God of Your Father

God of Your Father

Exodus 3:6 NKJV

Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

   When God chose to give His call to Moses, He did not say, “Hey Moses, I am God!”  “God” is a pretty broad term that means different things to different people.  Moses had been raised by an Egyptian princess and so would have been familiar with the many gods of Egyptian beliefs.  He was wet-nursed by his own Hebrew mother and she would have told him about the God of his people, the God of Abraham.  Later he was exiled in Midian and the desert nomads had other gods including Ba’al Peor and the “mother earth goddess,” Ashtoreth.   The word “god” can be a confusing concept to people as there are countless claimants to the title.  So when God wanted to reveal Himself to Moses, He needed to make it clear to Moses that he was dealing with the one true God.  

   He could have said He was “God Most High,” but Horus could have made that claim.  He could have called Himself, “God the Creator of Heaven and earth, but Atum, the first of all the gods and goddesses of Egypt could have claimed that title.

   Polls show that most people say they believe in God, but when you ask them who God is and what they think of Him their ideas are a little unclear.  God is a cosmic power, or a benevolent energy source in the universe which permeates all creation. (Use the Force, Luke!)  God is fate or he is destiny.  Some look at God like he is a larger version of Santa Claus, One Who gives good things to us if we’re on the nice list and withholds things from us if we land on the naughty list.  There is a feminist movement that says God is actually Goddess.  I once knew a Christian who had fallen away from a true belief in God and claimed we were supposed to pray to “our” Angel.  And, of course, there is the humanistic view that each of us are our own god.

   These ideas and views may be held by many people, but none of them are the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and of Jacob.  After Jochebed, his birth mother, sent Moses into the Nile in a basket, he was found by a princess of Egypt and brought to the palace to live.  The princess sent for a Hebrew nurse and Jochebed was the one summoned to the palace to care for Moses.  You can believe that she would have tried to teach him all about the Hebrews including their belief in one God.  So when God identified Himself this way, Moses knew right off Who He was.  In one moment, all the stories of his childhood told by Jochebed became real to him.  He knew which God this was calling to him and knew his people had not been abandoned by God.

   Do you know who is calling to you?  Whose voice are you listening to?  When God speaks to your heart, there will be no doubt.  He doesn’t wait in dark corners waiting for you to wander by.  “Pssst.  Hey you, come over here.  I got something for ya.”  He will make it clear to you what He’s trying to tell you.

   And one of my pet peeves are people who claim that, “God told me to tell you…”  No, He didn’t tell you to tell me and no, He didn’t need your help to tell me.  What He needs is for me to be listening for His voice.

   I have written it before and I will write it again: check everything against the Bible.  You will never be led to do something which is not supported by the Bible.  God is the Author of the Bible and He will never go contrary to what He has written. 

Stephen Cram                            January 13, 2013                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8