He sent a Sheperd to talk to a Politician. He called from the bush which was burning but could not be consumed. Probably, He wanted to display to the Sheperd that even though he is called to go through the fires and fiery darts from the Politician and from even those whom he had come to liberate, such fires will not consume him. The Politician listened to the Sheperd with a hardened heart. Whereas it would have made perfect sense to send another politician to talk to another, although one would have expected a high level delegation from Israel to King Pharoah to negotiate the release of the Israelites, God saw it fit to send a humble Sheperd. This time around, God had changed the order of thing - the Politician had to listen to the Sheperd.
This was the Sheperd walking into the palace
and not being chauffered in the latest luxline limousene.
This was the Sheperd walking alone without any visible bodygurads, yet heavily
guarded by Angelic hosts;
This was the Sheperd putting on the humble
sandals displaying that he was a carrier of good news of salvation
and liberation and not a pair of arrogant crocket & jones shoes which
cannot even take us out to preach the good news.
This was the sheperd carrying a rod of righteousness to point direction to the promised land and not a cellular phone to tell the latest gossip.
This was the Sheperd in constant communion with heaven above and not
political analysts for those would not have had the heavenly
diplomacy to secure a release of the Israelites in the land of
bondage.
It was the Sheperd, who without shouting political slogans,
simply secured the release of the Israelites by telling the King that
the ""I AM" has sent me.
Sometimes we fail to secure the release of people from the bondage of sin because we tend to become our own representatives and forget about the One who sent us to release those people. Eventually, the Israelites departed from Egypt on a long winding journey to the promised land. But freedom had not arrived with their departure until they had reached the promised land. In fact their departure from Egypt, was but a beginning of a rough sojourn and it had to be rough so that only those who would have been purified by the realities of the journey, would qualify for the promised land. So between origin and destiny some bruises have to be sustained; some falling has to be experienced; some injury has to occur; some spirit has to be broken, but more importantly some perseverance, rising, holding on, has to occur.
Since the journey had just begun, some testing had to occur. Not late, some Israelites indicated that their oppression was actually better than freedom if freedom meant that they had to go through Red Sea, face hunger and thirst and not have delicacies of their meat. It was when the billows of the Red Sea rolled, the army of Pharoah not very far, mountains too high to climb, that the Israelites cried out and lambasted Moses and in fact cursed the very fact that they had been freed. Many times we complain bitterly,when the Red Sea of our lives is only greeting us, not necessarily fighting with us. But because we cannot look beyond the Red Sea, we curse and in fact declare with our own actions that Egypt was better than Canaan, Error better than truth; Devil better than Christ; Hell better than Heaven; Darkness better than Light; Curse better than Blessing. Sometimes we complain bitterly because we cannot have third pair of shoes when someone out there doesn't even have one. Some poet wrote : "I complained because I did not have shoes until upon a street, I met a man who did not have feet."
When the Red Seas engulf us, we want to manufacture our own solutions. You cannot be a Master and a Servant at the same time. Who said if you return tithe you will go hungry because you do not have enough for food and accounts? Who said if you do not go to work on Sabbath, you will lose your job and go hungry? Who said if you do not sit for your examinations on Sabbath you will not graduate? If you are Master of your own life, you can decide to withhold your tithe because you are scared you will go hungry or be arrested for not paying your bills. If you are a Master of your own life, you can decided to go to work on Sabbath because you know you will lose your job. But I want to tell you that, because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go. I want to suggest that you leave everything unto his care, and He will take care of the rest. Continue to be a servant for you will not bear the responsibility of becoming a Master. If He said it, and it settles it for me. But I Like Moses' reaction when the panic buttons went off : Do not be afraid - stand still and see the salvation of the Lord - the Lord shall fight for you and you will hold your peace. In times of trouble, stand firm for the ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in times of abundance and comfort but where he stands in times of trouble and need. Be ye therefore strong and be grounded in Christ who is the anchor of our soul, both sure and steadfast. Because He leads the army, we can invest in Him for He says (Isaiah 43 : 2&3) "fear not, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. It was this assurance that made Paul to declare : but none of these things move me.
On this journey, we shall go hungry - take comfort, He is the Bread
of Life;
On this journey we shall grow thirsty - take comfort, He is
the Living Water,
When it seems like the Red Sea is boisterous, when it seems like
there is no plate of food, no job, milk and bread are but a luxury,
when it seems that you are not making it, take not that He is the
fourth Man in the fiery furnace that He is not just directing from
far how you should survive the fires but He is with you to calm the
flames.
Sometimes God takes us around the problem,
Sometimes over the problem, sometimes under the problem,
Sometimes about the problem,
But sometimes God takes us through the problem and it is in
times like these that when He takes through the Red Sea, we shall be
able to stand for righteousness; stand for Holiness even when all
friends are gone but stand for none of these things move you.
Amen