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"But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech —— unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away." (2 Corinthians 3.7-13).

It’s quite a journey from a reluctant refugee to an intrepid intercessor, but that’s the journey Moses made. At first he wanted no part of the daunting task of leading God’s people out of Egypt, and that with what might otherwise be considered good reason. After all he was a wanted man and the Pharaohs weren’t exactly known for their genteel spirit when it came to dealing with leaders of insurrection. Yet, in spite of his initial reservations, Moses agreed to become God’s man of the hour and lead His people from bondage toward the promised land. We don’t know just how much Moses knew about the demands that would be placed on him, but the amazing thing is this: Once Moses donned the mantle of Leadership, he never looked back! His courage coupled with his faith enabled him to persevere when others shrunk in fear and faithlessness.

Sinai was and is the pinnacle of Moses’ career – no pun intended. The sights and sounds of that mountain struck fear in the hearts of otherwise good men, but Moses was not deterred; where others would not, yea could not go, Moses walked without any indication of shrinking! Such were the events that occurred on that mountain, that "…the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance." The burning bush must have paled in comparison to the awesome events on Sinai, but the fear that tended Moses during his first face to face meeting with God was nowhere to be found when he climbed the mount to receive God’s law! Perhaps few people reach their true potential, but Moses was one of the few! On Sinai, the reluctant refugee died never to live again and the courageous man who literslly changed the moral and religious landscape of the entire earth was birthed!

The example of Moses is a moral lesson for all of us. Men come in two categories: First, there are people who admit their fears, and secondly, there are liars! Moses was man enough to face his fears, but beyond that he was man enough to overcome them. Fear itself is not sinful, but how we react to it may be. The easiest reaction is to submit to our fears, but that is never the way of godly men. Only when we strive for meaningful objectives in spite of our fears can we reach our god-given potential. For every fear that wins, that much potential dies! Moses was a man who reached his potential by courageously overcoming his fears. Imitate him!

Questions:

1. How did Moses react to God’s call at the burning bush?

2. What risks did Moses face if he decided to accept God’s call?

3. What gains did Moses face if he decided to accept God’s call?

4. How did the people react to the sight and sounds of Sinai? How about Moses? What was the difference?

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

"Lord God, You Have a Funny Way of Working at Times"