by David Scott Robertson
"Then Moses went back home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. 'With your permission,' Moses said, 'I would like to go back to Egypt to visit my family. I don't even know whether they are still alive'" (Exodus 4:18).
This is one of the most amazing verses I have found in the Old Testament concerning the value of being sent out by those in authority over you.
In Exodus chapter three, we read the story of how Moses had a close encounter of the God-kind. This is the famous "burning bush" passage. The Great God Jehovah called and commissioned Moses to go and be His representative before Pharaoh to deliver the nation of Israel from over four centuries of Egyptian bondage.
In Exodus chapter 4, we read about how God then empowered Moses to perform a series of miracles to convince both the Jewish and Egyptian officials that God had indeed sent him.
But even though Moses had a supernatural experience with God, please notice something both peculiar and important. Undeniably, Moses had had an incredible meeting with God:
- He witnessed the miracle of the burning bush (3:3)
- He audibly heard the voice of God (3:4)
- He had stood on holy ground (3:5)
- God had revealed Himself and His covenant name (3:6)
- He became privy to God's secret plan to rescue His people (3:7)
- He received a mandate directly from God Himself (3:10)
- He had received God's personal guarantee of His presence and assured victory (3:12)
- He received details about the plagues and plunder of the Egyptians (3:30-21)
- He personally participated in not one, but two actual miracles (the rod becoming a snake and his hand becoming leprous) (4:1-7)
- God predicted the reunion of Moses with his long-lost brother, Aaron (4:14)
Wow! When is the last time you have heard from God so clearly? When is the last time you have received authorization from God to liberate a nation?
I could go on, but my real point that I've been building up to is my opening text:
"Then Moses went back home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. 'With your permission..." (Exodus 4:18, New Living Translation).
It amazes me that even though Moses had experienced God like no other before him, He didn't immediately go and begin to fulfill God's mission. No, first he went and talked it over with his father-in-law, Jethro! Next (now get this!) he actually asked permission to go! The King James Version of the Bible translates this request as "Let me go, I pray thee…." The New International Version reads, "Let me go back to my people…." The words may differ slightly but the point remains the same - Moses asked his father-in-law to let him go do what God had called him to do!
What's up with that? Does that not fly in the face of much of our cultural Christianity that says "God told me…" and so off they go just like that to begin the task! Many workers in the local church "drop everything they're doing" (or rather everything they've committed to do) without so much as asking their pastor for his blessing. As a result, many are "abandoning their posts" prematurely. Often zealous but immature Christians bring reproach upon the very name that is calling them to greatness by doing things in the wrong order. They inadvertently tarnish genuine "words from the Lord" by believing that if God told them something then who cares what anybody else thinks?
You see, I believe God uses leaders to help younger believers get the timing right. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. If Jethro had told Moses, "Now Moses, I agree that you have heard God, but as your employer, before you go, I need you to bring my flocks and herds that you have been watching these past four decades to market to sell next month like we agreed." You will never convince me otherwise that God would not honor that!
Indeed you may be called to do an exploit for God but rarely (if ever) will God require you to break your word or fail to fulfill to do something you have committed (covenanted) to do. You may be in week 3 of a 12-week class that you volunteered to teach and the thing that honors God is for you to complete the assignment.
Listen, sometimes God gives you the "heads up" on something coming down the road as a courtesy so you can prepare yourself for His next assignment. He may tell you things in advance so you can bring closure to your current commitments, spend time getting prayed up, get counsel and advice from those more seasoned than you, obtain the blessing of those in authority over you, and get sent out properly with much celebration!
Notice that God didn't rebuke Moses for going to Jethro to talk things over. God didn't threaten to kill Moses for asking permission to quit his job and secure a blessing from the man under whose authority Moses had prospered for nearly forty years. Conversely, God rewards those who honor those in authority over them and seek to be sent out with a blessing on their new adventure!
Notice the very next verse how God validated Moses after he consulted with Jethro:
"Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, 'Do not be afraid to return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead" (4:19).
God speaks again! Moses lived nearly his whole life up to that point without seeing miracles and hearing God's voice, now it's getting to be a habit!
Why is this concept of obtaining permission, securing a blessing, and being sent out by those in authority over you important? Watch what happens in Moses' life later regarding Jethro.
Since Moses left on good terms with Jethro and no bridges were burned on the way out the door, God was able to use this former authority in Moses' life to be a great blessing to him in the future.
In later years, when Moses was responsible to sit as judge over millions of people, Jethro came for a visit and watched Moses literally wear himself (and the people) out from morning till evening (Exodus 18:13) trying to solve the community's problems.
Jethro pointed out: "…What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him" (Exodus 18:17-19).
Jethro went on to suggest to Moses an efficient and effective judicial system that would be so successful in providing speedier justice that much of the infrastructure of his concept remains intact to this day!
This one suggestion transformed Moses' life and lifted a burden too great for any one man to bear! And note that the idea didn't come directly from God rather God sent this breakthrough idea through the mouth of Jethro!
However you must recall that it all started when Moses was "sent out with a blessing" by Jethro. This one act set the stage so that years later God could use a man with whom Moses had a healthy relationship to be a continual fountain of blessing to him.
The point? Truly, God may be speaking to you and calling you to another place, another ministry, another church, another assignment. But if you will follow his example of taking your revelation to your pastor if you are in a church or your employer if you are in a business or your coach if you are on a team (or to whomever God has placed you in authority under) and talk things over, and either fulfill your commitments or get permission and blessing to be released from them, God will honor you for it! You will never be penalized for keeping your word and honoring authority.
In the years ahead, you can happily do God's will with no regrets, no burned bridges, and no relationships to repair. Consider, for your own good and for the good of those who will follow you, the value of being sent out.
DSR
8/28/05