Message 15
In this message we shall consider God’s further training of Moses (Exo. 6:1-30; 7:1-7). After the first conflict with Pharaoh, Moses felt that he had failed. God had sent him to speak His word to Pharaoh. However, instead of hearkening to this word, Pharaoh became even more evil in his treatment of the children of Israel, and the people complained to Moses. Moses, feeling defeated, complained to the Lord, saying, “Wherefore hast thou so badly treated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all” (5:22-23, Heb.). Moses’ reaction indicated that he needed further training. God would not send him to Pharaoh again until he had received more training from Him.
We have pointed out that God’s calling of Moses in chapters three and four of this book is the most complete call in the Bible. At the time He called Moses, God spent much time with him, and Moses received both revelation and instruction. He took God’s word and did all that God had charged him to do. However, things did not turn out as Moses expected. To his surprise, he was defeated, Pharaoh was victorious, and the children of Israel suffered all the more. This was the reason he complained to the Lord about the situation.
In His further training of Moses, the Lord sought to impress him with His name and His covenant. He reminded Moses that He is Jehovah, the One who was, who is, and who will be. He also reminded him of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding the good land. He told Moses that He had lifted up His hand to give the land to their seed. In speaking to Moses about these two matters, God was training him to know His person and His faithful word in His covenant.
In addition to speaking to Moses regarding His name and His covenant, the Lord gave Moses further training concerning six other matters. The first of these matters was God’s word of assurance. We must pay attention to God’s word of assurance, the word that He speaks to us again and again. If we would follow the Lord today to carry on His testimony in His recovery, we must learn to regard God’s repeated word of assurance. But not many servants of God recognize such a word when it comes.
The second matter was the unbelief of the children of Israel. According to our natural concept, those to whom we are sent should be like the household of Cornelius, properly prepared and ready to receive our word. We think that if God sends us to speak to people in a certain place, their hearts will be open to receive whatever we may say. Nevertheless, due to their unbelief, the children of Israel did not hearken to Moses. Instead of being encouraged by the children of Israel, he was distracted, discouraged, and disappointed by them.
There is a lesson for us here. If we are appointed by God to lead certain people, we should not expect them to be positive toward us. Suppose God establishes you as an elder in a particular church. Do not think that those in that church will be positive toward you or will believe everything you say. On the contrary, be prepared to face the unbelief of those to whom you are sent.
Thirdly, Moses had to be trained in relation to Pharaoh’s stubbornness. Pharaoh was not easily subdued. If we had been Moses in that situation and had had to confront the stubbornness of Pharaoh, we would no doubt have been very discouraged.
In the fourth place, Moses had to be trained regarding his natural concept. This is seen in his cleaving to his uncircumcised lips and neglecting God’s assured word. In 6:12 Moses asked the Lord, “Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” This question caused the Lord to give Moses a lengthy word of assurance. But, even after that word was given, Moses still said, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?” (v. 30). This indicates that Moses was cleaving to his natural faculty and neglecting God’s word of assurance. We have seen that neither the children of Israel nor Pharaoh hearkened to the Lord. Here we see that not even Moses hearkened to Him.
In His further training of Moses, God also spoke to him strongly concerning His ordination of him. Moses had been chosen by God and commissioned by Him to be His representative.
Finally, God trained Moses concerning His strong hand and His great judgments (7:4). Thus, the last item of God’s training is God’s hand, which backs His name, His covenant, and His word of assurance. It is this strong hand that defeats Pharaoh and the Egyptians and that convinces everyone, including the children of Israel, that God is Jehovah.
On the positive side, God’s further training of Moses covered five things: God’s name, God’s covenant, God’s word of assurance, God’s ordination, and God’s strong hand. On the negative side, this training covered three matters: the unbelief of the children of Israel, the stubbornness of Pharaoh, and Moses’ natural concept. As sent ones, we all must know these five positive things and three negative things. We need to learn that God’s chosen people are full of unbelief, that the enemy is stubborn, and that we are natural. Nevertheless, we have God’s name, God’s covenant, God’s word of assurance, God’s ordination, and God’s strong hand.
After the further training given to Moses in chapters six and seven, Moses did not receive any additional training. It seems that Moses had graduated from God’s training at the end of chapter four. However, he did not have any experience. Due to this lack of experience, he had to undergo further training. In chapter seven Moses truly graduated from God’s training school. In order that we all may learn from the further training given to Moses, let us now consider one by one six aspects of this training covered in 6:1—7:7.
In the last message we covered two of the positive aspects of God’s further training: God’s name and God’s covenant. Hence, in this message we begin with God’s word of assurance.
