Moses Job Interview with God
6And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
7And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. (Exodus 4:6-7, KJV)
Now the focus of God’s demonstration turns inward – into Moses’ character. The supernatural transformation of his 
hands pointed to a future when the supernatural would flow through Moses’ hands. The leprosy shows that the works that would flow through his hand and the authority he would bear literally carry a grave responsibility. In the bible, leprosy often symbolized sin. As a disease, leprosy meant exile from the rest of society. Similarly, sin serves to separate us from God. I think God was warning Moses about the dangers of acting and working on his own. The tucking of his hand into his bosom told Moses to pay particular attention to the issues of the heart.
20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:20-23, KJV)
Guard your heart or suffer the consequences.
God repeats the command. He tells Moses to put his diseased hand back into his bosom. He does so and his hand is restored. God is telling Moses that listening to God’s voice will result in his protection while enabling the work of your hands to succeed. Note also that had Moses not followed God’s direction, his associates may have been calling him “Lefty.” Partial obedience is total disobedience. Moses is rising to a new level with God and to Israel. The importance of relying on God cannot be overestimated.
So it is with us. Sometimes in the course of listening and obeying God, he will take us where we do not want to go. We must rely on God to bring us through. If we do so, he will restore us and will work through us to do what we could not do on our own. We must take the works of our hands, the issues of our hearts, and our reliance on God with utmost seriousness. If we do so, God will work signs and wonders through our very own hands.
Related posts:
]]>7The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who
are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8“So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 9“Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:7-10; NASB)
In these passages, we see God’s will for Moses: deliverance of God’s people from captivity. As God speaks to us more often then not the topic of the conversation is service to others. This is the purpose of promotion from above. God uses people as a source of blessing to others. While the vocational worldview emphasizes the corner office, hefty salaries, and other perks; God focus is on transforming peoples’ lives so that He can enjoy fellowship with them.
Where You Are Does Not Hinder Where You Are Going
And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. (Exodus 4:2; KJV).
If God is omniscient, why would He ask this question? God knew perfectly well what was in Moses’ hand. He was setting Moses up for a demonstration of His miraculous power through the tool of the shepherding trade: the rod. The rod tangibly symbolized Moses’ authority as a shepherd. Rods were used to protect the flock from animals that would inflict harm. Shepherd boys would often hold contests to determine who could throw their rods most accurately over the greatest distance.
The shepherd’s duties required keeping the sheep moving toward suitable grazing fields. It was therefore necessary to carry a minimum of equipment. The rod was the most important “tool” in the shepherd’s toolbox. The rod was often used to inspect individual sheep in order to part the wool and check for bugs or injuries. The rod was also used to keep track of the herd: the shepherd would count sheep that passed under his rod.Apprentice shepherds would carefully choose the tree limbs that they would ultimately use as their rod. Once chosen, they would carve these limbs into an instrument that would precisely fit their hands and match their stride. Such meticulous attention to detail took into account the fact that this rod was often the shepherd’s only defense against predators, rustlers, and trespassers.
God brought Moses’ attention to his rod. In effect, he was saying, “I understand you and your situation. Where you are will not hinder where you are going for I AM going with you. As you use the rod to protect the sheep, so you will receive my protection. As you use the rod to minister to the sheep and keep track of them so I will minister to your needs and keep my eye on you.” God was about to give Moses an object lesson that would serve to demonstrate an incredible vocational change with new God-infused abilities, provisions, and responsibilities.
The Lord was also giving Moses a foretaste of his new vocation. Instead of sheep, Moses would shepherd a nation. His divinely turbocharged rod would protect, correct, and keep track of people – lots of them! The skills that he learned in backwater Midian would be magnified by God to liberate a people while changing the destiny of the whole world.
What has God been saying to you about your job? What is teaching you through your present job? What lessons have you learned from past employment?
What is that in thine hand?
Related posts:
]]>Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (Exodus 3:1; NIV)
As we read the Bible verses such as this one tend to be overlooked but there is a wealth of instruction wrapped up in
this one verse. Moses had run away from a privileged life to shepherd sheep in backwater Midian for forty years. Certainly if anyone had a right to complain about being stuck in a dead end job it was Moses. Yet he did not grumble about his vocational circumstances. As far as we know, he was quite content in his role as caretaker for Jethro’s flocks. He did not whine about how he could do “so much more …”
God is “On The Job” with You
In the faithful discharge of his duties, Moses was maintaining his relationship with Jehovah God Almighty ([He] led the flock … to … the mountain of God). Many of us tend to think that God only will visit, speak, fellowship during times of prayer and worship. Certainly this is the case but God will speak to you ANYWHERE even during the most mundane, monotonous moments of our employment. We need only to listen.
Faithfulness is the Key to Promotion
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21; ASV)
In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. (Colossians 3:23;New Century)
You may find yourself in a position that is only temporary it is still important that you discharge your duties faithfully. You may also find yourself working for someone who may be a real creep less than perfect example of a boss. You still need to show him/her respect worthy of their position (rather than their behavior). Your present employment is not by accident. You should seek God about your career no matter what position you are currently holding down.
As far as the Originator of life is concerned, there are NO dead-end jobs. God’s speciality is life.
Your job is important to God because YOU are VERY IMPORTANT to God. Your position is more than a paycheck, the Lord is using this position to teach you something while getting to know Him. While you report to a human, you are really working for God.
6For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. (Psalm 75:6-7; KJV)
God is your co-worker as He works on your behalf while He works within you. Have you talked to Him lately. He gives great career advice. Give your dead-ends to the Resurrection and the Life.
Related: Top 25 jobs without a degree
Related posts:
]]>