4 May 2017, Ex 4 出 4 章, The “Useless” Man “无用”的人

Posted on Apr 28, 2017 in Devotions, Exodus |

Scripture Reading        : Ex 4

Theme                             : The “Useless” Man

 

Forty years before, Moses was sure he could solve his people’s problems; but now that God had called him, he was sure he would fail. He could give no reasons for disobeying God, but he certainly had plenty of excuses. “An excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie,” observed Billy Sunday. But God gave Moses everything he needed for success. All he had to do was trust the great I AM.

Credentials.

If we give God what we have, He can use it for His glory: a rod, a sling (1 Sam. 17:40), a net (Luke 5:1–11), or a little lunch (John 6:9). He can even use the hand if nothing is in it!

Companion.

God already had Aaron prepared and on his way to meet Moses. While Aaron at times created some problems for Moses, he was still a valued helper in the work. He was the speaker, and Moses was the doer. But in time, Moses himself became a great orator.

Commission.

God spoke to Moses and gave him the instructions and encouragement he needed (vv. 19–23). Before he arrived in Egypt, Moses knew that his work would be difficult and that Pharaoh would oppose him.

Chastening.

Moses was chastened by God and almost died because he had failed to make his child a son of the covenant (Gen. 17:10). How could Moses lead Israel if his own family was not dedicated to God? (See 1 Tim. 3:5.)

Conviction.

Moses was sure nobody would believe him; however, when the elders saw the signs and heard the message, they believed and bowed to worship God.

When you face a tough job and you are afraid that you will fail, remember Moses. God keeps His promises, no matter how you feel or how people respond. [1]

 

 

Praying the Scripture

  1. Forty years before, when Moses felt perfectly adequate to solve the problem of his people, God refused him. 40 years later when he felt totally helpless (3:11), God begin to use him. The lesson we can learn is God can use “useless” men to achieve his purpose. Secondly, it’s only when we are humble and not relying on ourselves, that’s the time we are useful to God. Let’s pray that God keeps us humble to achieve big things for Him.
  2. In His anger (4:14), God appointed Aaron to be the spokesperson for Moses, but Aaron wasn’t always a help to his brother. It was Aaron who cooperated with the people in making the golden calf (Ex. 32), and Aaron and his sister Miriam were critical of Moses (Num. 12). Let’s pray that we do not insist our will because we do not know the future. God’s will is the best. Let’s accept it, welcome it and embrace it.

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, With the Word Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), Ex 4:1.

 
 
 

经文：出4章

主题：“无用”的人

 

40年前摩西相信自己可以解决族人的问题；但神呼召他时，他又不肯。虽然他无法给神拒绝的理由，但摩西确实有许多的借口。比利·桑戴说：“借口是理由的皮囊，里面塞满了谎言”。但神就是摩西所需的一切。摩西所需要做的只是相信那伟大的“我是”。

凭据。

我们献给神什么，祂皆可以使用它们荣耀自己：一杆、一吊索（撒上17:40）、一网（路5:1-11），或一个小午餐（约6:9 ）。即使是什么都没用的手，神也可以使用它！

同伴。

神已经预备好亚伦，而亚伦已在迎接摩西的路上了。虽然有时亚伦带给摩西一些麻烦，但在事工上他仍然是一位得力助手。亚伦是宣讲者，摩西是行事者。假以时日，摩西自己也成为一个伟大的演说家。

任命。

神任命摩西，并给予摩西他所需的指导和鼓励（19-23节）。在他抵达埃及之前，摩西知道这事工是艰难的，而法老也必反抗他。

管教。

神惩罚摩西，甚至差点丧命因为摩西没有让自己的孩子成为立约之子（创17:10）。如果摩西自己的家庭不完全奉献给神，那他要如何带领以色列呢？ （摩前3:5）。

信念。

摩西很肯定没有人会相信他的，然而，当长老看见神迹、听见信息后，他们就信了并低头敬拜神。当你面对一个艰难的工作，并害怕自己会失败时，请记起摩西。不管你感觉如何，或人们如何反应，神绝不食言。
用经文祷告

  1. 40年前，摩西自觉他本身足已解决族人的问题，但神拒绝了他。40年后，当他感到完全无助的时候（3:11），神却使用他了。从这里我们可以学到的功课是神使用“无用”的人来完成祂的旨意。其次，只有当我们真正“谦卑”不靠自己的时候，才合乎主用。让我们祷告神使我们谦卑来实现祂伟大的事。
  2. 在祂的愤怒下（4:14），神任命亚伦为摩西的代言人，但亚伦不是一个能完全帮助摩西的人。为众人制造金牛犊的是亚伦（出32）！常常挑剔摩西的是亚伦；还有姐姐米利暗（民12日）。让我们祷告，我们不要坚持自己的立场，因为我们不知道明天将要发生什么事。神的旨意是最好的。让我们接纳它、欢迎它、拥抱它。