Buried Deep

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Exodus 4:19, ” Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, ‘Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.’ “

Background

Moses spent a lot of time in the wilderness with his sheep. Being a shepherd for forty years gave him plenty of opportunity to wander from Midian all the way to Mt. Horeb, and perhaps beyond. I wonder, as he found himself further from home and closer to Egypt, did he ever stop looking over his shoulder or beyond the hills to see if anyone from Egypt was coming to capture him and bring him back to pay for the murder he committed that caused him to flee? Did he ever have a good night’s sleep, confident that he would wake up and still be a free man? We are very familiar with the excuses Moses gave to God when He called him to go back to Egypt and deliver His people. They wouldn’t know who Moses was, they wouldn’t know who God was, the people wouldn’t believe him, or he just wasn’t a good speaker. Each of us knows a time or two when we could scratch out Moses’ name and write our name in as masters of those excuses. But when Moses finally agreed to go back, somewhat reluctantly and perhaps doubting he would survive, God gave him this assurance that the men who sought him out had since died. However many it was, and however far they had looked, the threat to Moses was gone. No matter what lie ahead, Moses didn’t need to worry about losing his life for the crime he had committed.

Application

Now he could finally relax and enjoy his life in Midian with his wife and children, free of the fear of unexpected strangers. At least, that’s how we might have wanted it; it might even be what Moses hoped for. But it wasn’t what God had planned. Assured of his safety, Moses must now load up his entire family and head off into the storm that God is preparing. His biggest fear has become his greatest opportunity. God had sustained him, prepared him, and now sends him back to where He saved him from. The ugliest parts of our past can be transformed in God’s marvelous grace, too. He is able to change hearts. He has assured us we have nothing to fear. And for you, even if it’s been forty days or forty years, God’s timing is still perfect. Today might be that day.

Charge

As we seek Him today, let God have that piece of you that is buried deep and covered up. Trust that he has taken care of all that seeks after you, trying to enslave you in fear or worry.