses into one of the great
personalities of all history.
Moses was brought from disgrace and ignominy to lead a group of slaves to
freedom. Under unbelievably difficult conditions, Moses was used by God to give
former slaves the leadership needed for them to become a nation of people who
have altered the entire course of history.
Years 1-40: From Slave to Prince
Born the son of a Hebrew slave, Moses survived because he was rescued, saved
and eventually adopted by Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2:1-10). He was given the
best education, training and preparation that Egypt could offer (Acts 7:22). In
keeping with education given to Egyptian royalty, he was probably tutored by
retired military and political leaders. It must have seemed to all who knew him that
Moses' first 40 years prepared him for leadership and fame.
One day, Moses, now a grown man, was watching his own Hebrew people work in
bondage to the Egyptians (Exodus 2:11-14). He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew,
and something stirred within him. We don't know how and when Moses first became
aware that he was a Hebrew rather than an Egyptian. But at some point as he
matured and grew, Moses was conscious that it was his people who were suffering
as slaves.
Moses sided with the Hebrew who was being beaten, rushed to his defense and
killed the Egyptian. When Moses buried the Egyptian's body in the sands of Egypt,
he also buried his own promising future as a prince. Moses' deed became known,
and he fled Egypt in disgrace. The Prince of Egypt became a fugitive and a pauper.
Some speculate that Moses might have been acquitted, on the grounds that the
murder of the Egyptian was "justifiable homicide." After all, Moses did come to the
aid of the Hebrew slave whose life was threatened. The Bible does not comment.
But the Bible does tell us about the fork in the road to which Moses came and the
role that faith played in his life.
Moses' life was characterized by faith from his birth. He was saved by the faith of
his parents, who at great personal risk, disobeyed Pharaoh by not having their son
put to death (Exodus 1:22). Later in life, Moses refused and ran from what the vast
majority of people spend their lives trying to attain -- riches and fame. In the
Bible's words, he gave up pleasures and treasures because of his faith.

"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of
Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the
sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was
looking ahead to his reward" (Hebrews 11: 24-26).
Years 41-80: From Prince to Pauper
Moses fled to the desert and met seven daughters of the priest of Midian who were
watering their father's flock (Exodus 2:15-22). Moses married one of the seven
daughters and went to work for his father-in-law as a shepherd. Forty years passed,
and Moses' life in Egypt became a distant memory. The last thing on Moses' mind
would have been the task of returning to the scene of his crime in order to be used
as a mighty man of God, delivering his people from slavery.
Moses met God that day at the burning bush, and his life changed forever. God had
a plan for Moses. Moses felt that the job description God had in mind for him -miracle worker, deliverer and savior of his people -- was beyond his capabilities. He
began to make excuses. In spite of Moses' arguments, God did not let him off the
hook.
Moses did not want to go back to a place where his wanted poster hung on every
bulletin board. Moses had no desire to be a mighty man of God. He just wanted to
be left alone. But God did not leave Moses alone.
One Jewish tradition speculates that God observed how Moses carefully and lovingly
tended sheep for 40 years. God, according to this tradition, decided that Moses the
shepherd was exactly the kind of servant he needed to take Israel out of slavery.
Years 81-120: Servant of God
Upon Moses' return to Egypt, the Hebrews quickly accepted him as their leader and
spokesperson. After all, no other candidate had applied for the job of deliverer and
savior. But Moses and his brother Aaron didn't meet with such instant success when
they told the Pharaoh of Egypt to "Let my people go" to worship the Lord, the God
of Israel (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh laughed off Moses and Aaron and told them that he
had never heard of the God of Moses.
In fact, Egyptian kings considered themselves to be gods, so this demand to release
the Hebrews from slavery so that they could worship their God may have been a
slap in Pharaoh's face. In response, Pharaoh increased the workload of the Hebrew
slaves.
God worked through Moses to bring 10 plagues upon Egypt, the last of which finally
persuaded Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go. We can more deeply appreciate
Pharaoh's reluctance to let the Israelites go when we read that 600,000 Hebrew
men left Egypt in the Exodus. Such an exodus was not only a blow to the pride of

