MOSES: FAITH IN MOTION

Faith continuously moves

Exodus

The Book of Exodus is fundamentally a book of movement. The word ‘exodus’ literally signifies exit or departure, actions inherently involving motion. It is fitting that the Pharaoh's daughter named God's servant Moses, which means "to extract," as she drew him from the Nile River, a body of water perpetually in motion. Here we will explore but a glimpse of the concept of Faith in Motion within the dynamic story of Moses, whose journey of the deliverer for his people began before he was even six months old.

Desired Concept

Like everything else in our lives that we some day attain or accomplish, we must first have a desire for it. Like the cars that sit in our driveways. Or the education we studied so diligently to acquire so that we might attain the career we longed for most of our lives. Faith is distinguished within these same brackets. Faith must first be desired. There must be a zeal for it. Many times, the desire stems from what our parents taught us or made accessible to us as children; usually by taking us to church and introducing us to God and His son, Jesus Christ.

I was taught about The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All equally God as one Omnipotent Entity. As I strove to learn more about The Trinity, my desire for stronger faith began to grow. That desire still grows to this very day. If I must be real, it is the reason I started this blog about faith. In studying to help myself, perhaps I can help someone else with similar desires.

Curiosity Faith

On certain occasions, the pursuit of faith may originate from mere curiosity. The Divine is not constrained by specific circumstances or methods in igniting interest. Such was the case with Moses. He was separated from his family and heritage at three months old. Raised by godless people, he grew up knowing nothing of his family’s spiritual beliefs. However, as circumstances would have it, he was brought to a place where curiosity got the best of him. He became fascinated with a bush on a mountainside that continually burned but was never consumed. Even the bush was in a continual state of motion- burning. In Exodus 3:3, his curiosity is revealed to us as his journey was about to begin. “And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”

In my childhood, I was always discouraged from being too curious with cute little adages like ‘curiosity killed the cat’. Moses’ story gives us a different insight on curiosity, more of a positive note. Little did Moses know that his curiosity over an unexplained phenomenon would lead him on a path to many more unexplained phenomena that would be performed by God through a rod he held in his hand and would prove only be beneficial to him and his people.

Motion Faith

There are many times in the bible that God tells us to “be still,” Psalm 46:10, Psalm 37:7, Lamentations 3:25-26, Ephesian 6: 10-20, 2 Chronicles 20:17. There’s even a short passage where Moses encourages the people to ‘stand still’ by the Red Sea. (Exodus 14: 13) However, Moses’ story is clearly one of Faith in Motion. Moses had to first be moved to find out about the burning bush which he had to climb a mountain to accomplish. Because he made the first move, God spoke to him to set him in motion on another move, the move he was destined to make; the move he was born for. Exodus 3:4 – “And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush….”

So, what was this great predestined move God created Moses for? He wanted him to go back to the country where he was possibly still wanted for murder (because he had indeed killed someone) to tell the man who was possibly seeking to punish him for that murder to release the people he was holding captive. God's people. His people. Exodus 3:10 - … “I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.” (If ever there was a classic case of curiosity killing the cat.)

Like most of us, when God entrusts something to us, we present to Him reason after reason why we cannot be the right person for the task. As if God doesn’t know who He is talking to. Moses was no different. God created everything. Including Moses. He could just as easily have come down from the mountain and met Moses where he was to send him to Pharaoh, like He approached so many others in the bible. Where they were. But Moses’ faith required him to be in motion. He needed to first have a curiosity that lead him to come to a God he didn't yet know. He then needed to be willing to go to Pharaoh. And thereafter, he needed to be proactive in performing miracles with a rod that he held in his bare hand. A simple stick that God put in motion to attain the freedom of His people, all the way up to the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21) and beyond to striking a rock for water (Exodus 17:6) in the desert. Moses was continually ordered by God to go, to cast, or lift up his hands with, the rod. Faith in motion.

Misguided Focus

When we do something for an extended period of time, we become stagnant or stuck in that place. Because Moses had a Faith that should be kept in Motion, he was accustomed to (doing). Namely he had become accustomed to using his trusted staff upon God’s orders to do what God asked him to do. Everything, however, has its season. Then we must move forward to greater things. Moses had worked many wonders with his rod by the power of God. So perhaps Moses didn’t hear God clearly when He told him to speak to the rock he had previously struck with his rod. Perhaps he heard Him but assumed He meant for him to tap the rock with his rod as he had done before. Perhaps he was just too focused on the rod itself to hear God clearly. (Numbers 20:7- 11) For whatever reason, Moses smote the rock instead of speaking to it as God commanded him. Numbers 20:11- “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with the rod he smote the rock twice…” For that mistake, Moses was unable to experience the promised land with his people. Numbers 20:12 – “And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”

A Sovereign God

To some, this may seem cruel like an unjust punishment. After all Moses had done everything else God had asked him to do. But we must remember, God is sovereign. His righteousness is beyond our comprehension. But when you look at the following verses we see that they did not say that God was angry with Moses because he smote the rock. Moses was God's friend. God loved him dearly. Exodus 33:11 tells us “And the Lord spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.” God was displeased with his friend for not believing in Him and not using that moment to ‘sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel’. Pain feels differently when it comes at the hands of a friend. God had given Moses his fifteen minutes of fame. This was the moment the glory would be shifted back to God with only a spoken word. Now, even though Moses could not step foot on the ground of the promise land, God would not let him leave this earth with seeing it with his own eyes. He showed him from the mountain top all the lands that He promised to his people. And when Moses died, God Himself, buried His friend, with His own Holy Hands in a special place known only to Him. Deut. 34:1-7

Thank you for reading! Please come again!

Faith is a special gift between The Creator and His children. It is my prayer that each of us who desires an abundance of faith, receive it in the name of Jesus.

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