Movie Quote

Over the weekend, an old movie was mentioned and now a line from it keeps going through my mind. And, I cannot get it to stop. It actually reminds me of Exodus 3 where Moses is having his” burning bush” moment. God is telling him how He is going to work through Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. What an awesome thing to hear; God is going to use you to accomplish a mighty miracle. But, what is Moses’ first reaction? “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Verse 11) Oh, how could Moses question God’s blatant direction?

Oh, but wait, there is more. God assures Moses that He will go with Moses. And, what is Moses’ second reaction? “’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) Moses questions God’s assurance of His blatant direction; actually, Moses questions God repeatedly through Exodus 3 and into Exodus 4, where he finally sets out for Egypt. How could Moses continue to question God’s leading when God’s direction is so clear? He was standing by a burning bush, what more could he need?

Before I let us start tearing Moses up, here’s another question: how many times have we questioned our burning bush moments? Oh, it probably was not a literal burning bush, but I have had times that God was very clearly telling me to do something or proceed in a certain direction. And for whatever crazy reason, my first reaction was, “Who am I that I should…” and very realistically my corresponding following reaction would be, “Then what…” I don’t think that I’m alone with those reactions.

As people, we want to have the whole plan, clearly laid out in front of us before we proceed. But, there was a person whose first reaction was not typical. That man was Abraham. In Genesis 12:1 God tells Abraham, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Abraham’s first reaction is recorded in Genesis 12:4 “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him” No questioning. No arguing.

Abraham is the living example of the movie quote that has been running rampant through my mind: “Understanding is Not a prerequisite for obedience.”