God assured Moses that the children of Israel would be delivered out of the Egyptian bondage (6:1, 6-7; 7:5). This was a word of assurance, which is different from a word of promise. As God was assuring Moses, it seems He was saying, “Moses, forget the people’s unbelief, forget Pharaoh, and forget the condition of your lips. But be impressed with My word of assurance. I am Jehovah, and I remember the covenant which I have established. According to My covenant, I will surely deliver the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Moses, believe this word of assurance and care for it. I assure you My chosen people will be delivered.”
In 6:7 the Lord said, “I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God.” Here God assured Moses that He would take the children of Israel to Him for a people and that He would be a God to them. The Lord did not want Moses to tell Him how bad the people were or how they refused to hearken to his word. Instead, He wanted Moses to believe and to declare that the children of Israel were the best people on earth. The Lord loved them; they were His special treasure.
If we had been Moses, we probably would have argued with the Lord about His people. We might have said, “Lord, don’t take them to You for a people. I can testify from my experience that they are not good at all. Probably I am the only one who is obedient to You.” No matter how the people seemed in the eyes of Moses, God was assuring Moses that they were His chosen people. In His eyes, they were excellent.
In verse 7 the Lord also said, “And ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians” (Heb.). The Lord would do whatever was necessary to cause the children of Israel to know that He was Jehovah, their God. To assure Moses of this, He repeated again and again the words, “I am Jehovah.”
Furthermore, the Lord assured Moses that He would make the children of Israel His armies (6:26; 7:4). This means that He would use them to fight the battle for Him. What a word of assurance this was!
Finally, in 6:8 the Lord said, “I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did lift up my hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a possession: I am Jehovah” (Heb.). The Lord did not want to hear any complaint concerning His chosen people. He would take them to Him for a people. He would make them His armies, and He would bring them into the good land as He had promised. This was God’s word of assurance to Moses.
Naturally speaking, what Moses said to the Lord regarding the children of Israel and regarding Pharaoh was true. But God did not believe the situation. Instead, He believed in Himself, in His covenant, and in His word of assurance. He also believed in what His mighty hand was able to accomplish. Eventually, God did make the children of Israel His armies. Look at what happened at the conquest of Jericho. As the children of Israel were marching around that city, the angels in heaven must have been rejoicing to see the army God had gained for the defeat of His enemy. Because God believed in what He was able to do, He paid no attention to the outward situation concerning the unbelief of His people and the stubbornness of Pharaoh.
The Lord’s word of assurance to Moses should be an encouragement to us in the Lord’s recovery. Some say that it is impossible to have the recovery of the church life today. However, if the recovery of the church life is not possible, then the Lord Jesus has no way to come back. For the sake of His coming back, He needs the church to be built up. Only the church built up according to the Lord’s desire can be the stepping stone into the age of the kingdom. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord said, “I will build My church.” Therefore, we believe that it is altogether possible to have the recovery of the proper church life today. We have the Lord’s promise and His word of assurance.
We need to be reminded that the Lord’s recovery did not originate with us. What we are doing in the recovery today is not according to our plan; it is according to the Lord’s covenant and His word of assurance. The Lord Jesus said that He would build His church. This is taking place today, not according to our plan, but according to the Lord’s word. Do not believe the environment or the circumstances — believe God’s word of assurance. If you are sent by the Lord to a particular place for the church life, do not believe the negative things in the environment. Instead, hearken to the Lord and pay attention to His word of assurance. We all need training in these matters.
Moses was also trained in relation to the children of Israel’s unbelief (6:9, 12). When I studied the history of Israel many years ago, I did not have much appreciation of the children of Israel. I told myself that I would never be like them. However, after being with the Lord’s people for more than forty-five years, I now have a high regard for the children of Israel. In some respects, I think that they are much better than the church people today. Elders in the churches may actually prefer the children of Israel to the saints in the church in their locality. It seems that wherever we are, the people are more difficult than those in other places. Nevertheless, no matter what the environment may be, we should not believe it. Environment fluctuates, but God’s word is unchanging.
On the one hand, the environment is altogether a lie because it will change; it is only temporary. On the other hand, because everything in our environment speaks something to us for God, the unbelief of the children of Israel should have spoken something to Moses. Through the unbelief and through the stubbornness of Pharaoh, Moses should have had his own shortage fully exposed, and he should have gone to God to trust Him more. Instead, Moses went to God with a complaining spirit. Without the unbelief and stubbornness, Moses would have thought that everything was fine. Actually, Moses had some problem inwardly that needed to be exposed, and he needed some further training.
Now we come to Pharaoh’s stubbornness. We have pointed out that Pharaoh signifies Satan. Satan is always stubborn; he never changes, except to become more stubborn. Therefore, we need to learn not to be distracted by the stubbornness of the enemy.