the Egyptians, but had long-range implications for their economy. 600,000 men
worked as slave labor supporting Egyptian industry. Together with women and
children, the total number of Hebrews leaving Egypt would have been over two
million people.
The tenth and last plague has become a central event in the Jewish religion -- the
Passover. God caused all the firstborn of Egypt to die, but spared all Hebrew
families who killed a lamb and smeared the blood of the lamb on their doorposts.
Christians look back on this event of salvation and redemption through the blood of
a lamb as the prototype of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world by the shedding of his blood (John 1:29).
The Exodus is the central event of the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. It marks
the birth of a nation and is still seen by the Jewish people as the great act of God's
redemption on the part of his people.
Parallels for Christians
For Christians, there are many parallels in the story of the Exodus with the saving
acts of Jesus as Savior, Messiah, Lord and Master. For Christians, the cross of Christ
is the great watershed event that changes everything. It is the event by which a
new people of God -- the spiritual nation of the church, composed of all races and
cultures -- is washed, cleansed and born again.
The Exodus was only the beginning of the third period of 40 years in Moses' life.
The dramatic, miraculous and monumental intervention of God at the Red Sea is
high drama. Having let the Israelites go, Pharaoh had second thoughts and
dispatched his army to once again enslave the Hebrews.
The children of Israel had camped by the Red Sea, hemmed in by mountains on two
sides, with the Egyptian army in back of them. God instructed Moses to raise his
staff over the waters, and God parted the waters of the Red Sea, giving the
Hebrews safe passage. Once all Israel was safely on the other side of the Red Sea,
God caused those same waters to drown the Egyptian warriors who followed in hot
pursuit of the Hebrews.
Two months after they had crossed the Red Sea, God used Moses to give the
children of Israel a covenant, (including the ten commandments), all of which
Christians now know as the old covenant. God was leading the new nation to their
new land, the promised land. But God determined, because of the lack of faith and
constant rebellion of Israel, that the children of Israel would have to journey though
the wilderness for 40 years. It was a time of wandering and backtracking, of
lessons learned, of frustration, of testing and trial.
Back-to-Egypt

Moses' authority was constantly challenged during the 40 years in the wilderness.
He was confronted by many "Back-to-Egypt" committees who told him how good
slavery was, compared to his leadership. There must have been times when Moses
yearned for his life as a shepherd, leading animals, instead of being a deliverer,
leading people.
These 40 years in the wilderness were a struggle for survival, with problems of food
and water, internal division and strife, murmurings and rebellion against Moses'
leadership, and battles with enemies. Moses did not escape unscathed, and an act
of frustration on his part resulted in God denying him the opportunity to enter the
promised land. At the end of the 40 years in the wilderness, just before the children
of Israel crossed over the river Jordan into the promised land, Moses died
(Deuteronomy 34:5-8). "No one has ever shown the mighty power or performed
the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:12).
A Role Model
Moses was raised a child of two races and struggled with his identity. The Bible says
Moses had problems speaking -- he may have stuttered. Moses contended with
physical handicaps, character flaws and the limitations imposed on him by old age.
He is no super-hero, simply an imperfect human who went from riches to rags, and
was redeemed by God to liberate and rescue Israel.
Larger than life, Moses was a political and religious leader, lawmaker, judge,
prophet, priest, poet, prince, shepherd, miracle worker -- and the founder of a
nation.
Moses was the prophet without peer in the Old Testament, living and experiencing
the covenant between God and his people. Perhaps faith is the best one word
descriptor of Moses.
Moses forever stands as a beacon of hope, faith, courage and commitment. He
refused to compromise, he stood firm in the face of adversity and suffering, he led
his people against impossible odds and ultimately gave his life that others might
enter the promised land.
Moses was the great forerunner and type of Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 18:18; Acts
3:22-26) who delivered all mankind from the sins of Egypt and died that we all
might live.
A stained-glass window in a cathedral in Ulm, Germany, depicts Israeli scenes.
At the top of the window are scenes of palm trees in Egypt, the burning bush and
the tablets of the law. The middle scenes in the window show scales of
righteousness, Moses, and a dove with an olive branch. At the bottom of the
window, the burning ovens of Hitler's concentration camps are depicted, with Jews
marching toward death.

