Valleys and Peaks: Part 2

According to Smithsonian Magazine, it takes a lot to make a diamond. The beautiful, strong stones that we treasure comes from the work of high heat and pressure beneath the earth’s surface. Deep below the earth’s surface, a violent volcanic eruption will form the carbon atoms, together with the perfect amount of heat and pressure, and push the newly created diamonds to the earth’s surface. The pressure bonds the carbon atoms so closely that these diamonds are very strong and difficult to break or damage.

We have been looking at some people from the Bible who were real diamonds of the faith in this series called Valleys and Peaks. Each of us encounters both times when things are going well and times when things are not going so well. We often refer to those good times as “mountain top moments” or peaks, and we call those low points “valleys.” Because each person encounters these moments, we can learn how to manage best when they come our way from others who have faced them.

Today, we will look at the life of a man named Moses. You may have heard of him before. His image has even made its way onto the Eastern entrance of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. Moses is widely known and respected as a leader the LORD used in remarkable ways. As we will see, Moses faced both high and low points, as we all do in this life.

MOSES’ PEAKS

If Moses was here, he could certainly testify that he had some really high points in his life. One of those happened very early in his life. When Moses was born, his family lived in Egypt as slaves. Times had certainly changed from when Joseph, an Israelite, helped rule over Egypt. At the time of Moses’ birth, the Pharaoh had put into place a law that called for the killing of all male babies of the Israelites by throwing them into the Nile River.

After Moses’ birth, his family did their best to hide him from the officials. It isn’t easy trying to hide a baby, however. Moses’ mother came up with a plan. She would place this baby in a basket and set him among the reeds of the River. It just so happened that this was the exact spot where Pharaoh’s daughter would come and bathe. As Pharaoh’s daughter heard the baby’s cries, she called for her servants to rescue him and would adopt him. This would lead to another high point in Moses’ life. He was raised as royalty in Egypt.

MOSES’ VALLEYS

Just as it seemed like everything would turn out great for Moses, life happened. We read in Exodus 2 that Moses made a poor decision that would change the course of his life forever. When he saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, Moses proceeded to kill this Egyptian and hide the body. Just when he thought he had gotten away with this, it becomes known that everyone in town knows what Moses did. This causes Moses to run for his life and live undercover in the land of Midian (Exodus 2:11-15).

The decisions that we make in life have a way of charting a course. When we make poor decisions, they can lead us to not-so-good places. Like Moses, we can find ourselves trying to cover up our mistakes instead of dealing with them. The problem with that line of thinking is that our mistakes will come to light at some point. For Moses, he had to run and live in hiding. He went to a wilderness area where he thought he could simply live out the remainder of his days and never worry about his past. The one thing Moses didn’t plan for was what God had planned for his life. God was not calling him to a life of hiding but to lead others to freedom.

THREE IMPORTANT TRUTHS

When we come to Exodus 3, we find that Moses is caring for his father-in-law’s sheep on the backside of the desert. He can go about his business without looking over his shoulder to see if someone is trying to get him. It is just Moses and a bunch of sheep in the desert, and they come to this mountain called Horeb.

The LORD sees you right where you are

Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.

​Exodus 3:1–2 CSB

We can see that while Moses was in hiding, the LORD knew precisely where he was. In verse 2, the Bible says that “the angel of the LORD” appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. “The angel of the LORD” is believed to be a reference to Jesus before He came to earth as a person. The angel of the LORD knew where Moses was and how to get his attention.

When we go through rough times in life, it can seem like we are forgotten and overlooked. We can seem invisible to so many around us. This verse serves as a reminder that we are never outside of the scope of the LORD’s sight. He knows exactly who and where we are at every moment. I like to remind people often that we are never off the LORD’s radar.

The LORD knows where we are and what we need at that moment. Moses found this out in the middle of the desert. The LORD had not preserved his life as a baby to care for sheep in the desert, but the LORD wanted to use Moses to lead the Israelites to Egypt through the desert.

The LORD doesn’t call the deserving

So Moses thought, “I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. “Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings, and I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the territory of the Canaanites, Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them, therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

​Exodus 3:2b–10 CSB

The LORD shares with Moses His desire to bring the Israelites to freedom as His people. This was the LORD keeping His covenant with Abraham (Exodus 2:24). As the LORD shares His plans to deliver Israel, He tells Moses that it will be he that leads them out of Egypt. I’m sure that this news was shocking to Moses. Why would the LORD want to use Moses? Didn’t the LORD know what Moses had done? Didn’t the LORD know why Moses was even in this desert? Moses felt a great sense of unworthiness.

