Hi siblings
Today’s Holy Nougat is primarily directed at persons in leadership. Check it out.
Exodus 14:15 AFV
[15] And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward.
Don’t Complain. Speak as Directed
It is important for us to remember that Moses was the one speaking in Exodus 14:13-14.
He was the one who delivered the message to the Children of Israel that they were not to fear.
He was the one telling them on God’s behalf that they shouldn’t be afraid.
He was the one assuring the Children of Israel that God was at work for their salvation.
He was the one guaranteeing victory over the Egyptians by God’s grace
Now, God was telling Moses to stop complaining and whining. Was there an intermission we missed? What happened to confident Moses? I suspect we might discern the answer by stepping back a few verses.
Verse 10 in the chapter states that the Children of Israel panicked when they saw Pharaoh coming after them. In their dismay, they cried out first to the Lord, then lambasted Moses. Oh yes, they didn’t spare Moses from their criticism. He was promptly put in his place, reminded that the people preferred to remain enslaved in Egypt instead of venturing out into the unknown (verses 11-12). Although Moses gave them God’s encouraging word, God’s comment to Moses in our Nougat is evidence that the comments affected Moses.
Self-Check
How do we respond when those we lead express a no-confidence motion in our leadership? How do we respond to unwarranted criticism?
Digging Deeper
Siblings, Moses wasn’t the only one to face a no-confidence motion in leadership. Throughout the Gospel, we see that Jesus faced similar attitudes from the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Nor was it the only time either of them heard such complaints. Moses heard that record each time they faced the unknown, or were challenged to act in faith over the forty-year journey. Y’shua had to face the crowd at Calvary – the very same folk who’d been ready to crown Him king less than a week prior – which was now calling for His crucifixion.
If it happened to Y’shua and Moses, it most definitely can happen to us.
It must have been devastating for them. Yet Moses was obliged to keep on going. And Y’shua chose the way of the cross so that we might receive salvation.
God’s response to Moses is God’s instruction to us. We don’t stop simply because of the opposition. Not when we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is God Who has called us. God insisted that Moses quit whining or complaining and get in gear.
Because those Egyptians hadn’t received the memo. They were still pressing forward. There was no time left for complaining. God was ready to work God’s purpose out *through Moses*, it was time to heed God by speaking with confidence.
Moses’ response then would set the tone for those other no-confidence moments Moses would face in the future. Our response to criticism has the potential to set the tone for our future. Choosing to heed God rather than wallow in complaining reduces the sting of rejection and affords all to experience God in all God’s glory!
Point to Ponder
What’s God saying to us right now? Is it time to move forward in faith?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
