No More Excuses!

Exodus 4:10–13 (NASB95)

10Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11The LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12“Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” 13But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

Commentary – No More Excuses!

Moses stood before God and said, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” At first, this sounds like Moses is admitting to a speech problem. But in the ancient Near East, this was a common way to show humility and deference before someone in authority. Moses was not literally saying he could not speak. We know this because we have seen Moses speak up before when trying to mitigate the situation between the two Hebrews. Moses can speak just fine. What is happening here is that Moses was following the customs of his day and expressing unworthiness. This was not his first protest. He had already raised several objections, each one couched in the language of humility and respect. These were mannerly protests, not outright refusals. 

God answered Moses with a series of questions that cut to the heart of the matter. “Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” God reminded Moses of two things. First, that every human ability comes from Him. God’s sovereignty covers every weakness and every strength. And second, who determines if someone is worthy of an assignment? Ourselves? Other people? No – we are who our God says we are. He promised Moses, “Now go. I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” God did not reassure Moses by telling him he was more capable than he thought. God simply promised His presence and His help. The sufficiency would not come from Moses. It would come from God. 

Then Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Here, the real motivation behind all of Moses’ objections comes to light. The earlier protests were ritual and respectful. This one is different. Moses is no longer hiding behind humility. He is asking to be excused from the assignment altogether. We will see how God responds to Moses’ attempt to decline the assignment in the next set of verses. But Moses simply does not want to go. God’s plan will not be stopped by Moses’ unwillingness. 

Many of us know what it is to feel inadequate when God calls us to something new or difficult. We often offer excuses, saying we are not gifted enough or ready enough. Sometimes these are genuine concerns. But sometimes, like Moses, we are simply unwilling to accept God’s calling. We dress up our reluctance in the language of inadequacy. God’s answer is the same today as it was for Moses. He does not call the equipped. He equips the called. His sufficiency overcomes our perceived weaknesses. When God calls, He promises to be with us and to give us what we need. The real question is not whether we are able, but whether we are willing. 

Are you willing? 

In His Service,  

Ryan Goodnight