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This blog post is Part 13 of a series entitled "From Fear To Freedom" by Pastor Jeffrey Dean Smith of Donelson First in Nashville, TN. 

Message Date: May 5, 2024

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You want to know how to tick God off? I am going to show you how to do exactly this today!

In days and weeks and years past, when you have reflected on the story of Moses, possibly, even taking you back to memories of attending Sunday School as a child and recalling Old Testament stories such as this one, I wonder… what thoughts come to mind when you think of Moses. I dare say for most people, the story of this Old Testament hero ushers in considerations associated with a baby in a basket, a mean dictator who kills infant males, stories of frogs, gnats, and bloody water, and maybe even the classic, 1956 movie The Ten Commandments staring the great Charlton Heston… The more I have immersed myself into this story, as I have too continually encouraged you to do as well, I have come to understand that, there is in fact a greater thesis at work in this study - one that fully encapsulates the meaning and purpose of this 120-year journey of the man Moses. This thesis, to which I refer and, too, pray you capture as you journey with me, is simply a one word thesis. You see… what I personally am discovering in this verse by verse study of the life of Moses, From Fear to Freedom is this…

The journey upon which Moses finds himself is just as much about his life as it is about the lives of God’s chosen people, the Hebrews. This story too is just as much for me as I traverse my own personal journey from fear to freedom. And the most critical thesis of this entire study… Obedience.

For true obedience is this - unapologetic and complete surrender; the progression of wholly self-denial; conformity; subservience; submission.

How remarkable is the way in which God works? … I find myself asking, “How can God simultaneously direct all that He does to bring freedom to millions of people while too intimately working to usher in freedom upon the life of one 80 year-old man… and additionally using this true story from thousands of years ago to shape, convict, empower, and encourage each of us to command a life engrossed in His holy will and plans?” It’s astounding and captivating to watch all of this unfold at the exact time of and within the divine will of and in the complete control of a Holy Yahweh.  

I found myself this week sitting and meditating on how God was able to pull off all He did with this story – fulfilling the promise He made hundreds of years previous to Abraham under the stars, aligning His plan to coincide with the redemption of His people, the nation of Israel, who presently, as Exodus chapter 2 ends with the revelation that they are “… groaning in their slavery and crying out for help,” … ultimately leading 2+ million, an entire nation of people, from one country to another, and do so victoriously as God establishes His people in a land flowing with milk and honey. God does all of this while too shaping the man Moses, not a perfect man, but a willing man, into the man He created him to be. And all the while, thousands of years later, there is still so very much timeless supernatural power in these words, so much so that they impact and convict and encourage and empower me to be, as Moses, on my own personal journey with God from fear to freedom.

As we pick-up the story again this morning, God is concurrently restoring the faith and confidence in a Hebrew man who, for 40 years, has lived with immense and unfathomable feelings of insignificance, all the while preparing him to do the unthinkable in the lives of millions of Hebrews, and too, in his own life! There are so very many layers to this story for the Church today. And for me personally… what is most remarkable and equally spectacular is that this story is one that too has the supernatural power to do the seemingly impossible in my life. For, again, this story is not one merely of a baby in a basket who eventually leads the people of God to the Promised Land. No! It is so very much more.

This story is personal. This story is intimate. This story is convicting. This story is life-changing. This story is mine.

Today, I want to take the time to address several final items as it relates to this extremely intimate and empowering conversation that Moses has with God on the mountain. So, I want to invite you once again to gather around the bush with me. There is more God wants to show us, and it is important we highlight such now before journeying on with this man. So, if you will, once again remove your shoes, settle in by the fire, and let’s hear from God!

Exodus 4:1-14

1. Focusing on my abilities will always subjugate me to respond with fear.

It just will! Do you know what subjugate means? It simply means:

Subjugate /English/verb = to overpower; govern; inflict dominance over

Do you notice that each time God reveals His plans to Moses, Moses responds with reluctance. Heck… not merely reluctance! It’s simple: Moses does not wish to journey back to the past; back to Egypt; back to the people who hunted him for his life! Oh how very powerful and paralyzing is the perversion of fear in ones life.

