The Call of Moses by Westminster Teacher

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 2, 1882

The Call of Moses.

By Westminster Teacher

ONE thought comes out with startling distinctness as we study the call of Moses and his pleas to be excused. It is that his life, after all, was wellnigh a failure. After his long course of training, extending through fourscore years, when God summoned him to begin his life work, he sought to be excused, urging plea after plea, almost refusing to go on the mission to which he was called. He almost folded up his talent in a napkin to hide it away. As it was, he probably lost part of his blessing and glory that might have been his, had he not so shrunk back; for many writers think that Aaron would not have been called as his spokesman if Moses had not pressed so persistently his plea of slow speech.

It startles us to think that with another word of hesitation from his lips, the Lord might have turned away and left him in the wilderness, sending some other one on the great mission for which he had been born and trained, and that over that grand, that majestic life, would have been written, "Failure." Myriads of lives, with glorious possibilities, have been utter failures, because men and women have not gone promptly to duty at the divine call. They were intended to fill important places, but when God gave them their work, they excused themselves on some plea or other, and buried their talent away in the earth.

Some people in studying this passage in the life of Moses will praise his humility. His pleas were all on the ground of personal unworthiness or unfitness for the great work. But let us not be deceived. That "humility" is not to be commended that shrinks from any duty which God commands. We are never to "put ourselves forward" into places of responsibility uncalled, but when we are called of God to occupy any position, or do any work, we are never to offer any plea or excuse, but are reverently and confidently to accept the trust, and promptly to enter upon its fulfillment.

We can only make our lives successful by promptly, joyfully, and unhesitatingly accepting every call of our Master to his service, by putting ourselves utterly into his hands to be used anywhere, in any way, in any work, for any end, as he may direct. When he thinks us fit for any service, it is not ours to excuse ourselves by any pleas of unfitness. Rather, let us praise him that we are thought worthy of the honor of serving him in such a way, and joyfully accept the service he assigns. He knows what he wants us to do, and we cannot refuse on any plea without sin against him and sore injury to our own souls.—Westminster Teacher.