When Moses ascended the mountain to witness the glory of the burning bush God had a very specific reason in having him go. After he was there in His presence God spoke to Moses and said,
“I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites…now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:7-10).
In short, God was commissioning Moses to go back into Egypt and deliver His people out of the oppressive hand of the Egyptians. But Moses wasn’t immediately receptive, was he? In fact, over the next two chapters Moses offered five reasons or doubts as to the reason he did not think he was the man for the job, the final of which was basically just a request to send somebody, anybody else (Exodus 4:13).
To each concern that Moses offered God responded with a reasonable solution to ease his fears. But I think something needs to be pointed out. He didn’t have to. God had already told Moses the only reason why he needed to go back into Egypt – because He wanted him to!
God’s will is supreme. That means it isn’t up for questioning, alteration, or denial. God’s will could never be improved. Thus when He issues a command our response should be immediate submission. That was the point Paul made to the Thessalonians. In view of the fact that God purposes within us to do His will we should
“…do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain” (Philippians 2:14-16).
So while God often gives reason for His purpose there is only one reason we need to do what God says and that is because God said to do it!
-Andy Brewer