“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, [even] to Horeb.” (Ex 3:1 AV)
I have to hand it to Moses. Moses had it made. He was out of corrupt Egypt. He was no longer under the tutorship of a pagan who worshipped false gods and thought himself to be one as well. He was away from the conflict of conscience of being a Hebrew, yet not enslaved to the labors of Egypt. He didn’t have to witness the suffering of his people or his family. Moses was a shepherd. He lived a quiet and peaceable life. Serving with his father-in-law, he had no greater responsibilities than the tend to some flocks. Moses had a beautiful wife and a new son. Life was good. Outside of his parents and siblings still in Egypt, there would have been little incentive to return and rescue anyone. Yet Moses had something most of us don’t. He has a sensitive conscience and the desire to please God, even if it meant introducing much trouble to his otherwise quiet life. Once he surrendered, life would never be quiet again.
The measure of a man is his concern with God’s will, regardless of what it might be or what it might mean. Jonah is the opposite of Moses. He saw the need, but loved his life a bit too much. Called to be a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II, Jonah had little concern for the things of life. Jeroboam II was a secular king whose reign brought much prosperity. He tolerated the orthodox Jews among him and never persecuted the men of God. This secular peace meant Jonah’s ministry was rather prosperous and free of hard times. He lived wealthy. He lived well. Then the LORD called him to preach at Nineveh. Nineveh was the one place he did not want to go. Nineveh was responsible for raiding the two and a half tribes to the east of the Jordan river. To say he was biased would be an understatement. He disliked the Ninevites and thought them unredeemable. So, when God knocked on Jonah’s door, he would not allow his heart to move with compassion for those without God, nor did he see the overwhelming responsibility of obeying the word of God, no matter what. Jonah lacked what Moses had. A sense of calling that ran deep. A sense of calling that was greater than anything he would lose.
We have a very short supply of those with the disposition of Moses. Where are the men called into ministry without any guarantees? Where are the men who know the cause of Christ is something that demands an answer? Where are the saints who will inconvenience their quiet lives for a greater good? When I read the entry above, I could not help but place myself in the life of Moses. This tired saint is looking forward to retirement. If retirement is even a possibility. My age bracket is learning really quickly that retirement is more than likely out of reach for most of us. But I am right there with Moses. Give me a cabin on a lake with no man-made sounds and I am there! Give me a wood-burning stove, wind whispering through the pines, and a fishing rod anytime I want and I would be living the dream. Too many saints are pursuing the perfect life and getting way too comfortable with our lovely planet. God cannot do great things because His people won’t commit to being used for great things. We need more men like Moses. We need more women like Mary. We need saints to surrender their quiet, perfect life for a cause greater than life itself.
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