We have been presenting Vacation
Bible School this week. The theme this year is Wilderness Escape Adventure. It
is based on the journey of the people of Israel through the wilderness to the
Promised Land. I was asked to play the role of Moses. So all this week I have
been walking in Moses’ sandals, telling the children of some of the significant
events in Israel’s wilderness wandering.
Last night, I had to tell the
children about the Passover. As I read through my script and reviewed what I
was to do, I became apprehensive. How could I tell this to children, in a way
they could understand, without unduly frightening them? I struggled right up to
the time the first group arrived.
Then something happened that
surprised me. It should not have, but it did. God showed up in a powerful way.
I met the children at the door to my room and explained that our talk would be
more serious tonight. I asked them to come in and sit quietly, and they did. In
fact, they were extremely attentive. As I began to tell the story, I was
overcome with emotion. I deeply felt the sadness, the struggle, the uncertainty
of that night. I struggled to control my emotions as I told of how Pharaoh defied
God, and how God killed the first-born son of every Egyptian family, while
protecting the people of Israel from the Death Angel. It was a profound
experience.
I have never entered into that
story in the same way before. I have always read it from a safe distance. It
was just a story. Last night, I was there. I keenly felt the struggle and the
sadness and the fear. That is how Moses must have felt. Moses was not a cold,
hard man. He understood the price that would be paid to free Israel from
slavery. I am sure that he did not rejoice at the death of so many. I believe
he wept for the senseless loss of life because of arrogant unbelief and
rebellion. For sure, there was joy in Israel, as they realized that God had
kept His promise, and they were being set free. But that joy had to have been
tempered by the grief all around them.
Sometimes we get the impression,
from the Old Testament, that God somehow found pleasure in punishing those who
rebelled against Him. That is far from the truth. I believe God’s heart breaks
for every soul lost because of unbelief and rebellion. Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take
no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their
ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of
Israel?' (Ezekiel 33:11) This theme is carried into the New Testament. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
Last night, I walked in Moses’
sandals. I felt the weight of a grumbling, complaining people who quickly
forgot all that God had done for them. I felt the spiritual struggle between
rebellion and obedience. I felt the sadness of the cost that had to be paid. And,
I was overwhelmed by the sacrifice that Jesus made for me on the cross of
Calvary.
In the past, I have identified with
Moses in his struggle to be obedient to God. When God called me into ministry,
I made many of the excuses Moses did for why I wasn’t qualified. Like Moses, I
have, in many ways, been a reluctant leader, even though I know that God has
prepared me for this very role. Last night, I identified with Moses in a whole
new way. I felt the weight on his shoulders and the burden in his heart. I
sensed his struggle to lead his people and his frustration with their
resistance to being led. I sensed the conflict between doing what God called
him to do and a heart of compassion for those who would pay the price. I
identified with Moses in a whole new way.
Last night, I walked in Moses’
sandals.
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