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Egypt

Return to Egypt: Cliff Notes

Compared to others, the story of Moses takes up considerable space in the Old Testament. One of the most intriguing things about the story is how Moses interacts with God when he's told to return to Egypt. It's easy to imagine Moses thinking, "Doesn't God know the Egyptians want me dead? Doesn't He know that I'm not the most articulate speaker? Doesn't He know I like it here in Midian?" Of course God knows all these things, and this is precisely why the story is so interesting, and why we can learn from it.

The story really starts in Exodus 2 where God describes Moses' birth, amazing escape in a basket on the Nile, adoption into Pharaoh's family and rise to prominence in the Egyptian empire. After a few years with Pharaoh, Moses stands up for one of his people and kills an Egyptian doing so. His act becomes known and he flees under the threat of death. He goes to live in Midian, rescues some girls from sinister shepherds, takes a wife, goes to work for Jethro and lives a happy and comfortable life.

I am struck by the verses in the middle of chapter two: "During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob" (vs. 23-24).

The next thing we know, Moses sees a burning bush and goes over to see the strange sight (Exodus 3:1-3). God calls Moses by name, announces His presence and Moses hits the dirt, face down. Then the Lord tells Moses why He's there: "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt ... So I have come down to rescue them ..." (vs. 7-8). This is pretty good news, but Moses has to be wondering what it has to do with him. A few verses later, God says, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt" (v. 10).

"What is God thinking?" Moses must be wondering. A debate ensues. According to Moses, he's bound to lose. He's been asked to do the impossible in a place that's not just unwelcoming, it's unsafe.

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Of course, God has a plan and Moses' arguments are all based on the assumption that He doesn't — or, at least, that He doesn't have a good one. How arrogant of Moses! Was Moses, however, any more arrogant than we often are? God leads us in the direction of "Egypt" and instead of going we tell Him why we need to stay in our current state of comfortable affairs.

What can we learn from God's commanding Moses to return to Egypt? Can we apply the story to our own lives? Yes, we can.

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First, as was the case with Moses, God gives us "Egypt" as an opportunity.

A student of mine was dealing with an eating disorder she had been battling since she was 12. A few months ago, I received an e-mail from her. In excited tones she shared how God had brought her out of the disorder and had provided an opportunity for her to minister to young girls who were struggling with the disease. She also mentioned that it might become a full-time job. The eating disorder had gripped her life for 10 years, and now that she was free from it, God was bringing her back to "deliver" others. Sound familiar?

Second, face your limitations.

Moses had several, and he laid them before God. "Yeah, God, but what about ... ?" Do you really think God doesn't know what your limitations are? Do you doubt that He's big enough to compensate for your weaknesses? After all of Moses' excuses, God got a bit hacked off at him — His "anger burned against Moses" (Exodus 4:14). Moses had to face his shortcomings and get over the fact that he wasn't a strong speaker. He had to move beyond the fact that he was scared. He had to trust that God would deliver him as He delivered the Israelites.

Third, be faithful to God's call no matter how people respond.

The small band of folks around Moses was pretty supportive, but the elders of Israel were less than helpful. Pharaoh definitely didn't buy into the plan.

Most importantly, Moses had to listen carefully for the specifics of what he was being asked to do. In Exodus 3, while God and Moses are talking, God lays out a plan that includes getting the people out of Egypt and then delivering them to the Promised Land. If Moses thought like you and I, he was probably wracked with worry about the details. It's easy to imagine him processing a list of pros and cons. "The land we're being promised is occupied by well armed people. I'm not sure where this land is ..."

But God didn't ask him to take care of all of this. God didn't require Moses to do it all, just his part. How often to we skip to steps 2-10 when all God says is, "Take care of step 1"?

Finally, don't do it alone.

We live in a culture of self-sufficiency and independence. Moses needed a lot of help, and he got it. He had close accountability through folks like Aaron. He sought counsel from mentors like Jethro. Most importantly, he had God to guide him each step of the way, and he allowed God to lead, instead of sprinting ahead and waiting for God to bless his steps after he'd already taken them. You won't be alone if you're asked to go back to Egypt. It may seem like it at times, but seek out those God will bring alongside you for the journey.

Maybe today God's asking you to leave your comfortable life and return to "Egypt." Perhaps you're refusing to believe it's really God. Perhaps, deep down, you know it's His voice and that He's really calling you to return to a difficult period in your life.

Check out the story of Moses and ask yourselves, "What are the 'Egypts' in my life?"