Sometimes excuses can be so irrational that they become entertaining. “The dog ate my homework.” “I can’t come to work today because they’re paving my street today and I can’t get out.” “I won’t be there because I stopped at Wal-Mart to get my blood pressure checked and I’m stuck in the machine.” Those are great for a good laugh but we need to realize often excuses aren’t acceptable.
The story of Moses in Exodus 3-4 is one filled with excuses. The Lord has hand-picked Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He appears to Moses in the form of burning bush telling Moses of the mission He is giving him. Moses balks at the idea and offers several excuses. Notice these excuses:
Who am I? (Exodus 3:11) Moses makes the excuse that he’s not worthy to fulfill such a great role. God’s answer is clear and simple: “I will be with you…” (v.12). When God picks you for a role, it doesn’t matter who you think you are or are not. God is with you.
What will I say? (Exodus 3:13) The second excuse focuses on the message. Moses says he won’t know what to say when they ask who sent him. God again removes this excuse by giving him the proper answer in vv.14-17. The message was not as confusing as Moses wanted it to be.
What if they don’t believe me? (Exodus 4:1) God gives Moses three powerful signs to prove he is sent for a Divine purpose: a staff that turns into a serpent, a hand that can become leprous, and the ability to turn water from the Nile River into blood (vv.2-9). Again, Moses sought a way but God removes the excuse from discussion with a powerful answer.
Lord, I’m not a good speaker. (Exodus 4:10) God’s answer centers on His ability to make Moses into a competent communicator (vv.11-12). God made Moses’s mouth. He could easily make Moses into a qualified speaker. Later we read that God removes this excuse by providing Moses with a spokesman in his brother Aaron (vv.14-17).
Moses gave four excuses as to why he didn’t feel qualified to lead the people out of Israel. None of them were acceptable. The reality was that none of those four reasons given were the real reason behind Moses’s hesitation. Finally, Moses admits why he doesn’t want to fulfill this role.
Oh, my Lord, please send someone else. (Exodus 4:13)
Moses finally admits he simply doesn’t want to do it. “Please God, just let somebody else do it. I don’t want to.” That’s why my children give me excuses for not cleaning their room, doing their homework, taking their dishes to the sink, etc. They don’t want to do it. And Moses was no different. He didn’t want to do it. God’s answer was clear and firm. God answers with a firm, “You will go…” in Exodus 4:14-17.
We ought to see ourselves in Moses. There are many things we need to be doing in our service to God. God has called us, just as He did Moses, to fulfill certain divinely appointed roles. We are to be teachers, soul savers, encouragers, givers, burden bearers, etc. As Christians, we are aware of these responsibilities. We are reminded from time to time in our pulpits in churches across the globe of the need to fulfill these roles. Yet often our response to God is, “Please just let somebody else do it.”
Our neighbor needs to hear the truth and yet we never share it. Why? We want someone else to do it. The church needs elders and we are qualified except we don’t “desire the office.” Often the real reason is we want someone else to do it. A brother is in need of encouragement and support but we hesitate to offer assistance. Why? We’re waiting for somebody else to do it.
It’s interesting to notice we use some of the same excuses in our defense of not fulfilling our responsibilities. “Who am I to serve as an elder?” Answer: God will be with you. “I can’t try to encourage them. What will I say?” Answer: God is with us and will always help us-the same God who helped Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “What if people don’t believe me when I try to correct them in their sins?” Answer: God can make them believe through His Word. “I can’t teach my neighbor. I’m not an eloquent speaker.” Answer: You are delivering an eloquent message worded and inspired by God. You don’t have to be eloquent.
It’s time that we lay our excuses down. It’s time for us to stop waiting for someone else to do the jobs we know we should be doing. We should read the words of God to Moses for our motivation: “You will go and you will do this.”
May God help us all to go fulfill our responsibilities in our service to Him and our fellow man without excuse.
Deep Waters 