Twice in chapter six Moses told the Lord that he was of uncircumcised lips (vv. 12, 30). At first, I thought he was simply making a confession like that made by Isaiah (Isa. 6:5). But after more consideration, I have arrived at a different understanding of this matter. In 4:10 Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou has spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” This was Moses’ response to God’s original call. Nevertheless, the Lord insisted on sending Moses to Pharaoh. Because the Lord insisted on sending him to Pharaoh, Moses may have believed that his tongue would become a powerful instrument and that whatever he said to Pharaoh would be filled with authority. He may have thought that his speech would become so powerful that everyone, including Pharaoh, would obey his word. The result of the first conflict with Pharaoh was altogether different. Pharaoh did not listen to him, and the children of Israel did not hearken to him. Therefore, Moses complained to the Lord, but the Lord told him, “Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land” (6:11). It was at this point that Moses remarked to the Lord, “Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” (6:12). This word implies a complaint. Moses was complaining that the Lord had done nothing to make his mouth powerful. He was unhappy that his lips were still the same.
Those who are called by the Lord today may pray and expect that He will endue their speaking with miraculous power. But we eventually discover that our lips remain the same. Our lips are still uncircumcised; that is, they are still natural.
In telling the Lord that he was of uncircumcised lips, Moses was saying, “Lord, You tell me to go and speak to Pharaoh. I have done this already, but it didn’t work. Neither Pharaoh nor the children of Israel would listen to me. I thought that my lips would be changed, but I have found that they are still uncircumcised. You haven’t done anything to change my lips. Unless You do this, I will not speak to Pharaoh again. By my natural lips I can’t do anything. No one listens to me. Lord, You must make my lips powerful. Only then will I be able to speak in a way that people will listen to me.”
No doubt Moses expected God to use his lips to speak a mighty word to Pharaoh in a miraculous way. Instead, the word out of Moses’ mouth was common, not at all extraordinary. But what eventually comes out of such a common speaking is the Lord’s doing, not man’s. The outcome depends on the fact that we are sent by the Lord and commissioned by Him and that we represent Him — not on our effort, our skill, or how good a job we do. The earthen vessel is still earthen, but it contains a treasure. The thorn-bush is still a thorn-bush, but the holy fire is burning upon it. The thorn-bush should not expect to be changed, nor should it expect the glory to come to it. The glory must always go to God.
Suppose you are sent by the Lord to a certain place. You may pray and exercise yourself to believe that the Lord will make your lips powerful. However, when you speak, you find that your lips are not changed. If anything, your speaking is worse than ever. I have experienced this many times. After giving a message I went to the Lord and said, “Lord, I prayed that You would give me utterance, but You didn’t help me at all. Lord, don’t You realize how poor my speaking was? I want to give up speaking for You. I am still of uncircumcised lips.”
To have this attitude indicates that we depend on what we are and on what we can do, not on what the Lord is and on what He can do. The Lord does not intend to change our lips. On the contrary, He will let them remain the same. Although the Lord told Moses that He had made him God to Pharaoh (7:1), He would not do anything about the condition of Moses’ lips. In fact, there was no need for Moses to speak to Pharaoh at all, for Aaron would be his prophet.
The first time Moses met with Pharaoh, he did not speak in a miraculous way, but in an ordinary way. He also spoke to the children of Israel in an ordinary way. Because nothing happened, he complained to the Lord. God then gave him further training and charged him to go to Pharaoh again. But Moses did not want to do so unless the Lord did something miraculous to his lips. God’s answer implies that He would not do anything to change Moses’ lips. Instead, He would make Moses God to Pharaoh and provide Aaron to be Moses’ prophet. It seems as if the Lord were saying, “Moses, I will not do things according to your way. Rather, you must follow what I say. Whether you feel your lips are circumcised or uncircumcised does not make any difference. Actually, there is no need for you to speak to Pharaoh, because Aaron will be your spokesman. Moses, forget about your lips.”
There is a very important lesson for us here. We want God to miraculously change our lips. But God does not intend to do this. Success in carrying out God’s calling does not depend on our wisdom or on our proposals. God always has His own way of doing things. Moses thought that everything depended upon the condition of his lips. But God’s way was to leave Moses’ lips the same and to provide Aaron to be Moses’ prophet. In the church life today we need to drop our proposals and our concepts and say, “Lord, what I say means nothing, but what You say means everything. Lord, I am willing to forget myself and to no longer cleave to my natural being.” Let us forget our uncircumcised lips; that is, let us forget about what we are by nature.
Because Moses was cleaving to his natural condition, he neglected God’s word of assurance. Although God had spoken marvelous words of assurance, Moses did not pay attention to them due to his natural concept. We are the same today. Because we cling to our natural insistence, natural tendency, and natural understanding, we may read the Bible without receiving any light. Holding to our natural concept is a hindrance to enlightenment through the Word. We need to learn, as Moses did, that God does not do things according to our natural concept or insistence. Moses was strictly dealt with by God in this matter, and we need the same kind of dealing today.