Exodus 3:11

Exodus 3:13

Exodus 4:1

And then… one of the most amazing moments in all of the Scriptures happens:

Exodus 4:2-9

Moses watches as God takes his staff and turns it into a snake. Then Moses grabs the snake by the tail, and it turns back into a staff! Are you kidding me?! This is absolutely incredible! Have you ever wondered, “Why a snake?” God could have had Moses perform any number of supernatural things with the staff. Why a snake? I do not know about you, but I abhor snakes… every one of them! A good snake is a dead snake! I've told y'all before, but just the mention of snakes, in particular if I see a video of a snake on my Instagram feed… I absolutely will have a horrific dream about that snake that night. As a matter of fact, I'm probably going to dream about snakes tonight! Am I not right, Amy?

Well… ancient Egyptian history tells us that engrossed within the Egyptian culture is a dark and deep mindset among Egyptians that a snake represents power, authority, and confidence. The ancient Egyptians revered the snake. Of course, the snake was recognized among the Egyptians as a deadly creature, but they also possessed a concomitant, or parallel view, that these venomous creatures were symbols of protection, healing, fertility, and immortality, as evidenced in various ancient texts and artifacts, including the golden uraeus snake on the forefront of the Pharaoh's crown. This snake is called the Uraeus. And it is believed to have appeared on the crown of every Egyptian Pharaoh.

Uraeus /Egyptian/ noun = an erect cobra ready to pounce; a representation of a sacred serpent as an emblem of supreme power.

Egyptians believed that a snake, though impossible to tame, was the true representation of their power; a power that is always erect and ready to strike at their enemies. So, why did God choose the supernatural visual of transforming Moses’ staff into a snake? He could have spoken any number of unexplainable acts into motion as a visual display of His power. Well… as we have discussed many times before, there are no coincidences when God is in the mix. I personally presume that God chose to transform Moses’ staff into a snake to send a very strong and unapologetic message to the Pharaoh, “You are not the powerful man of which you have convinced yourself!” I am confident God is using this one not-so-subtle moment to say to Pharaoh, “Yes you are correct. You cannot control the snake, but I can! I am the all-powerful Jehovah God with the ability to do anything… even tame the most deadliest of snakes!” Too…Moses then watches as his very own hand appears leprous!

Exodus 4:6-7

And then, Moses is told that the very water from the Nile, the same body of water by the way from which Moses was drawn as a baby boy in a basket, will be turned to blood! I do not know about you… but if I were to see such indescribable acts, I would hope that the words out of my mouth next would not as be the words of Moses.

Exodus 4:10

Oh, Moses! Why? Why this response from Moses after seeing these most remarkable acts? Well, again … there are many, so very many, layers to this story, including the reality that Moses is allowing his inadequacies of the past to distort his perception of how the Lord works, and again, subjugating him to respond with fear. Oh, how I am confident that so very, very many people live under such dominance, being governed by a haunting past. If this is you, don’t you want to find freedom from the mental anguish – the paralyzing emotion of fear? If this is you today my friend, I want to point out something to you that is nowhere to be found in this story. And I feel most very confident that you have never, ever noticed this! And the knowledge of such is a game-changer as it relates to my and your understanding of how God operates and exercises grace!

First… a quick recap of our last 13 weeks:

A Hebrew child is born at a time of extreme persecution and brutality upon the nation of Israel. God’s people have been tormented through 400 years of slavery by the Egyptians. At a pivotal time during the barbaric actions of the Pharaoh against the people of God, a child is born. His name - Moses. At this time, the king of Egypt commands that every male Hebrew child be killed. Yet, by the hand of God, Moses is protected. Ironically, he was saved by the daughter of the very man wanting every Hebrew child drowned in the Nile River. The daughter of the Pharaoh raises this child as her own. Once this child reaches the age of 40, the man Moses commits a horrific act by killing an Egyptian, thus taking matters into his own hands rather than waiting on God’s timing to redeem the people of God. Once he has been found out, he runs. And he runs. And he runs. And for 40 years he lives as a nomad among the Midianites. After 40 years of silence, God and Moses speak at the burning bush. And Church, it is here, on this mountain, and during this critical conversation, that an extremely important part of the story is omitted.

Have you noticed it? As we have been studying chapters 3 and 4 over the last few weeks, have you noticed something gravely important that has been excluded from the story?
If not, you need to see this!

2. God’s story of redemption for His people is always about what He will do next, never about what I did previous.

The “what” that has been omitted from this story… the “past” of Moses!