But as they walk, their feet are treading the waves of the Red Sea, the symbol of
imperishable hope. At the very bottom of the window, from left to right, are the
words, "Treblinka," "Auschwitz" and "Bergen-Belsen."
Jesus, the new Moses, came to us in our suffering and pain, so he might become
one of us. He suffered and died, so we might have life.
For that very reason, churches and cathedrals always exalt the cross to the place of
prominence. It is a symbol that God himself has suffered for his people. He has
given meaning and hope to our lives when human hopes are dashed.
Someone greater than Moses has come. He has died on the cross. He is risen, and
he lives today that we might have hope and meaning in our lives. He's not simply
the Prince of Egypt -- he is Prince of peace, King of kings and Lord of lords.
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God is preparing me for something I cant handle now. What the Story of Moses
preparation has to teach us.
In The Second Chapter of Exodus, we have presented the Story of Moses and how
he was prepared by God for the great mission he would one day take up, by God
grace, that of delivering and leading the Jewish people to freedom and toward the
Promised Land. But as we shall see, Moses preparation is anything but uneventful.
God must prepare him in a crucible of sorts and also lead him to a greater humility
prior to his great mission. It is not an easy preparation. Lets look to the purposeful
preparation of the Man named Moses.
I. Family situation At the Chapter opens, we read: Now a man from the
house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of Levi. The woman
conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child,
she hid him three months. And when she could hide him no longer she took
for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch;
and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the rivers
brink. And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to
him. (Ex 2:1-4)
Thus we have the dramatic opening of the birth of Moses with a death sentence
over his head. Pharaoh has ordered the death of every Hebrew boy saying to the
midwives, When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the
delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her
live (Exodus 1:16). Moses is thus slated to die on account of murderous greed,
royal injustice, and the fearful assent of others.

But look again! And see the focus on women and their initiative in this chapter.
Moses mother, his sister and Pharaohs daughter are all mentioned as standing in
the gap against the injustice of their day. It is interesting that men are not
mentioned!
This provides a key insight into the ways of God. In situations of oppression it
is often the weakest who show themselves most powerful, and that, in weakness,
power often reaches perfection. Perhaps this is because the weak and powerless
have the least to lose and are the least invested in the way things are. And thus
Scripture teaches of how our weakness opens the door to Gods strength:
1.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose
what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and
despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that
are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:27 )

2.

Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he
said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness. I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power
of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with
weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am
weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:8 )

As we shall see, this insight will be important for Moses in years to

come when he is forty years of age. For in his strength he will be too strong to be
used by God. God will first need to humble and age him, weaken his human power,
to make him useful.
But for now simply note the strong stock from which Moses comes. His
mother and aunt make a daring and risky move, and prove themselves resourceful
in the midst of a depraved and wicked situation. They will resist evil, but not by
adopting evils tactics, rather by making what will amount to a daring raid, a
stealthy incursion, in to the very source of evil, Pharaohs own household.
It would seem that Moses mother must have informed him of his Hebrew origins at
some point for Scripture says elsewhere:
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of
Pharaohs daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather
than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of
Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking
ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the kings anger; he
persevered because he saw him who is invisible. (Heb 11:24-27)

And while it involves some conjecture, we can almost imagine his mother,
serving as his caretaker in pharaohs palace teaching him: Son, this is who
you really are and dont you forget it. Dont be fooled by all this power and money,
by all these trappings. Remember your people and consider that God has saved you
for a reason and has a plan for your life.
Yes, we ought to know that Moses came from strong stock, and even if we
have to read between the lines, it is clear that Moses had a strong and daring
mother and family.
Lets read on.
II. Fantastic Sovereignty Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at
the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the
reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo,
the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews
children. Then his sister said to Pharaohs daughter, Shall I go and call you a
nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you? And Pharaohs daughter
said to her, Go. So the girl went and called the childs mother. And Pharaohs
daughter said to her, Take this child away, and
nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child
and nursed him. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaohs
daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said,
Because I drew him out of the water. (Exodus 2:5-10)
In some ways the action of these women shows both desperation and
decisiveness. Floating Moses downstream is quite chancy but notice the mother
and daughter monitor the situation to see what will come, and be able to respond
to whatever occurs. Hence they remain actors in the drama not merely hapless
victims of the situation.
Note too, the similarities to the story of Noah and the Ark and also the
Crosscannot be overlooked:
1.

A wooden ark covered with pitch

2.

Moses floats to salvation on the very waters that meant death for others.

3.

4.

God is sovereign in that he works his purposes out despite human sinfulness
and stubbornness. In fact, he even uses human sin to accomplish his purposes.
Human sin becomes the launching pad for divine action.

Note the list of ironies and divine sovereignty we can observe in this short
passage:
1.

Pharaohs chosen instrument of destruction (the Nile) is the means for saving
Moses.

2.

