Evening star., 1932-07-09
THE CALL OF MOSES.
Exodus, n.11-iv.20.
Golden text: Certainly I will
be with thee-Exodus, tii12.

Forty years had passed since Moses,
filled with anger and fiery indignation
at the injustice of an Egyptian task
master toward a poor Israelite slave,
slew the taskmaster. While there
existed just grounds for his being filled
with indignation at the attitude OF the
taskmaster, Moses was in no mood TO
open up the social work of deliverance
of his enslaved countrymen when he
murdered the tsskmaster. Fleeing Tor
his life, when he learned that the muir
der was known resulted in his spending
40 years in the solitude Of INDIAN,
where as a shepherd he received the
finishing touches in his education that
prepared Moses to become the liberator
Of his fellow countrymen, the founder
of their first national government, the
law-giver, whose code still survives, IN
huencing the laws of modern days, ana
the great prophet whose institutions OF
religious services have nodded the
worship of Judaism, Mohammedanism
and Christianity.
Only God would have seen in the
lonely shepherd the coming greatness
of Moses, when He called him to under
take the task that he had started 4O
years before in anger. The far-seelng
providence of Jehovah had conserved
the spirit of the reformer who 40 years
previous had undertaken the great work
to which God called him. The spirit
Of Moses had been changed so that
under the blessings of the Almighty,
he could become the deliverer OF his
countrymen from bondage, the founder
of a commonwealth of free and Joyous
people, and their leader through the
wilderness to the land Of promise.
Moses Called.
Great souls, who have shaped the
history Of the world, have always been
prepared for their life's work by a
period spent in solitude. God in His
wise providence has brought out OF their
silent years the outstanding spiritual
leaders whose lives, labor and lessons
have nodded the spirit Of their own
age and all coming time. During the
years Moses spent in indian we know
nothing of his spiritual life. In all
probability he had enjoyed many dis
cussion with his father-in-law, who was
priest of INDIAN, concerning religions.
The sons who had been born during
that period of solitude were given names
that reveal the vital power of his faith.
Doubtless many times he recalled the
suffering of his fellow countrymen, who
In the increase of their burdens had
cried unto God for relief. Four hun
dred years had passed since He had re-
vealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob He had seen their af1iction,
heard their cry and knew their sorrows
when He determined to deliver them
by commissioning Moses to undertake
their liberation.
Attracted by the appearance of a
burning bush, Moses stopped to inves-
tigate this phenomenon and found that
he was in the presence of Jehovah,
who assured him that He had heard
Israers cry for relief and proposed to
send Moses to be their hberator and
guide them into the promised land.
When God summoned Moses for that
task, he hesitated. None knew better
than the lonely shepherd, who had
heard Gods call, what he faced. The
hot-headed and pugnacious man of 40
was a conservative at 80. Forty years
previous he was full Of self confidence,
enthusiasm and courage and had at
tempted without authority to do then
what Jehovah ordered him to do. He
understood the attitude of the Egyptian
authorities, who depended upon the
profits of slave labor to sustain their
court and carry out their great building
enterprises He felt his own limitations.
This reluctance and hesitant spirit OF
Moses did not receive divine approval.
Jehovah pointed out in a sympathetic
spirit that Moses had failed to consider
his resources, for He promised to be
with him. Gods presence changed a
hopeless outlook into sure triumph,
for He promised that the whole nation
would serve Jehovah at the holy place
where Moses stood when God called him
to return to Egypt and hberate the
Israelite slaves.
The place where Moses stood had
been pointed out to him as holy ground,
when he stopped to investigate the
burning bush that had blaZed with its
flames and was not consumed. He had
been attracted by the vision and inves-
tigated it. It was this spirit that had
opened up the soul Of Moses so that
God could make known to him His de-
sires concerning Israel. To undertake
the twofold work Of freeing nation OF
slaves and guiding them into the larger
life appeared to Moses to demand that
he should have given unto him the name
of the God who sent him. He sought to
know the name of the God who was
commanding the shepherd to act as His
ambassador. The Egyptians and the
Israelites would not see the Invisible
One, and they would ask him to name
the God who had sent him on that
mission.
Moses knew the almost insuperable
obstacles that he had to overcome. He
realized his limited resources and un-
derstood the mighty power of the Egyp-
tian empire that he would be called
upon to face. He understood the tickle
ness of the Israelite slaves. He had
passed through the wilderness that they
would be called upon to cross. He knew
from personal experience the hostile and
treacherous tribes whose hostility they