Christian Living

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Moses the Fugitive Cleans his Past: What about Yours?

By
Japhet Mphande

Moses was born from a morally unacceptable marriage. As a baby he narrowly escaped a death decree by being sequestered by the river bank. His parents had no privilege to name him but he was named by Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted him. Later, he murdered an Egyptian.

And his second attempt to bring unsolicited peace between two Hebrews who were in a frenzied fight ends badly wrong. The wrongdoer, who was the only eye-witness when Moses killed an Egyptian, concludes that he wants to kill again; thinking of him as a would-be ‘serial killer’. The whistle was blown and the state security wings were on the hunt for Moses. Fearing the man-hunt, he flees to Midian, a foreign country.

Whilst tending the sheep there, God converses with him through a blazing shrub. In reply, Moses says to God: “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Intractable for him to go back helplessly he flounders and asks: “Who am I?”

• He is a shepherd working for his father-in-law. But back home his job is detestable by the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34).

• He is on the “WANTED” list by the Egyptian security forces.

• He had already survived death twice. Amram, Moses’ father had given his aunt, Jochebed an eye, and consequently married her. For Leviticus 20:20 says, “If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonoured his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.” They did not die but bore Aaron, Moses and Mirriam. Moses himself according to Pharaoh's decree, he deserved death, but survived in his helplessness state as a baby.

His conversation with God makes him realise that he did not deserve to live; going back to Egypt meant handing himself over to the police. That is signing his own death certificate. They would label him as a murderer, a misfit, and leave him on the peripherals of his own community.

Still unclear whether God can use him with his past record and his current status, he doubts and his memories ask, “Who am I?” “Can I encounter Pharaoh?” “Can I speak against his viable business of oppression?” It is not difficult to speak to the oppressed, I can do that. He thinks and courageously agrees with that. That is the mission of the church today, to bring the good news to the oppressors and the oppressed, to comfort the weak and confront the oppressors, to give hope to the hopeless.

A confrontation to those in power comes with its consequences, often the more power they gain; the less they listen to God’s messengers. Sometimes the messenger is smeared, persecuted and silenced. However, Jesus still urges his church to go forward against such powers, the Pharaohs of today.

“Who am I?” is to Moses as “Who are we?” is to …. Definitely ‘us’ is the answer. ‘Us’ as a church as we object to God’s mission. We doubt if we can confront the powers, preach the gospel of freedom and go to people who perhaps would just focus on our past wrongs rather than get the new outlook we have. We doubt if we can preach the good news to those haunted be the unseen powers, incurable diseases, HIV/AIDS and those sentenced by their own memories.

Verse 12: And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

God ignores Moses’ alibis, he overlooks his blotted history. He does not give Moses answers nor does he assure him of success and pleasure during his mission. He does not promise him social securities. God did not say “I will give you” all you need, the materials, money, donors, or human resource, but he said, “I will be with you.” God promises Moses his mighty presence as soon as Moses takes up the challenge before him. Through his name, I AM WHAT I AM, God assures Moses that he has and continues to be with him in all his life; saving him as a neonate and again as an adult. God says “I will be with you” and in the very same words we find the words of Jesus saying, “All authority in heaven and earth ….And ‘I am with you’ always to the very end of the end.”

Indeed Jesus Christ remains by our side and he is the Risen and Living Lord whom we confess as the great I AM. He says, “I am with you …always!” So take courage and confront the evils within yourself, your house, your church and the sleaze leadership.



[800 words (790)]

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