Redeemable Qualities (Day 2 from Cleansing Thoughts)

 

   When we look at the life of Moses, we see a man whose life began with a verdict of death at the hands of the same Pharaoh who would one day raise him as his own. After being placed in the Nile by his sister to save his life from Pharaoh’s decree having all Hebrew males to be killed at birth. Moses was then saved by the Pharaohs daughter and raised as a prince of Egypt, having access to the honest education, unspeakable wealth, and a position of authority. Yet with one violent of compassion, when a Hebrew slave was being beaten, he was branded a murderer, was forced to flee to the land of Midian. Moses’s heart of compassion surface once again as he defended a young shepherd girl who had gone to draw water for her father’s flock at the community, and as result, found favor with her father, Jethro. Over the next forty years, as Moses served as a shepherd, the Lord was transforming an Egyptian prince into a man of God. One day while tending the sheep, Moses was drawn to a glow coming from a nearby mountain and went to investigate, where he found a burning bush that was not being consumed. A voice suddenly spoke to him, coming from the bush as Moses came into the presence of his redeemer, receiving a call of God on his life to set His people free. Like so many of us, Moses ask, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”  (Exodus 3:11, NIV).  And again Moses question God by saying, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”  (verse 13). A third time Moses questioned God, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”  ( Exodus 4:1, NIV). God promised him that He would show signs and wonders so all would know His mighty hand was upon him; that He would give him the words to say, and He would give the Hebrews favor in the sight of the Egyptians  so that they would not leave Egypt empty handed. So Moses returned to Egypt armed with the rod of God in his hand and the word of God planted firm in his heart to lead his people into the promise land.

   The plans and purposes God had determined for Moses’ life as well as the future nation of Israel were accomplished through the power of redemption. Hebrews 11:24-26 (NIV) states, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be  mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sun for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as a greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

   I remember when the Lord said I would become an author, and I too questioned Him, after all I graduated with a fourth grade reading level, and God said, “Did I not teach you to read.” Then I reminded Him that I had trouble with words and grammar, He answered “I will show you.”  Then I looked down and whispered, “What if no one will read it,” and His answer was, “They will.” 

   A Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, spoke of his resume, “On the authority of the chief priest I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them I even went to foreign cities to persecute them” (Acts 26:10-11, NIV). Saul had a zeal for what he believed in. He had heard many times the gospel message of the resurrection of Jesus and the claim that He was the long awaited Messiah of Israel, but it only served to fuel his hatred for Christianity, until he met his Redeemer face-to-face on the road to Damascus. In his conversion experience, Saul, now known as Paul, accepted Christ as his Savior and the call of God to proclaim the gospel message to the gentiles. In 1 Timothy 1:13-14 (NIV), Paul states, “Even though I was once a blasphemer persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Even in his sun, God loved him and extended His mercy because he had acted out of false teaching and prejudices, which were common to the nation of Israel at that time. Note I said God loved him, not the sin, and He knew Saul of Tarsus was redeemable. Paul, a life changed, redeemed by the hand of God. contributed thirteen epistles to the New Testament writings.