7 COMMISSION

Earlier we saw God speaking to Moses and now Moses responds, not with joy but by objecting on the basis of his own inadequacy. It is not wrong to ask the same question Moses asked providing we do not do it as a way to resist God, but rather to see what God has in mind. If our questions reveal a sincere humility, God would be pleased. Verse eleven says, “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?’” Moses considers himself neither worthy of the honor nor equal to the task. He thinks he lacks courage, and therefore cannot go to Pharaoh to make a demand which might cost him his head: he thinks he lacks skill, and therefore cannot bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. He knows the Israelites are unarmed, undisciplined, discouraged and utterly unable to help themselves. In the natural it would be morally impossible to bring them out and unkind to raise false hopes. Yet Moses was incomparably the best qualified of any man living for this work, superior in learning, wisdom, experience, valor, faith and holiness. Yet he says, Who am I?! Think about this with me. The more fit a wise person is for service, commonly the less opinion he has of himself. He knows his inadequacy. The difficulties of the work were actually very great, enough to undermine the courage and stagger the faith of Moses. The Scripture tells us to not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Romans 12:3 says, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: ‘Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” From one angle, Moses was just being realistic. Moses had formerly been very courageous in his military campaign against the Ethiopians at the head of Egypt’s army and then later individually when he killed the Egyptian. But now his heart failed him. Good men are not always bold and zealous. Yet we will see that Moses eventually does what was asked at last as God enabled this humble man to succeed at what he first thought was an “impossible” task.

God is raising up a leader and answers Moses’ objection as verse 12 says, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” God promises Moses His presence: “Certainly I will be with you” and that is enough. Those that are weak in themselves may yet do wonders, being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might; and those that least trust themselves may be most confident in God. God’s presence puts an honor on the worthless, wisdom and strength to the weak and foolish, and makes the greatest difficulties dwindle to nothing. Isn’t that enough to answer all objections? God assures Moses of success, and that the Israelites would serve God on this mountain. Those deliverances are most valuable which open to us a door of opportunity and liberty to serve God. If God gives us opportunity and a heart to serve Him, it is a happy and encouraging guarantee of further favors designed for us. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” He has a job for you, my friend.

Moses wants instructions for the executing of his commission, and has them, thoroughly to furnish him. He would like to know by what name God would now make Himself known as verse 13 says, “Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what will I tell them?’” Moses was thinking ahead and preparing himself with information he might need to answer this question for the Israelites.

Moses anticipates the children of Israel might ask him, What is His name? Why? Here are five possible reasons. 1. They might ask this to confuse Moses. But Moses foresaw the difficulty, not only in dealing with Pharaoh, to make him willing to part with them, but in dealing with the elders, to make them willing to move from their familiar surroundings. Maybe. It is possible. 2. They would be doubtful and apt to respond negatively; they would ask him to produce his commission, and possibly this would be the testing question: Does he know the name of God? Does he have the right answer? Once he was asked, Who made you a judge? Then he did not have his answer ready, and he did not want to be unprepared like that again. He wanted to be able to tell the elders in whose name he came. 3. Or, it is also possible, for their own information, they would want to know who sent him. It is to be suspected that the Israelites had grown very ignorant in Egypt, by reason of their hard bondage, lack of teachers, and loss of the sabbath, so that they needed to be told again the basic principles of the rules of God. 4. Or, it is also possible that this question, What is his name? was to enquiry into the nature of the developments they were now to expect: “How will God be made known to us in this and what, exactly, Moses, may we expect or depend on from Him?” 5. It is also possible that this was a continuing part of Moses’ hesitancy to do what God was assigning him to do. However, whatever was Moses’ reason for asking about God’s name, we know that Moses was successful eventually.

Moses felt he needed instructions as to what answer to give them: “What shall I say to them? What name shall I claim for the proof of my authority? I must have a reason, something significant or extraordinary to say to them; what must it be? If I must go, let me have full instructions that I may not run in vain.” It highly concerns those of us who speak to people in the name of God to be well prepared beforehand. Those who want to know what to say must go to God, to the Word of His grace and to the throne of His grace, for instructions. Whenever we have anything to do with God or for God, it is our responsibility, privilege and even duty to consider, what is His name? Whom do we represent? We do not go on our own, we are commissioned—or else don’t do anything, go anywhere or say anything!

