BEHOLD . . . WHAT SHALL I SAY?

Moses had decided that that he would indeed go to deliver the people of God out of bondage in Egypt. Having made the decision, he soon found, however, that there were still many concerns. Some of the people may not want to be delivered while others would question his authority and qualifications. Moses well understood the challenges he would face. He felt that he would be cross examined and his experience and personal knowledge of God would be explored. He could say, ‘the God of your fathers hath sent me’, but they would ask for more details, e.g., ‘What is his name?’.

Wisely, he went to God and put his concerns clearly, ‘What shall I say unto them?’. It is good to be open with God regarding our worries and concerns. An unexpressed concern is often a great debilitator, while failure to address it only seems to make it grow larger.

Moses had seen the character of God in the burning bush. He had experienced His holiness, and was aware that God had seen and heard, and was intent on delivering His people from the bondage of Egypt. God had shared with Moses details of the land they would go to and of the nations who were to be driven out of it. God had declared, ‘I am come down’, but then He added, ‘I will send thee’! Thus, Moses was to be God’s representative and he was anxious that all God’s authority and knowledge should be available to him.

God said to Moses, ‘I AM THAT I AM’, and instructed him to say, ‘I AM hath sent me unto you’. This is God’s great name, indicative of His sovereignty and sufficient in itself to demand reverence and obedience. How great the names of God and His Christ are! We should use them more for our own reassurance and for confession to those around us. Next God assures Moses that the people will listen to him and detailed the steps to be taken subsequently. Moses was to identify himself to the elders, go to the king of Egypt and seek permission for the people to leave for three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord God.

Moses’ prayer had been limited, ‘What shall I say?’, yet God’s response was what to say, whom to see, where to goand how to handle disappointment. When we freely admit our ignorance of God’s will and our part in it, we discover that God will unfold more than ever we thought to ask, for every step in the future is known to Him.