The women who are allowed to live sonce Pharaohs death sentence did not
include them, (presumably because they as less a threat) now proceed to
oppose Pharaoh and deal a serious blow to his plans of suppression

3.

The mother of Moses saves him by following Pharaohs order (with a twist).
Moses is cast into the water as ordered, but on the wood of a kind of ark or
cross.

4.

A member of Pharaohs own family undermines his policies and saves the
very person who will ultimately defeat Pharaoh.

5.

Egyptian royalty (through Pharaohs daughter) heeds a Hebrew girls advice

and receives the seed of its own destruction

6.

Moses mother gets paid from Pharaohs own budget to do what she most
wants to do (nurture her son).

7.

Moses is educated to be an Israelite leader within the very court of Pharaoh.

8.

Pharaohs daughter gives Moses a name that is prophetic: true she drew from
the water, but Moses would draw Israel out of the water too!

Yes, God has initiated through these women, a daring raid on the lair of evil,
Pharaohs palace, and placed and agent, a savior there who will be prepared by
Pharaohs own court for its eventual downfall. Indeed, though we know little of
these years from the Exodus account, Scripture later tells us, through St. Stephens
speech in Acts of the glory of Moses upbringing in the Court of Pharaoh:
At that time Moses was born, and he was no ordinary child. For three months he
was cared for by his family.When he was placed outside, Pharaohs daughter took
him and brought him up as her own son.Moses was educated in all the wisdom of
the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action. (Acts 7:20-22)
Yes, Pharaoh was teaching and preparing his own nemesis. He was preparing his
own downfall. You might call this the fantastic sovereignty of God.

III. False Start So things are well underway for deliverance for the Hebrews.
But then comes a twist, a kind of development in the plot that warns us not to get
out ahead of God. The text says, One day, when Moses had grown up, he went
out to his people and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a
Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed
the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two
Hebrews were struggling together; and he said to the man that did the wrong,
Why do you strike your fellow? He answered, Who made you a prince and a
judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was
afraid, and thought, Surely the thing is known. When Pharaoh heard of it, he
sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of
Midian; and he sat down by a well. (Ex. 2:11-15)
The problem here is that Moses appoints himself. The Hebrew man may be
rude and in the wrong but he speaks rightly, asking, Who made you a prince and a
judge over us? And of course the answer is, no one has. God has not yet spoken
to Moses as he will later do. Moses is out ahead of God. Moses tries to save his
people without God. This is pride and presumption.
This is at the heart of the matter. God needs to work with Moses for forty
more years before he is ready.
We cannot avoid the clear indictment that Moses is a murderer. Despite
feeling righteousness indignation well up within him, he has no right to kill.
It remains a truth that our most of our Biblical heroes have pasts and
struggled with sin and weakness in their lives. We are dealing with human beings
here, not epic heroes. We see in Genesis with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah,
Rachel, Leah, et al., all of them had issues. Looking ahead, we shall see other
examples, David. Elijah, Jonah, Peter, Paul, just to name a few. Regarding Moses,
Imagine God making a past murderer the great leader of his people!
And thus, God will use whom he will use, even those with a past and those
who have had great struggles.
But as for now, Moses has gotten out ahead of God, and in his pride commits
the sin of murder. Scripture says elsewhere of Moses error: [Moses] supposed that
his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him, but
they did not understand (Acts 7:25). And indeed, why should they? God has
revealed no such thing to them yet, and has not yet sent Moses to them.
Let us be clear, Moses, at age 40, in his prime, is too strong and too
proud for God to use. God seeks the weak and humble, those who will depend on

him. Thus Moses needs purification and preparation in the desert, where he must
now flee. For forty years, God will work with him, and when Moses is finally weak
and humble enough, not trusting in his own power, then God will finally call him.
For now, he must stand down.
Pay attention dear reader. Too many of us also get out ahead of God. Too
many of us also undertake tasks that God has not given or has said, not yet to.
Troubles and burdens, even grave sins can come when we get out of or ahead of
Gods will.
IV. Formative Sojourning And Thus Moses flees to the desert where God will
purify and prepare him for something he cannot handle right now. The text
says, Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew
water, and filled the troughs to water their fathers flock. The shepherds came and
drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
When they came to their father Reuel, he said, How is it that you have come so
soon today? They said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the
shepherds, and even drew water for us and watered the flock. He said to his
daughters, And where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may
eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his
daughter Zipporah. She bore a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said,
I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. (Exodus 2:16-22)
Moses will now live humbly. He will have a desert experience. He will learn to
shepherd. He will raise a family. He will learn patience and, with age, his own limits.
The paradox of all this is that God seeks us in our humility more than our
strength. Without humility we are dangerous and God cannot use us. Finally in forty
years, when Moses is 80, leaning on a cane, and of stammering speech, God will
finally say, Now I can use you, for now you will rely on my power, not yours.
V. Foreseeing Strategy The text of Exodus 2 concludes: In the course of those
many days the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned under their
bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God. And
God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with
Isaac, and with Jacob. And God saw the people of Israel, and God knew their
condition. (Ex 2:22-25)
In a strange way God has almost been in the background up to this point. Now
finally he is disclosed and described as one who hears, remembers, sees and knows
the condition of his people.