God never mentions it. He never references what Moses has done. God only focuses on what He is now calling Moses to do! Wow! I don't want us to quickly move past this… because I feel confident there are few, if any, here today who have not on some level and in some way struggled with the choices of the past! The way in which God communicates with Moses is totally and completely contrary to how we as humans mostly operate… Someone does another wrong, and we're often quick to call them out. Someone commits an indiscretion against another, and so very many people are just waiting for the opportunity to nail them; to point out their faults! Sometimes I think some people even relish in the opportunity to bring to the attention of others their faults. I don't know why we are like this. Because God surely is not!

When you think about the so very many people throughout the Scriptures whom God has used for greatness…You too see that there is always a story of sin attached to that person. But what is most fascinating, is that, yes, there are consequences for sins. But…

God never revels in my indiscretions. God always removes them from His mind. Because God is not a God of my past mistakes. God is a God of today. And He wants to help me move to tomorrow where there is a better day awaiting; where His forgiveness is mine for the taking; where day one of a new life in Him begins.

Let me ask you, “Has Moses failed God?” Absolutely, he killed a man and it cost him, and as we have discussed previously, Moses’ sin too deeply and painfully impacted the nation of Israel who has been subjected to a brutality of which we cannot fully fathom… for another 40 years! Another question… “Because of Moses's past, did God have the right to kill him right here in this moment on the mountain?” Of course he did! God had every right to kill Moses. He could have killed Moses. He could've chosen someone else. I am sure there were hundreds of thousands of Hebrew men women and children who were not murderers to whom God could have turned. But not only did God not do this, He too did not even reference Moses’ sins of the past! God never references Moses’ indiscretions from the past. Not once. Never. Though Moses is still clinging to who he was; who he believes he still is; who he presumes he will always be… God instead is making it abundantly clear that, though the man Moses is a murderer; though he is one who took matters into his own hands 40 years ago and tried to bury his indiscretions in the hot, Egyptian sand; though Moses has been a man toiling, as we discussed several weeks ago, for 14,609 days to forget the past…God has chosen him for greatness; for a new day; for a better life than Moses could have ever imagined… You see.. God’s story of redemption is not solely reserved for the nation of Israel. God’s story of redemption is for Moses. God’s story of redemption is for me.

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25

The Psalmist writes: As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

And Paul implores us to recall what Jesus took care of once and for all at the Cross:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

God has forgiven and forgotten all of my past sins. Why can’t I? You say, “Jeffrey, I’m not sure how to do this. I do not want to live in the shadow of my past transgressions, but I cannot seem to shake them! What do I do?

3. Trust the “what’s next” to God.

Do you recall the passage we studied earlier in this series when the church’s first martyr, Stephen, is speaking to the religious leaders in Acts 7? If so, then you may remember while addressing them, he speaks of the skill sets and eloquence of the man Moses?

Acts 7:20-22

Notice the words of Stephen spoken hundreds of years later about Moses. He could have shared with these people anything he desired. But read again his words in verse 22:

Acts 7:22

Stephen confirms that Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and, as a result, was a great orator. Why is this so very important for us today? Well… when Moses is spinning with excuses before the Lord, he says this:

Exodus 4:10

How ironic! Rather than taking God at His word, and too the reality that it is this very legacy for which Moses is remembered in the book of Acts, the ability to speak, Moses uses this very excuse of not being able to speak as the reason for which he does not desire to obediently follow God’s command. However, rather than reminiscing over what Moses has done in the past, God calls him to a new day; a new future; a new beginning.

My ability to be used by God is not dictated by what I have done. Instead, my best days are ahead as I trust the “what's next” to God.

Do you see a rhythm here to the way in which Moses responds? I sure do. Moses continues to shift the focus of the conversation away from God and onto his own inadequacies. Why? Moses has lost his confidence. And he too is allowing this loss to define his ability to move on; to again feel adequate. Guys… I know you know this… but… please, please, please hear this today:

Such a move on my part will always be paralyzing. Such a move on my part will always leave me looking backwards. Such a move on my part will always limit my ability to confidently seize the “what’s next” with God.

Too, I believe there is something more here at play. If you are not looking for it, you will miss it. Because it’s subtle; it’s between-the-lines. Yet too… it's quite dangerous… not only for Moses, but for you and for me and most surely for the Church! Lastly, see this…

4. Assuming a posture of contentment will always limit my ability to seize the “what’s next!” with God.

You want to know how to tick God off? Here’s how you do it!

