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by Sandy Shaw
Moses was brought up as a prince in the house of Pharaoh. Moses knew who he was – a Hebrew – one of the chosen people of God.
When many people are wondering about their identity – who they are – who am I? Some even wonder whether they are male or female – am I a boy or a girl – would I want to be someone else, and can I do anything about it?
When almighty God created man, He made them male and female – and Jesus underlines that in Matthew Chapter 19 verses 4to 6 .
Moses know who he was – Moses knew he belonged to God – to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – the only God there is.
Our identity is in Christ Jesus – in Christ – Colossians deals with that fully. Know who you are.
But – back to Moses – one day he went out to where his kith and kin were struggling – and he saw an Egyptian beat a Hebrew – and seeking revenge he looked to see that no-one was watching and he killed the Egyptian – and hid him in the sand.
Next day he saw two Hebrews fighting – and he intervened – only to be met with – “Who do you think you are?” Someone had seen him. You live in a palace – and speak their language – and wear their clothes - you are NOT one of us. Someone had seen him. We never know who sees us. We never know who might be watching us.
It had been the wrong time – the wrong moment – to try to help the Hebrews. It was certainly the wrong manner – and very much the wrong method. There is a warning here about being rash and impetuous – we must resist trying to take things into our own hands.
The time was not yet ripe. You can know that God is with you – and that God is going to use you – but the time may not yet be ripe – and timing can be vital in any work of God. In Christ Jesus, we have to learn this. We can learn from errors or mistakes which we or others may make.
Turn to Hebrews Chapter 11 – Moses was no ordinary child, and Moses grew up to be no ordinary man – even refusing to be known as the son of Pharoah’s daughter. He chose to be ill-treated along with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
Yes, there are pleasures in sin – but only for a short time!
But now, Pharaoh was after him – and Moses fled. He was zealous – and he had to learn patience and meekness. He had to learn humility. These fiery elements in his character which could so easily mould him for the remainder of his life had to be burned out – and where better than the desert.
“Loving God – enable us to see the importance of timing – may we see clearly in Scripture how when You move the timing is always right and specific. Help me to be patient. We know that You always get things right – sending Jesus at just the right moment – speaking to us when we are ready and as prepared as we can be to move on to the next stage. Enable us too to give You thanks and praise for our past – for our upbringing – for our education – for the varied experiences we have had in life. Gracious God – we give You thanks and praise in the name of Jesus.” Amen.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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