The inner struggle of Moses

Exodus 6:9-13; 12/28/2025; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

Why is there struggle in life?  Moses conveyed God’s words to the Israelites.  Logically speaking, there should have been immediate and visible results!  But things are never that easy, are they?  Let us look at the first point:

 Unable to listen due to harsh labor and despair

This may well be a weakness of humanity: the moment we encounter difficulties, we begin to retreat.  Isn’t that often the case?  A person may have no problem in ideals, in romance, or in feelings, but once a real decision has to be made, it is no longer easy.  First, the nature of harsh labor and discouragement.  At this time, Moses was still in the “beginning stage” of full-time service to God and had yet to mature.  Faced with the complaints of the Israelites, Moses felt helpless.  He even followed the leaders of Israel in bringing his complaint before God, saying, “O Lord, why have You brought trouble upon this people? Why did You send me?”  It was not until Moses reached the age of 120, in his later years, that he truly understood this truth.  Looking back on his own immaturity in his seventies and eighties, he wrote, “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).  Therefore, the essence of life’s harsh labor and discouragement is vanity.

Second, it is the working of our rebellious nature.  This explains why the Israelites refused to listen to Moses and were unwilling to submit to God’s will.  If a person does not walk faithfully and practically on God’s path, he will inevitably live in vanity.  A person who lives in vanity has no time or space for obedience to God.  Why is that?  Because all his time and space are consumed by the world, by the old self, and by the traps of Satan.  The rebellion passed down to us from our first ancestor, Adam, flows in our very nature—unning through our blood and lodged deep within our bones— inescapable and overpowering.  It is quite simple.  We would do well to examine ourselves: is there within our hearts a tendency toward rebellion?  No matter what others may say, is there always another voice within, pulling and tugging at our thoughts and intentions?

Finally, the bottleneck in Moses’ ministry.  Though Moses was already eighty years old, his days of serving God were still relatively short, and he lacked both experience and grace.  At this point, it seemed that Moses could do little more than simply deliver God’s word.  Moses prayed, he pleaded, and he questioned God, saying, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).  Even so, Moses still longed for God to remove the cup he was required to drink, crying out, “How long, O LORD? Turn back and have compassion on Your servants” (Psalm 90:13).  When difficulties arise, we choose to lie flat;  when no one appreciates us, we think about giving up.  How nice it would be if God would simply relent— so that we would not have to go on anymore!  Now, let us move on to the second point.

 God’s command comes to Moses

This is the second time the LORD has spoken to Moses. Remember the first time?   Then, God revealed who He was and what His relationship with Moses would be.  But this time?  First, God said, “So now, go.”  This is God’s unchanging strategy for the salvation of all people: He calls one person, forms a group, and then sends them out to proclaim the gospel and bear witness!  Deep in Moses’ heart, he may still have been troubled by his past.  If he claimed to be an Egyptian prince, he seemed to lack true Egyptian blood.  If he claimed to be a Hebrew, he had spent so many years in Pharaoh’s palace without living in fellowship with God’s people—leaving him with some inner guilt.  His heart was full of hesitation, too timid to step forward—let alone enter the palace and reason with Pharaoh.  Yet God’s command was clear and simple: “Go in.”   If it were you, how would you respond?

Second, Speak to the Pharaoh of Egypt.  At this point, Moses was no longer an Egyptian prince—he was just an ordinary man.  In Pharaoh’s eyes, he was merely a Hebrew slave.  The vast difference in status and identity created a natural fear: the people trembled before the king, and the slaves feared the officials.  So when God commanded Moses to go speak to Pharaoh, it is understandable that Moses faced psychological barriers.  Perhaps it was more than just fear—it was a complex array of emotions and thoughts!  This Pharaoh could have been a nephew or great-nephew of Moses’ foster mother, or even of lower rank by lineage.  Yet once a man is called king, he is no longer just an ordinary person.  The mind of an emperor is as deep as the ocean, as secretive as a needle under the sea, cunning beyond measure—who can truly discern it?  It is easy to imagine that even before Moses went to speak, his heart was already trembling with apprehension.

Finally, let my people go.  Moreover, God commanded Moses: “Let the Israelites go out of their land.”  What does this mean?  It is, in effect, a declaration of sovereignty to Pharaoh:  these Israelites—once mere Hebrew slaves in Pharaoh’s eyes—are God’s chosen people, belonging to the LORD!  Every move of the Israelites, every direction they take, is determined by the LORD.  Moses must have thought, How could Pharaoh possibly accept this?  It is similar today: the Church that belongs to Christ may face authorities or powers opposed to God—Three-Self Church, Religious Affairs Bureau, or United Front Work Department—and we are called to bring God’s people out of their control and back into God’s embrace.  Some of us might think, How can the antiChrist authorities possibly accept this?  Let’s see the third point:

The struggles Moses faced

Life has a great pit waiting for people to fall into.  What pit is this?  It is the trap of caring too much about others’ expectations or being overly concerned with how people see us.  This is also one of the struggles Moses had to face.  First, no one listens to me.  Moses had spent forty years in the wilderness.  The glory of the prince he once was, the extraordinary skills he once wielded, his authority, and even his ability to kill with disdain—all had vanished.  This was exactly God’s purpose: Moses’ strength had gradually weakened, almost disappearing entirely, so that God could truly use him!  If Moses still possessed the dignity of a prince or the power of Pharaoh’s palace, how could God have used him?  Only when Moses became a “mighty one made weak” could God operate through him.  At this point, his strength was no longer his own—it was God’s power!  So what if no one listens to me?  It is enough to listen to God!  This is also a secret in raising children: if we cannot escape the trap of needing others to listen to us, we will waste our time even in God’s kingdom.

Secondly, because of my clumsy speech.  Wonderful! If I am indeed clumsy in speech, wouldn’t that make God’s glory shine even more?  Moses said he was slow of speech,  and God sent Aaron to help him—doesn’t this demonstrate God’s grace?  Even if I were eloquent, if I did not give glory and praise to God, what benefit would it bring me?  People may earn human praise, admiring glances, heartfelt admiration, and willing submission, but if they lose God’s approval, does life still have meaning?  It doesn’t matter if the Israelites don’t listen or Pharaoh refuses to obey me!  In the end, they must obey God’s word anyway.  I may not be able to make them listen to God, but God can!   Won’t you listen?   Well, there are consequences for that, and everyone should weigh that carefully, right?

Finally, God’s unchanging will.  Clearly, God was not hindered by Moses’ weakness;   rather, He kept moving straight toward the mission goal, continuing to “command Moses and Aaron to go to the Israelites and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.”  When Peter heard that Jesus was going to the cross, he said, “Lord, this must never happen!”  But the Lord said, “Get behind me, Satan!”  Christ’s crucifixion is God’s unchanging eternal will.  Likewise, Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt was also God’s unchanging will.  Similarly, God desires to use the people He has chosen to accomplish His purpose.  Moses was precisely God’s chosen one—not only a member of the twelve tribes,  but further, chosen from the tribe of Levi, and even more specifically, set apart from among the Levites.

Conclusion

Praise the Lord!   The struggles within Moses’ heart are also struggles we often encounter in our own service!  In this world, we are often not in full control of our circumstances, yet God can still be in charge, right?  The question is whether we are willing, for the sake of God, to let go of our old self and the world, so that we may live for Christ alone.  May God have mercy and help us to live for the Lord!

Let us pray together……

 

9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

10 So the Lord said to Moses,

11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.”

12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.