Exodus 4:13
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8
Monday: Obedience; Exodus 2:1-4:20; Symbol: Burning Bush
Obedience - it can be done willingly or it can be done reluctantly. We ask our children to be willingly obedient and God expects the same thing of us.
The story of the burning bush and God's call on Moses' life shows us an unwilling follower, at least initially.
Moses had already lived a life set apart. Set apart from all the other Hebrew boys who had been slaughtered, protected by the mighty hand of God; set apart from all the other boys as a prince in the house of the most powerful man in the world; set apart because the God of the Universe was now speaking to him from a burning bush; yet he was still reluctant.
"Who am I?" (3:11)
"What if they do not believe me or listen to me?" (4:1)
"I am slow of speech" (4:10)
"Please send someone else" (4:13)
It's easy to judge Moses and think we would have done differently. If God were speaking to me from a burning bush, surely I would obey readily. But would we?
We may not hear a voice from a burning bush, but we have something that Moses did not have. We have the Holy Spirit living within us. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16
We have the fire from the burning bush within us. The Holy Spirit is often compared to fire (Acts 2:3, Isaiah 6:6-7, Hebrews 1:7). That fire will not fade like the burning bush must have done once Moses left.
We also have the entire Bible. It clearly tells us what God expects of us. And we can learn much from His Word, including what a picture of willing obedience looks like. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Philippians 2:8
Jesus learned obedience. Obedience to God's will is something which we all have to learn over a period of time. Christ also had to go through this process of learning obedience to his Father, as any son has to. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience (i.e. obedience to God) by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect (i.e. spiritually mature), he became the author of eternal salvation" as a result of his completed and total spiritual growth (Heb. 5:8,9).
Life, from the time we are children, learning obedience to our parents, through adulthood as we learn obedience to God, is about our daily choices. Like Moses, we have a "burning bush" experience regularly whenever the Lord speaks to us from His Word or through His Spirit...an all-consuming fire.
We can choose the path of willing obedience that Jesus shows us through His life, or the path of reluctant obedience that Moses showed at the burning bush. May we ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose well!
And just as food for thought: we have no idea what God has in store for us when we obey His call.
Did Moses have any idea what he was getting into when he agreed to take the Lord's call? Could he see the Egyptian army closing in, and God parting the Red Sea through Moses' hand? Could he see the song of victory, the water from the rock, the manna from heaven, the battles won through prayer? Could he see the vision of God on Mount Sinai, the voice of God from heaven, the tablets of stone, the golden calf? Could he see the tabernacle built, the priests consecrated? Could he see the spies sent forth into Canaan, the response of unbelief, and a thirty-eight year sentence to wander the wilderness? Could he see a lonely climb to the top of Mount Pisgah, where he would die looking out over the land of promise? Could he see the honor of sitting beside the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration? Did Moses have any idea what he was getting into?
However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9
The above commentary on Genesis is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree
When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to.
Two great websites to help you do this are:
Operation World go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile
Some of the churches in Charleston that are using a Jesse Tree as part of their Advent celebration are: Charleston Sanctuary
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