5 words

Exodus 3

1 One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.

He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.

2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.

Moses stared in amazement.

Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up.

3 "This is amazing," Moses said to himself.

"Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it."

  4 When the LORD saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!"

  "Here I am!" Moses replied.

  5 "Do not come any closer," the LORD warned.

"Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.

6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

  7 Then the LORD told him,

"I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.

I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers.

Yes, I am aware of their suffering.

8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land.

It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.

9 Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them.

10 Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh.

You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt."

  11 But Moses protested to God,

"Who am I to appear before Pharaoh?

Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?"

  12 God answered,

"I will be with you.

And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you:

When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain."

I've read this account more times than I can remember.

I've seen it more than once in the legendary movie, “The Ten Commandments” with Charlton Heston playing Moses!!!

;-)

But it wasn't until a few years ago I noticed something.

The Lord tells Moses what He wants Moses to do.

Moses starts tell God all the reasons why Moses shouldn't do what God tells him to do.

What I saw a few years ago were the 5 words God said to Moses that basically cut Moses off at the knees.

“I will be with you.”

God evidently thought that was enough to say about the matter.

“I will be with you.”

God knew what a gargantuan task He had set before Moses.

God knew not only what an gianormous endeavor it would be to not only get the Jews out of Egypt, but He also knew what a formidable task it would be to lead the Jews for 40 years in the wilderness before sending them into the Promised Land.

And all God had to say about the whole matter was “I will be with you.”

Obviously, we know the end of the story – we know that the assurance given in those 5 words certainly were enough.

And the same goes for us...

No matter what God tells us to be or do,

no matter how completely impossible that being & doing may seem,

God says the same thing to us...

“I will be with you.”