Many are tempted to think that the LORD uses the best and brightest to accomplish His plans. This thought comes from what we see from other people so much. Think about back in the school days when children would pick teams for a game. The biggest, strongest, and fastest were often chosen first. No one would think of choosing the smallest, weakest, or slowest first. The LORD does not work the same way that we often do.

The LORD’s invitation to Moses in Exodus 3 is not based on what Moses can bring to the table. It really has nothing to do with the ability of Moses. What the LORD was looking for was his availability. Notice what the LORD says in these verses:

• “I have observed the misery of my people in Egypt, and heard them crying out because of their oppressors. I know about their sufferings” (3:7)
• “I have come down to rescue them…” (3:8)
• “I am sending you to Pharaoh…” (3:10)

These verses show that the LORD is really doing the work. He just invited Moses to be part of it and see what He would do.

We may think that we are too undeserving of being used by the LORD for His work. While we are undeserving because we sinned against the LORD, He never says we are too undeserving. If He wanted to use those who deserved it, He would be the only One doing any of the work. No, the LORD calls to us by His grace and offers us to join Him in what He is doing.

The LORD is big enough to handle our questions/doubts

While Moses was trying to take all of this in, doubts and questions began to arise in his mind. Can you see yourself in Moses here? How often do we begin to offer excuses of various kinds when the LORD invites us to join Him in what He is doing? I find amazing in these verses that the LORD proves Himself big enough to handle any questions, doubts, or excuses that we can bring to Him.​

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

Exodus 3:11 CSB

Moses’s first question to the LORD is, “Who am I?” Once again, we see Moses’ worry about his past creeping up. Doesn’t the LORD know what I’ve done? I’m not good enough. Some of us are asking the LORD that same question: Why would You want me? Don’t You know what I’ve done? Don’t You know how many times I’ve failed?

The honest truth is that the LORD does know what you’ve done. He has seen every moment of your life. He knows every time that you’ve failed to live by His commands… and yet, He still wants you.

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

​Romans 5:8 CSB

The LORD’s invitation to us is not so much about us but what He wants to do in and through us. Notice how the LORD answers Moses’ question here.

He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”

Exodus 3:12 CSB

This answer leads Moses to the next question: Who are You?

Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?”

Exodus 3:13 CSB

Moses knows that there has never been a personal name that the LORD has given to humans for Himself up to this point. In a way, Moses thinks that this may get him out of the uncomfortable situation that the LORD was calling him to. The LORD listens to Moses’ question and answers beautifully: The LORD shares His name for the first time.

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

Exodus 3:14 CSB

“I AM has sent me to you…” is beautiful. We do not have time to unpack all that this name of God means. It is the name, “Yahweh”… the all-sufficient One… the One who was and is and is to come.
Moses doesn’t stop here. He offers another question of doubt…

Moses answered, “What if they won’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Exodus 4:1 CSB

“What if they won’t listen to me?” I can understand this question. Moses knew that everything had to fall into place perfectly for this to work. He also knew that some people might be resistant to these plans. He didn’t want to commit to something that would not succeed.

Too often, we rob ourselves of so many blessings because we worry about what other people will do or how they will react. Other people’s response is not our responsibility. We should do everything we can to help a person do what the LORD wants them to do, but we cannot make them obey. When the LORD invites us to join Him, our responsibility is faithfulness to what He has called us to do.

The LORD answers this question by giving Moses the ability to do certain miracles. These are for Moses to show anyone who may doubt, but there is still nothing that will guarantee that everyone will listen.
We see in each of these instances that the LORD is not scared by our questions. Remember this truth; He knows us fully… even our questions and doubts. These things do not scare Him away. The LORD is more than capable of handling any question or doubt that you may have. He wants you to bring them to Him so that He can deal with them. That is what the LORD did with each of the questions that Moses brought to Him. He will do the same thing for us.

CONCLUSION

We can see in the life of Moses that the failures of our past do not define us. The LORD has the final say as He is the One who is authoring our story. You may be going through a dry valley at this time. I would encourage you to look up and see the LORD calling out to you to come near to Him. Come to the holy ground where Jesus stands, and let Him show you the way out. It may not be easy… I may not be comfortable, but it will work.

You may have questions and doubts. I would encourage you to follow the example of Moses and bring them to the LORD. Just pour them out as plainly as you can to Him. You are not going to scare Him away. He is not going to roll His eyes at you. He will listen and work to show you His answer, which is full of grace and truth.

In the beginning, we talked about how diamonds are made. They come through extreme heat and pressure. Followers of Jesus may be tested with a similar amount of heat and pressure and not understand or see the meaning until after the trial. The LORD makes us more like Himself through these trials. Like diamonds, we will come out stronger on the other end if we come to Jesus and let Him do His work in us.