Here I Am, Send Someone Else

"But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else'" (Exod. 4:13, ESV).

This quote is not one of Moses' greatest moments.  He is standing at the burning bush receiving his call to ministry, and all he can think about is getting out of it.  Right before Moses utters these words the Lord promises him, that he would be given the words to say.  The Lord says, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind?  Is it not I?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak" (Exod. 4:11-12, ESV).  Moses' "slow of speech" excuse had been rejected, and his only response is send someone else.

It really boggles the mind.  I imagine this scene over and over in my mind.  I envision the bush ablaze with flames.  My mind hears the voice of the Lord as a pounding thunder.  I see Moses, amazed and cowering, at the awesome display of God's might.  And each time I get to this part, I can't image how Moses works up the courage to ask God to send somebody else.  I can't seem to get into his head to figure out how he could do such a thing.

Then the Lord brings back to my mind other scenes.  In these scenes, I recognize myself as the main character.  I watch as the Lord speaks to me through his Word, but I refuse to listen.  I hear him prompt me to go and share the gospel, but I see me asking him to send someone else.  And I wonder where I got the nerve.

Who am I to judge Moses?  His fear no less noble than my own.  If anything, his cowardice was more justified than mine, because he hadn't seen the whole plan of God laid out in Scripture.  He had seen the faithfulness of God demonstrated in the life of saint after saint, in both the Old and New Testaments.  He had heard of the God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but until this moment he had probably never heard him.  His fear was both natural and irrational.  It was natural because man struggles to comprehend the will of God.  It was irrational because he was receiving revelation from God that assured him success.

But when we doubt the Word, it is unnatural and irrational.  It is unnatural because as believers in Christ we are indwelt by the Spirit who confirms the witness of Scripture to our hearts.  When we ignore that witness we are not acting in accordance with our nature.  It is irrational to doubt God's Word, because it is God's revelation of himself to us, and we are assured success if we obey it.

What we must remember about this episode in Moses' life is how God responded to his request.  Moses records, "The anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses" (Exod. 4:14a, ESV).  The Lord became angry with Moses, because Moses did not trust him.  The Lord had given Moses several signs, but Moses was unwilling to obey.  We can draw a lesson from this event, namely, when the Lord calls you to do something, do it quickly.  To delay is to disobey.  We must remember that whatever task God calls us to, he will equip us to do it.  It is the Lord's to command, and ours to obey.  Let us not say with Moses, "Here I am, send someone else."  Let us say with Isaiah, "Here I am, send me."