How does Exodus 4:10 connect to God's power being made perfect in weakness? Setting the Scene in Exodus 4:10 “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. For I am slow of speech and tongue.” (Exodus 4:10) • Moses, standing before the burning bush, openly admits his perceived inadequacy. • His hesitation is not rebellion but a genuine recognition of personal limitation. • By recording this moment, Scripture highlights that God deliberately chooses imperfect people for His perfect purposes. God’s Immediate Reply (Exodus 4:11-12) “The LORD said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? … Now go! I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’” • God does not deny Moses’ weakness; He supersedes it. • The Lord anchors Moses’ confidence in His own creative authority (“Who gave man his mouth?”). • Promise of ongoing help (“I will help you speak”) links divine power directly to human inadequacy. Thread of Weakness Across Scripture • Gideon—“My clan is the weakest” (Judges 6:15). • David—overlooked shepherd made king (1 Samuel 16:11-13). • Jeremiah—“I do not know how to speak; I am only a youth” (Jeremiah 1:6). • Each story repeats the Exodus pattern: confessed weakness becomes the platform for God’s strength. New-Testament Echo: 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.” • Paul’s thorn parallels Moses’ stutter—distinct limitations that remain. • God again supplies grace rather than removing the weakness. • The term “perfected” (Greek teleitai) conveys completion; divine power reaches full expression precisely where human ability ends. Connecting Exodus 4:10 with 2 Corinthians 12:9 • Same Speaker: The “I AM” of Exodus is the risen Christ who addresses Paul. • Same Principle: Weakness confessed → God’s strength displayed. • Same Outcome: The servant fulfills a calling far beyond natural capacity—Moses leads Israel; Paul evangelizes the Gentiles. Practical Takeaways • Identify, don’t hide, personal weaknesses; God already knows them. • Expect God to supply sufficiency rather than erase limitation. • Measure ministry fruit by God’s faithfulness, not personal skill. • Boast only in the Lord, echoing Moses’ eventual song of deliverance (Exodus 15) and Paul’s boasting in Christ (Galatians 6:14). |
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