Passage: Exodus 4:10-17

The Big Idea

God has revealed Himself to Moses, made him promises and given him signs. Moses objects that he isn’t a good speaker, and God answers with a promise: “I will be with your mouth.” That should have settled it. But Moses’ real problem was never ability; it was unwillingness: “Please send someone else.” That’s the first time God gets angry with Moses. The story is a mirror. God’s grace is offered for everything He calls us to. Our job is to take up the staff and go.

How Moses Got Here

Forty years in Egypt learning everything the world had to offer.
Forty years in the desert, in solitude, away from the world.
But neither being in the world nor out of it equipped Moses for what God wanted to do. He’d grown out of trusting the world, but he still needed to learn to trust God and walk in His power.

Many believers today are in the same place. They can describe God, go to church, look the part, pray, sing, quote Bible verses. But being empowered and equipped by God through the Holy Spirit is a different thing. It must be supplied by God, through Jesus. “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

What God Has Given Moses

God has revealed Himself.

I am holy. Take off your sandals.
I make promises and keep them. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I am all-sufficient. I AM.
I will be with you.
It will be hard. Pharaoh will be stubborn.
But I will win. You’ll all end up back here on this mountain.

God has given Moses signs, an ability to do the work:

The staff in your hand: the secret to overcoming the enemy is grace.
The leprous hand: the sickness in your own heart.
The water turned to blood: judgment on those who reject the first two messages.

Now we see Moses’ response.

Excuse: “I’m Not a Good Speaker” (Exodus 4:10-12)

Moses said, “Please, Lord, I’ve never been eloquent, not before and not since You’ve spoken to me. I’m slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord said, “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes someone mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Isn’t it I, the LORD? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say.“

I’ve talked with many people who believe they can’t really be used because they lack speaking skills or confidence. Listen:

Dead people are never raised to life by clever words or great stories. Only by the power of God working through a humble, faithful person.
Paul told the Corinthians he didn’t come with eloquence or impressive wisdom. He decided to know nothing among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:1-2).
Whatever you’re called to be, pastor, missionary, husband, wife, father, mother, student, employee, God can’t use you while you’re depending on your own skills or wisdom. Forget everything except the power and provision given through Jesus.

God’s answer: “Moses, I know everything about you. This isn’t a challenge for Me. I’ll overcome it, but you need to trust Me. I’ve overseen everything in your life that brought you here, including the things that left lasting struggles.”

Isn’t that fatalism?

“If God made me weak, or let me be tempted or unable, shouldn’t I just accept it and not step out?” No. As David Guzik points out, God’s sovereignty here is never “God is so mighty we can’t do anything.” It’s always “God is so mighty, He can work through us if we make ourselves available.”

Moses objected based on his weakness, and God responded with a promise to meet every need.

Why would God choose someone with such problems? Why would He choose me?

His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
He’s glorified by showing His strength through weak people (2 Corinthians 12:9).
The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God (1 Corinthians 3:19).
So why do you think God won’t use you? He has chosen you in His beloved Son. Your problems aren’t problems for God. They’re opportunities to show how powerful and sufficient He is for His people.

You: “I’ve got problems!”
God: “I’ve got promises!”

The Real Problem: “Send Someone Else” (Exodus 4:13-14)

That should have been the end of it. We could be moving on to the obedience and victory that follow God’s promises. God had answered every deficiency Moses named. But Moses had a deeper problem: unwillingness.

Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.” Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses.

Now the real issue comes out.
It’s remarkable that Moses wrote this down about himself. The Bible faithfully records the failures of its heroes, one of the reasons we can trust it.
This is the first time we see God angry with Moses. Not when Moses asked questions, not when he wanted more information, not even when he talked about his inabilities. But flat unwillingness is the wrong answer.
Moses would rather disobey God than face his fear of going back to Egypt.

Many church people do the same. They hear the call to go into the world, share the gospel and make disciples, and then they walk out the door and keep living the life they were living before, unwilling to surrender their plans and time, hoping no one asks who they’re sharing Jesus with. No creature in heaven would dare refuse the King of Glory, except man. Even His redeemed children do it.

But the Lord is kind, even in His anger. He doesn’t lose control. He goes right back to His nature: supplying what Moses needs.

Aaron (Exodus 4:14-16)

“Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he speaks well. He’s already on his way to meet you, and he’ll be glad to see you. You’ll speak to him and put the words in his mouth. I will be with your mouth and his mouth and teach you both what to do. He’ll speak to the people for you; he’ll be your mouth, and you’ll be like God to him.”

Make no mistake: this got Moses through, but it was still a rebuke.
Aaron was a spokesman, reading what was put in front of him. And when Aaron later had a chance to lead on his own, it often went badly: the golden calf (Exodus 32), and later joining Miriam in opposing Moses (Numbers 12).
God was working behind the scenes to supply what Moses needed. But don’t miss the lesson: we’re more ready to trust almost anything than the living God. Moses finally moved when he had a weak, fleshly brother beside him.

Seriously, Moses? The living God appeared in a burning bush and promised to teach you, be with you and be everything you need, and you weren’t willing?

Before you pick up a stone, I have to confess I tricked you. This story is really about you. It’s a mirror. What does it show your heart?

Take Up the Staff (Exodus 4:17)

God asked Moses simply to trust His grace, the supply of strength that comes from God and His promises alone.

Grace is the power that flows into the life of someone who responds to God’s promise with humility and faith.

All of these promises have been made to you. Do you respond like Moses, with unwillingness? “I know God says He’ll be with me and supply all my needs through Jesus, but I don’t want to go. Send someone else. I’m comfortable where I am.” Hudson Taylor reportedly told people that rather than asking whether they were called to go, they should ask whether they were really called to stay.

There’s a widespread unwillingness in the church to trust only in God’s grace, and it shows up in two forms:

Legalism discounts grace by trusting performance. It relies on its own efforts to keep the law. The Pharisees were big on effort and small on real, from-the-heart obedience. It doesn’t work, because the inner person is still unchanged no matter how hard he tries.
License discounts grace by simply disobeying. It trusts its own judgment of right and wrong and ignores God’s clear commands.

God’s grace is the answer to both, not swinging to the other extreme.

And look how the passage ends. God brings Moses right back to the solution: “Take this staff in your hand, so you can perform the signs with it.“

The staff speaks of God’s grace.
Take it up. Trust in and depend on My power and supply. Then step out in obedience.

Where This Gets Real

“I can’t preach to thousands.” Maybe you’re not called to. But are you married? Then you’re called to serve that one person.

Husbands: are you sacrificially serving your wife, or waiting for her to serve you first? That’s Moses again, unwilling. God will give you the grace to love her as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). Take up the staff.
Wives: are you honoring and respecting your husband (Ephesians 5:33)? It’s not really about him; it’s between you and Jesus. God will give you the grace. Take up the staff.

Willingness is a big deal. It’s deeply connected with real, living faith.

Repent and believe the gospel, not as magic words, but by actually stepping out to obey in every part of your life, depending on His wonderful promises. That’s grace. Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), for us and in us.

Grace Takeaway

God never got angry at Moses’ questions or weakness. He answered every one with a promise. What He wouldn’t accept was “send someone else.” Your weakness is never the problem; God has promised to be with your mouth, your marriage, your workplace and your witness. The only question is willingness. Take up the staff of His grace, and go.

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The Unholiness of Unwillingness