We know from what follows and also from what we have already discussed, God
is not a passive observer here. He has been laying the groundwork for the
deliverance of his people and is working his purposes out. All this time God has
been silently at work.
Moses the deliverer was snatched from the waters, educated and prepared in
Pharaohs own courts, by Pharaohs finest. Moses has had his pride humbled, and
his human strength replaced by divine dependance through a forty year purification
in the desert. And now the deliverer of Israel is finally ready.
Chapter three will show some need to grow in trust, But Moses is now ready and
the deliverance shall commence.
And as for Moses, there was operative for him those forty years in the desert the
words of an old Gospel Song:
God is preparing me.
Hes preparing me for something
I cannot handle right now;
Hes making me ready just because He cares.
Hes providing me with what I need
to carry out the next matter in my life.
Hes maturing me
Hes arranging me
Hes preparing
He is training me
He is tuning me
He is purging me
He is pruning me
For everything
That comes in my life
Thats Moses Story. How about yours?

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Getting ahead of God
By Pierre Eade
1144 words, read time approx 3-4 minutes

If you enjoyed this article, you'd be sure to enjoy these as well:

Getting Behind God

Finding God's Will One Step At A Time

Receiving Wise Counsel
Making Wise Choices
What seems most stunning and profound to me as I read these stories are the consequences
that come from getting ahead of God. Lets take Abram for example. God promises Abram
(later called Abraham) that he will be the father of many nations. (Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis
15:4-5) Time passes on and Abram is still without child. So his wife Sarai (later named Sarah)
comes up with a clever idea. Sarai loses hope of becoming pregnant so she tells Abram to take
their maidservant Hagai for a wife and to conceive with her. Abram blindly listens to his wifes
advice. (Genesis 16:2)
You dont have to be a rocket scientist to guess this just isnt going to work out too well.
Hagar conceives. Sarah gets jealous. Sarah gets mad at Abram. Abram tells her to do as she
pleases. Sarah kicks out Hagar and the baby. The Angel of the Lord finds Hagar in the
wilderness and instructs her to name her son Ishmael and says of him, He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man. And every mans hand against him. (Genesis 16:12)
Fourteen years later Sarah finally bears Isaac, the son God had promised Abraham. When
Isaac is finally weaned from his mother, Abraham throws a party and Sarah notices Ishmael
mocking Isaac. Again the sparks of jealous and envy begin to fly between Sarah and Hagar.
(Genesis 21:8-9)
Ishmaels linage can be traced to the Arab/Muslim people of our day and Isaac to the Jews.
Now thousands of years later, the Arab-Israeli conflict still exists! Talk about some serious
consequences!
Speaking of early conflicts, Esau and Jacob struggled with sibling rivalry even in their mothers
womb. Rebekah their mother was visited by God during her pregnancy and told, Two nations
are in your womb, and two manner of people shall be born of you; and the one people shall be
stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (Genesis 25:23) When
they were born, Esau came out first making him the natural born recipient of his fathers
blessing. Jacob came out with his hand clutching his brothers heel, a prophetic sign of his
competitive nature and desire to win the coveted first born rights from his brother. (Genesis
25:26)
Years later Esau came in from a hard days work exhausted and tired. When he smelled the
soup his brother Jacob was making he asked for a bowl. Jacob recognized his brothers weak
state of mind and offered to give his brother soup in exchange for his birthright. (Genesis
25:29-33) Esau was unable to contain his appetite and agreed with Jacob. He traded in his
fortune and prestige for a cup of hot soup! Its a perfectly bad example of what happens when
we are not willing to wait on Gods timing.
Then there were Lots daughters who found no men to marry and did not feel they could wait
any longer to bear children. So they came up with a plan to get their father drunk and lay with
him. (Genesis 19:30-35) (I know, its gross to even think about.) The daughters get pregnant
and give birth to the Moabites and Ammonites two people groups who were only trouble to the
nation of Israel.
It doesnt take a genius or Bible scholar to understand that each of the characters in the above
stories made bad decisions because they became impatient and felt they could wait no longer.
A more challenging task is to reflect upon our own lives and the decisions we are

contemplating today and ask the honest question, Am I making a rush decision that will cost
me significantly down the road?
Consider a few examples of hasty decisions that are commonly being made in our society:

Sex: like the story of Abraham and of Lots daughters, when we choose to have sex
outside the covenant of marriage we take on greater risks. Sexually transmitted diseases,
children born out of wedlock, dysfunctional or broken marriages and most severely falling under
Gods judgment (Hebrews 13:4) are just a few of the potential consequences of pre-marital sex.

Money: Buying what we cant afford now and accumulating debt has become a national
pastime for many Americans including the government! Before signing our name on the dotted
line, we need to recognize that debt puts us in a place of servitude (bondage) to our lenders.
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)

Food: In a society (speaking of America) where even our children are becoming obese we
need to wonder whats gone wrong. While some obesity can be traced to genetics and
problems of a poor metabolism, a large majority of our weight issues are simply a result of the
lack of self-control. Like Esau, we are controlled by our appetite and can't wait for the next meal
without snacking incessantly.
Lets remember that God is not looking to condemn us because of our bad choices, but to
forgive us and to set us free from repeating the same mistakes time and again. For God did
not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be
saved. (John 3:17) Come to God and receive the forgiveness and freedom offered through his
Son Jesus death on the cross.
As you move forward in life, remember that instant gratification often results in long-term costs.
Most of the greatest blessings in life come from perseverance through trails and steadfast faith.
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that makes haste to be rich shall not go
unpunished. (Proverbs 28:20) Being patient for Gods timing and submitting your plans to His
will may not be in vogue today, but it will make you happier in the long run and give you greater
peace in the present day.

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Moses and 40 Long Years
July 28, 2008 by Michael Kelley
When you combine Exodus 2, Hebrews 11, and Acts 7, you get some more facts
about one of the pivotal figures in biblical history Moses. What you find is that
Moses was raised in privilege as a prince of Egypt (just like the movie says), but
that he also had some knowledge about who his people were. He understood he

was a Hebrew. And its reasonable to assume that he also had an inkling at least
about what Gods plan was for him that he was to be a great deliverer.
So in Exodus 2, you find Moses taking his destiny into his own hands. He was
supposed to be the deliverer, so he decided to start delivering, and he killed an
Egyptian slave-master. That act forced Moses into the wilderness, the desert of
Midian to be more precise, and there he stayed for 40 years.
40 years.
Thats a long time. 40 years ago humanity had no concept of the personal
computer, much less the internet. The summer of love had not yet happened; the
United States was in the Vietman conflict; both Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther
King were assassinated; and Richard Nixon was elected president. I was not alive
for any of these things.
Moses was a shepherd, in the desert, for 40 years. He went from being the prince
of Egypt and a revolutionary with a dream to a nobody. But heres whats
encouraging to me. During those 40 years, Im sure Moses had alot of questions.
He had alot of doubts. He had alot of humility thrust upon him. And while he may
have felt like he was doing nothing with his life, God was busy. And I believe God
was busy in at least 2 ways one outside, and one inside.
In the outside, God was busy preparing Moses to know what life was like in the
desert, which would come in pretty handy when he spent the NEXT 40 years of life
wandering around there. The stuff he learned about finding water, sleeping
arrangements, wildlife, plantlife you name it would be invaluable. Moses had no
clue he was learning all this, but he was.
On the inside, God was also busy. He was busy helping Moses become the sort of
person would could walk into the court of the most powerful man in the known
world and say Let my people go. He was preparing him to be the kind of person
who could deal with the impatience and bellyaching of a newly liberated people. He
was preparing him to be someone who knew what it was like to depend on the work
of God and walk deeply with Him. And Moses didnt even know it. He was becoming
someone in the desert, and he thought he was just herding sheep.
God is busy. Hes busy in the palace, and Hes busy in the desert. In our desert
moments, in my desert moments, I wonder if Im so busy being fixated on getting
out of the desert that I forget that God is at work at all.

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