Nearly forty years had passed since Moses went to Midian, and a lot had changed. Leaving his old life of palace glory, honor, and wealth, he had become a simple shepherd in a desolate land.
During that time, he had also became a husband and a father. He had responsibilities to the people around him, and he most likely had a life that he was very content with. He had tried the whole “deliverer” thing, and nobody responded. It seemed like Moses’ time in Egypt was in the past.
And now, God wants him to go back? To talk to Pharaoh? To set his people free?
That’s a tall order. His response to God’s command to meet with Pharaoh is both honest and self-deprecating: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” (Exodus 3:11).
Glad you asked, Moses! At this point in his life, Moses is (physically) no better than anyone else. His status as the daughter of the princess is most likely gone, replaced by that of a fugitive – which most people probably don’t remember anyways. In short, he’s a nobody, by the world’s standards.
But what he is is an emissary sent by God. And as anyone who is familiar with the ancient world knows, an emissary carries the same weight as the one who sent him. A rejection of the messenger is a rejection of the one who sent the message. In this case, that would be God.
This explains why Moses’ next question will be “Who should I tell people sent me?” He knows that the only reason he would carry any authority whatsoever is if the Pharaoh and the Israelites knew who God is. That’s what the plagues will eventually confirm in the minds of both groups.
It’s actually refreshing to hear some reluctance on Moses’ part to talk to Pharaoh. Contrary to the first time he tries to free the Israelites, he’s aware of his own limitations. He knows that he can’t do it, so this time around, he’s forced to rely on God.
That’s the way leadership should operate. They should focus their attention on something besides self, and for Christians, that “something” is God. Elders, government officials, coaches, and more – they all point towards God.
Moses is a different person now. Forty years earlier, he was ready to lead by way of insurrection. He was ready to kill for the sake of his brothers, angrily taking his people away from his captors to establish their own physical nation outside of Egypt.
A lot of people could do that. And, quite frankly, there are a lot of people way more qualified to do that than Moses.
What Israel needed – and what God was telling Moses to be – was a spiritual leader. Could he lead them out of Egypt, but, even more importantly, could he point the people to the true Deliverer, which is God?
Moses was right to ask the question. He’s just a human, but when you’re acting on behalf of the great I AM, it’s a whole different ball game.