Second Shot at Leadership

"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he is going out to the water, and station yourself to meet him on the bank of the Nile; and you shall take in your hand the staff that was turned into a serpent. You shall say to him, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness. But behold, you have not listened until now.' Thus says the Lord, 'By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood. The fish that are in the Nile will die, and the Nile will become foul, and the Egyptians will find difficulty in drinking water from the Nile.'"' Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their reservoirs of water, that they may become blood; and there will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone."' So Moses and Aaron did even as the Lord had commanded. And he lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the water that was in the Nile was turned to blood." -Exodus 7.14-20

God appeared to Moses, and Moses said, "Send someone else." God sent Aaron, Moses' brother, and he went with Moses. Moses has his request answered, but he isn't off the hook. This is now a team effort, God speaking to Moses, Moses speaking to Aaron, Aaron speaking to Pharaoh. But now as they enter round three, God gives Moses another chance to lead.

He tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and speak to him. Then, because Pharaoh has a stubborn, hardened heart, he is to take his staff and strike the Nile with it, and it will turn the water to blood. This time we don't see Moses ask God to send someone else, we see him act as God has instructed. He's been given a second chance to lead, and he takes it.

Men, have you let a chance pass you by? Have you asked God to send someone else, either verbally or by running as fast as you can in the opposite direction. Just know that God doesn't give up easily. God has a plan for your life, and I believe He'll try and get you to do it as long as you're still breathing. Just because you missed the first chance doesn't mean it's over.

In the time from the burning bush until now Moses has seen God come through. He has seen Him do things He promised to do. He's heard part of the plan directly from God. It was a time of faith building, and when the second chance comes, Moses is ready to take it.

Are you ready to take the second chance? God has a plan for your life, and saying no once doesn't change that. If you've said no before, why has that been your answer? In the time since you've said no how have you grown? Where have you seen God at work? When the second chance comes, what will your answer be?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor


The Nile from a bridge in Cairo

Someone Else's Staff

"Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 'When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, "Work a miracle," then you shall say to Aaron, "Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent."' So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs." -Exodus 7.8-12

The real battle is about to begin. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh once and simply presented the request, "Let my people go!" and Pharaoh said, "Nope, instead they get to work harder." The Israelites aren't thrilled and Moses goes to God asking why he was even sent because it's only made things worse. And then God lays out the plan. "Pharaoh is going to say no over and over, and I am going to show Egypt and Israel what I can do." And so now it's on.

Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh, and Aaron throws his staff on the ground and it becomes a serpent. Pharaoh calls for his magicians and they perform the same trick, he's unimpressed. But then Aaron's staff swallows the others, one point God. But the thing that stands out here is that Aaron's staff is used.

Remember at the burning bush, God turned Moses' staff into a serpent. At the end of Exodus 4 Moses' staff is used to show Israel that God has sent him. But Moses asked for God to send someone else, and when the time came to confront the real enemy, someone else's staff is used. When it really matters, Moses' gifting is not used. God's chosen messenger is not the one who gets to do the task he was selected for.

Men, do you want this to happen to you? Do you want to be chosen by God for a task, but push it off on someone else? Do you want to do only the behind the scenes stuff when you're supposed to take center stage? Do you want to be the one to throw down your staff, or do you want someone else to do it?

It could have been Moses, but he pushed it off on someone else. It should have been his staff, but instead it was someone else's. Whose staff will be used in your life?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Hardships to Trust

"But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst." -Exodus 7.3-5

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and the work of the people was increased. Moses is wondering why God even sent him at this point because things have only gotten worse. And as he seeks God's direction, signs are promised. God says He is about to act. Here we find one of those verses that has given many people trouble over the years. God tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh's heart, and I think people have trouble because they don't read the rest of the verse. Why is God going to harden Pharaoh's heart? So that He can multiply His signs and wonders. God is going to harden Pharaoh's heart so that He can display His power.

Israel hasn't known God for centuries. They have heard stories of Him passed down, but He is always referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And if you think about it that's how He was always referred to. He has been the God of one man at a time, never a nation. And for four hundred years they have been slaves, which God told Abraham would happen, but they haven't heard from Him or learned about Him in that time. They don't know who He is, or what He is capable of. How are they to trust Him? God is going to make it easy, He's going to show them His power.

Men, sometimes God does things that don't make complete sense to us in order to show us what He is capable of doing. Sometimes God allows hard times to take place so that we can learn to trust Him more. And sometimes He allows us to experience hardships so that we come to know Him. He said that the Egyptians, a polytheistic pagan culture, would know He was the Lord. Sometimes it's only at the bottom that we can clearly see Him.

What are you going through right now? What hardships or struggles are you facing? What is God trying to teach you? Financial issues? God could be teaching you to have faith in Him to provide for your needs. Family issues? God could be allowing them to help you mend relationships, or maybe sever them. Trouble at work? God could be preparing you for something else, something that excites your heart. What is it in your life?

God is trustworthy. Not everything He does will make sense to us, but everything He does has a point, and ultimately that point is to show us that we can trust Him.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor