Some intriguing conversations…
There was a man called Moses who had some very unique encounters and discussions with my Daddy -God.
Imagine a man who had become a fugitive and wanderer, ‘alien’ in a foreign land, in another words an immigrant by today’s standards. He distinguishes himself at water well where he fought off some other male shepherds who were intimidating these sexy feminine shepherds. These men pushed in the ‘queue’ to water their flock ahead of the girls queue. Something like gender posing in today’s world, I’m-a -man so I can get-ahead-of-you-woman type of attitude maybe. They had Moses come to the rescue to put things right, like a gender advocate. Anyway the shepherd girls returned home so early from work that their daddy was surprised and wanted to know why. When they excitedly narrated Moses’s fighting and intervention tactics he asked them they had not invited him home for supper. So I’m imagining 7 girls rushing back to retrieve this stranger, murderer, wanderer to bring him home to plush surroundings. This ‘strange’ character was spoilt for choice and wound up marrying one of the 7 girls!
He continues to ‘work’ for his new father (in law) when as he is focusing on his ‘shepherdy’ task, my Daddy gets his attention by displaying a fiercely burning bush which refuses to behave normally. You would normally expect fire 🔥 to consume its object and spread viciously but not this one. Daddy had to get Moses’s attention. What a drastic means of communicating His presence and invitation to dialogue.
So Moses after 40 years of of wandering in a strange land, my Daddy qualifies him for a top job. To be a negotiator for a whole nation of people who were being oppressed as slaves in his country of origin, which was also foreign land for his family. In a bizarre discussion with a voice (my Daddy’s) which could be heard above the crackle and pop noise of fire-burning branches and leaves, Moses agreed to the task after some ‘tough negotiating. Amazing. So the voice tells him to go back to his land of birth even though he had been on the run. I would think by this time he was a rather humbled and broken man, easy to convince. Knowing he would be worried about his crime and punishment for the murder of a man, the voice tells him that the people looking to kill him, punish him were all DEAD.
Isn’t it like Daddy to allay our fears and reassure us of His love and forgiveness.
So the voice continues, “I have heard the groaning of ‘my people’ and have come to deliver them. And by the way, I will be using or assigning you to this role”
Wow! What if Moses said, “ what’s that got to do with me?” Or “I’m not going back there!!!” “I killed a man you hear me.” “Which people? The same ones who broadcast my murder of the Egyptian opponents – slave master?”
This one took a lot more convincing because not only did Moses have a violent criminal record, he also stuttered. Bad for someone who was preparing for a royalty visit or conference. If you watched the film ‘Kings Speech’ you will probably appreciate the dilemma Moses would have been in knowing he had to speak to the King, on behalf of a nation.
Well he argues and tells Daddy, as if He didn’t know already, that there was a problem with his speech. It was as if God needed reminding that this fact had been overlooked. How we do this today. I know I do. We disqualify ourselves for what we are already pre approved for. (Correct grammar construction- not sure 🤔) Anyhow God having already anticipated this argument and excuses already provided a solution.
So Moses continues, who will I say employed me, commissioned me, sent me? The answer “I AM, I AM WHO I AM”. From an invisible employer too. Right.
How well will it go to say to a King that you have come on a mission to release their workforce from ‘slavery and oppression’ of a cruel rule? Not nice or easy. As if that was not bad enough, Daddy says, “by the way, this King will give you a tough time and I will need to do some killing before he lets you release my people!”
An impossible task made in heaven and articulated to man on earth.
Let’s review this man’s qualifications again?
⁃ Foreigner
⁃ Born to slave parents
⁃ Fugitive / wanderer
⁃ Murderer on the run about to be extradited.
⁃ Current CV occupation: shepherd last 40 years, expert in sheep 🐑 conversation 💭 and rearing
⁃ Nervous speaker
⁃ Stuttered Speech.
⁃ Maybe low self esteem
⁃ And more…🙊
So my Daddy gets his brother to be co-assigned to this ambassadorial role, to speak for Moses.
Where did God get His own system for qualifying the unqualified?
Moses reluctantly agrees to this monumental task after being armed with some ‘magical’ tricks that emerge from throwing down the rod / stick in his hand.
He gets to perform ‘magical’ tricks, stick turns to snake, hand gets withered, river turns bloody, flies, locust, boils, hailstones and a host of other disasters to boot.
Who gives us the ultimate qualification for a role?
Arinola Araba 