Moses said to God, 'Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?' 'I shall be with you' was the answer 'and this is the sign by which you shall know that it is I who have sent you... After you have led the people out of Egypt, you are to offer worship to God on this mountain.' - Ex. 3:11-12 -

The departure of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt under the leadership of Moses, was the final event in a series of miracles by which God revealed Himself to His people in bondage, humbled the pride of the Pharaoh who opposed the Israelites, and enabled Jacob's descendants to live in freedom once again.

The promise of the Exodus began with God;s revelation of Himself to Moses at the 'Burning Bush.' - Ex. 3:2 - This was followed by the commissioning of Moses and Aaron to stand before Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. But Moses doubted that it was God who spoke, and ask what God name is? What am I to tell them if they ask me what His name is? And God said to Moses, 'I Am who I Am. This' he added 'is what you must say to the sons of Israel:

"Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you". This is my name for all times: by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come. - Ex. 3:13-15 -

Moses instructed for his mission by God: Go and gather the elders of Israel together and tell them, "Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob/Israel; and He has said to me.

I will give this people such prestige in the eyes of the Egyptians that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. Every woman will ask the neighbor and the woman who is staying in her house for silver ornaments and gold. With these you will adorn your sons and daughters; you will plunder the Egyptians.

Then Moses answered. 'What if they will not believe me or listen to my words and say to me, "Yahweh has not appeared to you?"' Yahweh asked him, 'What is that in your hand?' 'A staff' Moses said. 'Throw it on the ground' said Yahweh; so Moses threw his staff on the ground - it turned into a serpent and he drew back from it. 'Put your hand out and catch it by the tail' Yahweh said to him. And he put out his hand and caught it, and in his hand the serpent turned into a staff... 'so that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has really appeared to you.'

Again Yahweh spoke to Moses, 'Put your hand into your bosom. He put his hand into his bosom and when he drew it out, his hand was covered with leprosy, white as snow.' 'Put your hand back into your bosom.' He put his hand back into his bosom and when he drew it out, there it was restored, just like the rest of his flesh.

'Even so: should they not believe you nor be convinced by the first sign, the second will convinced them; but if they should believe neither of these two signs and not listen to your words, you must take water from the river and pour it on the ground, and the water you have drawn from the river will turn to blood on the ground.' - Ex. 4:1-9 -

In spite of God's assurance and these miraculous signs, Moses was still hesitant to take on this task. Then, Moses pleaded that he was 'slow of speech and not able to speak well, and have never been a man of eloquence, either before or since God have spoken to him. Yahweh answered him. 'Who gave man his/her mouth?' 'Who makes him/her dumb or deaf, gives him/her sight or leaves him/her blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? Now go, I shall help you to speak and tell you what to say. - Ex. 4:10-12 -

Moses implying that he was a stutterer or a stammerer. God countered Moses' hesitation by appointing his brother, Aaron to be his spokesman. Moses would be God's direct representative, and Aaron would be his mouthpiece and interpreter to the people of Israel. At last, and finally, Moses accepted this commission from God and returned to Egypt for a confrontation with Pharaoh.

This is how Moses excuses himself before he accepted God commission to leaves Midian and return to Egypt and do what God told and instructed him to do.

'If it please you, my Lord' Moses replied 'send anyone you will!' At this, the anger of Yahweh blazed out against Moses, and he said to him, 'There is your brother Aaron and Levite, is there not? I know that he is a good speaker. Here he comes to meet you. When he sees you, his heart will be full of joy. You will speak to him and tell him what message to give. I shall help you to speak, and him too, and instruct you what to do. He himself is to speak to the people in your place; he will be your mouthpiece, and you will be as the god inspiring him. And take this staff into your hand; with this you will perform the signs.' - Ex. 4:13-17 -

Moses went away and returned to his father-in-law Jethro, and said to him, 'Give me leave to go back to my relatives in Egypt to see if they are still alive.' And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace.'

Yahweh said to Moses in Midian, 'Go, return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.' So Moses took his wife and his son and, putting them on a donkey, started back for the land of Egypt; and Moses took in his hand the staff of God. Yahweh said to Moses, 'Now you are going back to Egypt, be prepared to perform before Pharaoh all the marvels that I have given you power to do.

I myself will harden his heart, and Pharaoh will not let the people go. Then, you will say to Pharaoh, "This is what Yahweh says: Israel is my first-born son. I ordered you to let my son go to offer me worship. You refuse to let him go. So be it! I shall put your first-born to death."

On the journey, when Moses had halted for the night, Yahweh came to meet him and tried to kill him. At once Zipporah,taking up a flint, cut off her son's foreskin and with it she touched the genitals of Moses. 'Truly, you are a bridegroom of blood to me!' she said. And Yahweh let Moses live. It was then that she said, 'bridegroom of blood' on account of the circumcision.

Yahweh said to Aaron..........

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Name: Alex Chan Kok Wah
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Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -