Transition-Part 4
Posted By on Monday, December 14, 2015
“And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.” Acts 7:23‑25
The purpose of the wilderness was to bring Moses to the end of his natural ability, and into the place of complete dependence upon the Lord. In Acts 7:22 we read, “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” The Lord desired to use the capacity that this training in Egypt had created, but not the ability itself.
The greatest human ability could not accomplish the deliverance of Israel from their bondage. Moses had to come to a place of emptiness so that all of his trust would be in the Lord.
“And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.” Acts 7:30
Moses was so capable that it took forty years for him to come to the full end of all his human ability. Understanding this principle will help many who are confused about the reason for the seemingly never ending dealings that they are experiencing at this present time.
“And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” Exodus 3:4
It is important for us to understand that the Lord’s intervention came only after Moses had been so totally reduced from all of his ability and self sufficiency, that finally, he noticed the Lord’s manifested presence in a burning bush, and turned aside to stand in that presence.
The fact that the bush burned, but was not consumed, tells us that it had been following Moses for quite some time, possibly for 40 years. While Moses was religiously progressing toward the mountain of God, the Lord had been there all along, patiently waiting.
“When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came to him, Saying, I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off your shoes from your feet: for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Acts 7:31-33
The purpose of the wilderness was to bring Moses to the end of his natural ability, and into the place of complete dependence upon the Lord. In Acts 7:22 we read, “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” The Lord desired to use the capacity that this training in Egypt had created, but not the ability itself.
The greatest human ability could not accomplish the deliverance of Israel from their bondage. Moses had to come to a place of emptiness so that all of his trust would be in the Lord.
“And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.” Acts 7:30
Moses was so capable that it took forty years for him to come to the full end of all his human ability. Understanding this principle will help many who are confused about the reason for the seemingly never ending dealings that they are experiencing at this present time.
“And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” Exodus 3:4
It is important for us to understand that the Lord’s intervention came only after Moses had been so totally reduced from all of his ability and self sufficiency, that finally, he noticed the Lord’s manifested presence in a burning bush, and turned aside to stand in that presence.
The fact that the bush burned, but was not consumed, tells us that it had been following Moses for quite some time, possibly for 40 years. While Moses was religiously progressing toward the mountain of God, the Lord had been there all along, patiently waiting.
“When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came to him, Saying, I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off your shoes from your feet: for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Acts 7:31-33
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