How does Moses' question in Exodus 3:11 reflect human insecurity in God's plans? Moses’ Honest Question: “Who Am I?” “But Moses asked God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’” (Exodus 3:11) Roots of Human Insecurity Exposed • Awareness of Personal Limitation – Moses remembered his past failure (Exodus 2:11-15) and felt disqualified. • Fear of Authority – Pharaoh represented the greatest earthly power Moses knew; standing before him felt impossible. • Loss of Identity – Forty years in Midian as a shepherd blurred Moses’ sense of purpose, making God’s assignment seem out of reach. • Focus on Self Instead of God – Insecurity grows when the gaze is inward rather than upward (cf. Peter sinking in Matthew 14:30). God’s Steady Answer to Human Doubt • Divine Presence Promised – “I will surely be with you” (Exodus 3:12). God answers insecurity with Himself. • Divine Plan Already Settled – The rescue of Israel depended on God’s covenant, not Moses’ competence (Exodus 3:16-17). • Divine Power Displayed – The signs in Exodus 4:1-9 show that God supplies what He commands. • Divine Patience Shown – God allows dialogue, illustrating that honest fears brought to Him meet gracious reassurance. Echoes Across Scripture • Gideon: “My clan is the weakest… and I am the least” (Judges 6:15). • Jeremiah: “I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy” (Jeremiah 1:6). • Isaiah: “Woe to me… I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). • New-Covenant Perspective: “Not that we are competent in ourselves… but our competence comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5). Timeless Lessons for Today • God often chooses the hesitant to highlight His sufficiency (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). • Honest confession of weakness becomes the doorway to experiencing divine strength. • Obedience is grounded in who God is, not in who we feel we are. • The lingering question “Who am I?” finds rest only in the greater truth: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). |
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