Daily Devotions
Exodus
"And he said, 'Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward My master..." Genesis 24:27
Text: Exodus 3 : 16
A CLEAR PLAN OF ACTION OUTLINED
God did not merely call Moses to serve Him. He gave a very clear plan as to what he was supposed to do. The first thing Moses needed to do was to gain the understanding and support of the “elders of Israel”.
“Go and gather the elders of Israel together,
and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob,
appeared to me, saying, ‘I have surely visited you
and seen what is done to you in Egypt.'”
EXODUS 3:16
‘The Elders of Israel’
This phrase is quite significant. We are given an intimation of the leadership of the children of Israel. There wasn’t a single person who led the people. Instead, there was a group of “elders”. These elders must have performed basic leadership roles. They probably provided counsel, encouragement, cohesion to the distraught child of Israel. However, they were not able to provide the kind of leadership that was needed. For that role, God was going to send Moses!
“And say to them…”
The role that Moses was going to play was a new one to him, and to the elders of the people. He was essentially going to be a spokesman for the Lord. In time to come, the prophets of God would enter into this role admirably. Moses would have to be the pioneer with reference to the exercise of this ministry.
THE FIRST MESSAGE TO BE DELIVERED
Moses was to gather the elders of the children of Israel so that they might heard a special word from the Lord. Two things needed to be established in the meeting with the elders.
1. Establishment of Moses as the chosen one
Moses had been living in Midian for four decades! How would he establish himself as the man chosen by God to lead the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt? Obviously, he had to establish himself. He must convince the children of Israel that God had indeed appeared to him and had appointed him as the leader.
2. Establishment of the fact that God had heard their prayers
The children of Israel had cried out to the Lord because of their anguish. He wanted them to know that their cries had not been in vain! He had not only heard their cries, but had visited them. The children of Israel must not despair but find fresh hope and strength in the knowledge that God was with them. They must exercise their faith and find new strength to trust the God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.