Exodus 4:13

Yep… that’ll pretty much do it! After conversing with Jehovah God through a burning bush and too seeing these most amazing miracles happen right before his eyes, and oh yeah, by the way… not being killed for his past indiscretions as he did deserve, Moses quickly tells God, “If it’s just as well with you, I’m going to pass on the offer and head back the sheep and the desert!” Well, you see that did not sit well with God:

Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses… Exodus 4:14a

Man… I tell you… this is a statement none of us, none of us, should ever want said about ourselves in relation to a choice made and the response of Holy God with righteous anger! We see that Moses was reveling in his comfortableness and contentment. Not realizing in doing so, he was just about to miss out on the, “what’s next” with God. I do think if God would have allowed it, Moses would have been content to leave the mountain, return to the sheep, and live out his days in obscurity having never received the very best life God had awaiting for him! Now… before you condemn Moses for his multiple responses of distrust… I wonder if you can say that you too have been guilty of similar responses. Such as…

God says, “I want you to serve.” You say, “I am not qualified.”

Or…

God says, “I want you to tithe.” You say, “I can’t afford to do so.”

And still…

God says, “I want you to to repair that fractured relationship from the past.” You say, “I am not ready to forgive.”

And, what about this one…

God says, “I want you to surrender that area of your life to me that is less than honoring.” You say, “I am not ready to let go.”

Why is it that, as a humanity, we seem to find ways of making excuses for those areas of our lives that are dishonoring to God, or at minimum, have taken a greater position of priority in our lives than God? I presume there are many reasons as to why, when we know what God is asking of us or desiring from us, we ignore the Holy Spirit’s nudging to do what God requests…such as excuses involving laziness, selfishness, pride, lust, and on and on… I am confident…

One reason we do as we do when it comes to making excuses for our indiscretions of which we just don’t often desire to admit…Contentment.

This one word may very well be one of the most dangerous words to the Church today. After all… who doesn’t enjoy a life of contentment? It sounds good, right? I am sure prior to smelling the burning branches and hearing the crackling of the fire on the far side of the wilderness that day, Moses was quite comfortable and content grazing in the desert with those sheep. Contentment is safe; secure; predictable. However, contentment is too riddled with the average; the mundane; the easy; the comfortable. Now yes, Paul reminds us that we are to learn to be content in all things. However, this is not the sort of contentment I am referencing with which I end today. Such a contentment to which Paul refers is one of trusting God in all circumstances. 

A selfish contentment is one not desiring to take a risk, to step out in faith, and to seize the “what’s next” awaiting those who obediently follow God on a life-adventure from fear to freedom.

Such a selfish contentment is one that leaves you on the sidelines; one that says, “Good enough is good enough.” On five occasions, God tells Moses he is the one whom God has chosen for the “what’s next” for the nation of Israel. And 5 times Moses essentially says, “I’m good; I’m happy with my life of contentment. Please send someone else!” And his response ticks God off! Selfish contentment has a way of doing exactly this.

Could it be that the church today is losing her place of effectiveness and relevance on the world stage because she has become immersed in contentment? And could it be that such a selfish contentment is one of which too has consumed my life?

You see… 

What happens when a church settles for a selfish contentment is that…People become comfy merely attending church with people who become comfy merely attending church. People become comfy with the way things have always been done. People become comfy with the most frugal, routine, easy and predictable approach. Sadly…What really begins to transpire is that such a church eventually loses her appetite for remaining relevant to the world, for reaching her neighbors, for new ways of feeding the poor, aiding the needy, clothing the unclothed, and loving the next generation by understanding their needs and their way of doing life and how best the church can be positioned for God’s “what’s next!” And eventually… contentment leads to irrelevance.

What cannot happen to us as this light on the hill in Donelson is to become callous to the world around us as we get comfy being comfy! I pray we at Donelson First never allow contentment to shape the way we think; the way we pray; the way our hearts break for the world; the way we outreach; the way we tithe; the way we serve. It is obvious Moses did not want to go to Egypt. Life grazing with sheep wreaks of contentment... and probably a few other smells! But fortunately, as we see will see with Moses:

God is never content with my selfish contentment.

And as we are going to see with Moses, God is determined to bring Moses out of his past and into His most-amazing “what’s next!”

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Jeffrey Dean Smith is a husband, father to Bailey & Brynnan, author, and the Senior Pastor at Donelson First in Nashville, TN. If you are in Music City, meet Jeffrey and enjoy iced tea on the front lawn each Sunday at 10:30a.