Action without inquiry...

Week 33:

Exodus 2:11-14 ¹¹ One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. ¹² Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”¹⁴ The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.”

The more I read the story of Moses, the more I become aware of his humanness.  As a young Christian, I saw all of the spiritual men of the Bible as having this beyond human quality that I will never possess.  As I begin to put myself in Moses’ (and others’) shoes, I begin to see that each man missed the mark at times and yet God used them anyway.  In fact, God would lift these men up as favorable.

In this passage, what stood out to me was how Moses took it upon himself to act.  Moses already had seen how unjust his people were being treated.  Without inquiring of God, Moses created his own justice.  As we know from the end of the story, God does in fact take care of His people…in a mighty way.  However, early on, Moses acts on his own accord.  Now Moses had the right intent in mind.  He was just going ahead of God.  This set in motion for Moses forty years of preparation for leading Israel out of bondage.  Based on what is written, we do not know if God was going to use forty years to prepare Moses or not.  What we do know is that Moses had to flee because of his act. We also know that God’s plan prevailed.  I think however, that if Moses would have inquired of God before his act, God may have revealed the larger plan and Moses life before the Exodus would have been different.

 So, what do I learn from this?  First of all, before I act on something that seems right, I should inquire of God.  I wonder how many things are in the works that God is prepping me for that I will discover would be a little different if I had not acted on my own.  I wonder where I had the right intention surrounding my hasty action yet God’s plan will unfold and show me that I was on the right track.  I wonder where I have acted out of impatience waiting on God to act.  Essentially saying, “I know better than God.”  (I am also mindful of King Saul when he acted on his own and the results that followed. I Samuel 13)

The second thing I need to learn is that God’s plan will prevail no matter if I act foolishly on  my own or not.  I’m not saying that I should just act without inquiry.  What I am saying is that God will carry out His purpose with or without me.  And, He may still use me in that purpose, even if I was hasty.  God knows my heart for Him.  I think this also separated Moses from King Saul.  Moses had the intention of God’s people at heart.  Saul had his own motivations at heart.  I would say that many of my acts have the Kingdom in mind.  I am thankful for God’s grace up to this point when my intentions were not Kingdom in nature.

I am thankful for the stories of Moses and others.  They let me know that God can use me, a common and flawed man, for His purposes. 

Questions/challenges:

1.      Describe a time where you were hasty and acted without inquiry of the Lord.

2.      What were the results?

3.      What unfolded that you know now was God’s plan around this situation?

4.      What did you learn?

5.      What steps can you take to create a world where you inquire of God before you act in the future?

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