Moses: Humble or insecure?

English: Moses Pleading with Israel, as in Deuteronomy 6:1-15, illustration from a Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Moses had an amazing early childhood. Born in secret, lovingly abandoned, miraculously rescued, unexpectedly raised,. Moses appears in the Bible as a person with an unusually varied past. We don’t really know a lot about Moses from a child to adulthood, but the man who eventually served as God‘s chosen leader of the chosen people was more prepared to lead than he realized.

Moses’ life covered an amazing 120 years. the first 40 were dedicated to academics and leadership training-Egyptian style. Moses’ second 40 years were spent in the desert, where he practiced leading sheep through the wilderness. Doing this gave him the knowledge to lead people through the same terrain later on. The last 40 years were spent in the stressful role of champion and leader of a nation on the move.

Each phase in the life of Moses started with a crisis. by the time he was 40, his instincts to protect his people were well intentioned, but poorly timed (Ex 2:11-15). He killed an Egyptian Guard and had to run into the desert for his life. there he stayed until God called him. That call (Ex 3:1-4:17) shows us a lot about Moses’ character. He questioned, avoided, and resisted God’s direction. He had lived with the failure and shame of his actions in Egypt for almost 40 years. He had grown used to what seemed like an insignificant role. But God had plans for Moses’ combination of ability and insecurity, a combination that made Moses a humble man.

God used Moses’ experience to hone his character. Moses’ training improved his gifts , his failures deepened his dependance on God, and god made the loving effort to convince Moses of his plans.

God can use our insecurities and uncertainties as effective tools in our lives. they can make us useful in God’s service. God can make strength out of our weaknesses. We might allow them to come between God and us, but god transforms them into part of the living bridge that connects us with the One who loves us most of all.