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The Fifth Objection

Words of Faith Final

The Fifth Objection
Words of Faith 9-21-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 4
[13] But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
[14] Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. [15] You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. [16] He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. [17] But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."
[18] Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive."
Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."

The objections of Moses remind us that he was a very human prophet! First, Moses objected, saying, "Who am I, to do this great task?" The second was, "What if they ask who You are?" The third objection was, "What if they don't believe me?" The fourth was, "I am inadequate."
The fifth objection was a lot more commonplace. "Send someone else." We don't know precisely what was in the heart of Moses. It may have been he was still not convinced and this was the conclusion of all his arguments and objections. It may have reflected weariness or even apathy. Let someone else do it. I don't want to.
None of us would have blamed Moses for not wanting to travel back to Egypt, face his past, and organize an enormous movement of people. After all, he was 80 years old! Give the guy a break. But that is not the way God works. This was not a case of mistaken choice. This was also not a whim on the part of God. This was the Exodus. God was quite aware of whatever weariness there might have been. Not only was Moses the right person, but he was also the only person God had primed and prepared for this moment.
We can probably identify with all the objections of Moses. Still, the fifth objection may be the most common in human experience. Often we do not respond to God because, well, because we don't want to. We assume that there is someone else out there that God could bother. Let someone else do it.
This is not to say that we should compulsively try to DO everything we see that needs doing or respond to every request from people. But we do need to listen when we get those holy nudges. When God invites us to be part of what He is doing, He will provide all that is required. We need to respond. It is not God's "need" but our need.
An interesting question is this: Would the Exodus have happened if Moses had refused to go? Many will answer this with different variations, but we must know that God's plan cannot be frustrated, not even by our apathy! I have sometimes heard a preacher say, "If you do not go, these people will be lost" as though eternal destinies hang upon our human response. I don't believe this can possibly be true. Our urgency in evangelism is because our hearts ache for the lost, not because we think we are the "saviors." Such proclamations are terribly manipulative and misguided.
A better response when we find ourselves in a "Moses moment" and feeling apathetic would be to ask God to give us His heart for the lost. Lord, give me a heart for this job. Give me the right motivation for what You have asked me to do. Give me courage and confidence for the journey and the task.
Interestingly, this fifth objection is the one objection that actually angers the Lord. The Lord might have smitten Moses ("smite" is a really good Bible word for "hurt really bad"). But instead, the Lord decided to give Moses a helper, Aaron. Aaron was Moses' older brother and was a better public speaker. He would serve as a good mouthpiece for Moses, who would hear from the Lord. With this reassurance, Moses went to his father-in-law and asked permission to leave.
Are you struggling with the Fifth Objection-- "Let someone else do it"? "Let someone else pay for it." "Let someone else teach." "Let someone else serve." "Let someone else serve." You may be missing the greatest adventure of your life.

Lord, give me discernment. Help me to hear Your voice amid the many that ask for my time, talent, energy, and passion. Give me Your heart for the calling You have for my life. Give me a heart and desire to respond. Set me free from the fifth objection. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.