In 6:26-29 we see God’s ordination. This ordination is related to the genealogy in 6:16-25. For a long time, I could not understand why this genealogy is included here. Although Israel had twelve sons, this genealogy mentions only Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, the first three. This indicates that there is no intention in the record here of giving us a full genealogy. Rather, its purpose is to show the ones from Jacob to Moses who were chosen by God. These chosen ones include Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses. Therefore, this is actually a record, not of genealogy, but of God’s selection, of God’s choosing. Amram, one of the chosen ones, was the father of Moses and Aaron. Verse 26 says, “These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom Jehovah said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies” (Heb.). This proves that Moses and Aaron were not presumptuous but that they had been chosen by God. They had been selected and ordained by God long before they were born. This should have given Moses the assurance and the confidence that whatever God told him to do would be accomplished.
We need the same assurance today. If we are engaging in a work that has not been initiated by God, we should stop whatever we are doing. The Lord’s recovery has been ordained by God; it has not been initiated by us. In the Lord’s recovery there is no place for presumption. As we carry on the testimony of the Lord’s recovery, we should never be presumptuous. Rather, we should simply do what God has chosen and ordained us to do.
Verses 28 and 29 reveal that Moses was commissioned by God: “And it came to pass on the day when Jehovah spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, that Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, I am Jehovah: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee” (Heb.). Verse 27 also indicates that Moses and Aaron had been commissioned by God to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt: “These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.”
Just as Moses and Aaron were commissioned, we in the Lord’s recovery have also been commissioned. I have the full assurance that we are a commissioned people. God has entrusted to us the commission of carrying out His recovery today.
Moses also represented God (7:1). Whenever we are commissioned by someone, we also represent that one. Because Moses was commissioned by God, he also represented God. In the same principle, because we in the Lord’s recovery have been commissioned by God, we represent Him.
Be very careful how you touch those who represent God. It is possible to touch the Lord’s recovery in a way that is not profitable. I can testify from years of experience that no one who has touched the church in the Lord’s recovery in a negative way has gone on to receive blessing. Because those who have received God’s commission are His representatives, it is a serious matter to touch them in an improper way. Of those who contacted the church and later became negative, I do not know one whose spiritual condition has remained the same. Without exception, there has been the loss of spiritual blessing. In every case there has been spiritual decline. This indicates that it is a serious matter to become involved in a negative way with those who have been commissioned by God and who therefore represent Him.
On the one hand, Moses represented God; on the other hand, Moses was represented by Aaron (7:1-2). Representation is different from presentation. The difference is that representation involves authority, whereas presentation does not. With God’s commission there is always the matter of authority. This authority is related both to representing God and to being represented by others.
None of us should assume authority. We should simply let authority be present with the Lord’s ordination and commission. If we would be today’s sent ones, we must be certain that we have been chosen, ordained, and commissioned. Then we shall know that we are God’s representatives.
The last point in God’s further training of Moses concerns God’s strong hand of great judgment. In 7:4 the Lord said to Moses, “But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.” In 6:1 the Lord had already told Moses that he would see what the Lord would do to Pharaoh: “For by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land” (Heb.).
Without a strong hand, talk is vain. This is seen in diplomatic negotiations between nations today. Such negotiations depend upon the backing of military power. In his negotiations with Pharaoh, Moses’ word was to be backed by the strong hand and mighty judgments of the Lord. The Lord’s strong hand would be proof to Pharaoh that God was not speaking vain words. By the Lord’s hand, the Egyptians would know that He is Jehovah. As 7:5 says, “And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt” (Heb.).
Because Moses had complained to the Lord, it was necessary for the Lord to speak to Moses concerning His hand. It seems as if the Lord were saying, “Moses, I have not only a mouth, but also a strong hand. Go and speak to Pharaoh. I will harden him so that My hand may be manifested. Speak My word to Pharaoh. My hand will back up My word. I shall stretch forth My hand to perform whatever you say to Pharaoh on My behalf.” Thus, the Lord’s hand was a strong confirmation that Moses had been sent by God.
Throughout the years, we have seen the Lord’s hand back up His word. When there was opposition to God’s word, eventually His hand was manifested. God never speaks in vain. His word is always backed up by His strong hand.
Pharaoh could resist the Lord’s word, but he could not resist the Lord’s hand. In the following messages, we shall see that the conflicts between God and Pharaoh became more and more intense until they reached the point that Pharaoh drove the children of Israel away. Because the Lord’s strong hand of great judgment backed up His word, Pharaoh was eventually compelled to drive the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. May we all learn the lesson concerning God’s hand and all the lessons in God’s further training of Moses.