God readily gives Moses full instructions in this matter. Two names God would now be known by, first a name that communicates and indicates what He is in Himself, “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (14). This explains His name Jehovah, and indicates that He is self-existent; He has His being of Himself, and is not dependent on any other: the greatest and best man in the world must say, By the grace of God I am what I am; but God says absolutely—and it is more than any creature, man or angel, can say—I am that I am. Being self-existent, He cannot but be self-sufficient, and therefore all-sufficient and the inexhaustible fountain of being and bliss. He is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He will be what He will be and what He is. Revelation 1:8 says, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’” says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” We cannot by searching find Him out without Him eventually revealing Himself to us. This is such a name as stops all bold and curious enquiries concerning God, and essentially says just what Sampson’s parents heard the angel say to them, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding” (Judges 13:18). Do we ask what is God? Let it satisfy us to know that He is what He is, what He ever was, and ever will be. He is faithful and true to all His promises, unchangeable in His Word as well as in His nature, and not a man that He should lie. Let Christian leaders in training know I AM has sent you. The strength of our commission, as with Moses’ commission, rests on the being of God.

God also gave Moses another name by which he could identify who had sent him. It was “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you” (15). This name would help Moses revive among them the  faith of their fathers, which, it is to be suspected, was greatly dimmed and almost lost. By it Moses could raise their expectations of the speedy performance of the promises made to their fathers. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are particularly named, because with Abraham the covenant was first made, and with Isaac and Jacob it was often clearly renewed; and these three were distinguished from all others persons of their generations.

Next in verses 16 & 17, Moses is more particularly instructed in his work and informed beforehand of his certain success. “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’” Moses must deal with the elders of Israel and raise their expectation of a certain escape to Canaan. What Christian leaders have received from the Lord they must deliver to His people, and keep back nothing that is beneficial to them. Verse 17 is a direct instruction as to what to say: “I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt.” That should be enough to satisfy them, “I have promised:” Will He not make it good? With us, our saying something and the doing of it are often two different things. But they are not so with God, because He is in one mind and who can turn Him? “I have said it, and all the world cannot contradict it. My counsel will stand.”

His success with the elders of Israel would be good; so Moses is told in verse 18: “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’” They will not push you aside as one slave did forty years ago. He who, by His grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, “The elders of Israel will listen to you.” God had determined to make them willing in this day of power. This was much more than God could say to Jeremiah or Ezekiel. The people of Israel did not receive what those two men said, but contrast that with what God told Moses. Moses must deal with the king of Egypt and the elders of Israel. And when working with Pharaoh they must not begin with a demand, but with a humble petition. That gentle and submissive method must be first tried, even with one who, it was certain, would not be moved by it. They were to request, not demand, and say, “Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.” Moreover, they must only request of Pharaoh to go as far as Mount Sinai to worship God, and say nothing to him of going completely away to Canaan. The latter would have been immediately rejected, but the former was a more modest and reasonable request. Pharaoh denying the lesser request was inexcusable. It justified them in totally deserting his kingdom. If he would not give them permission to go and sacrifice at Sinai, it was just and fair for them to go, without permission, to settle in Canaan. The calls and commands which God sends to those we lead are highly reasonable in themselves, and we are to deliver them in such a gentle winning way, that our audience has no reason to reject what we say to them for God. Though Moses does have success with the elders of Israel, as for his success with Pharaoh, Moses is told that humble petitions, logical persuasions, and urgent requests would not prevail with him. Will a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders convince him? No, God says in verse 19, “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.” God sends His messengers to those whose hardness and obstinacy. He certainly knows and foresees, that it may be obvious that He would have them turn and live. Moses was to know in advance that plagues will effectively compel Pharaoh to allow it: “So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go” (20). Anyone will certainly be broken by the power of God’s hand who will not bow to the power of His Word; we may be sure that when God judges He will overcome all resistance.

Moses was also told that Pharaoh’s people would be more kind to them, and furnish them an abundance of provisions and supplies at their departure. This would greatly enrich them. “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians” (21, 22). God here makes the enemies of His people not only to be at peace with them but to be kind to them. God has many ways of balancing accounts between the suffering and those that cause them to suffer, of righting the oppressed, and compelling those that have done wrong to make restitution; for He sits in the throne judging rightly.