STEEMCHURCH: "The rod, the instrument of God"
Of all is known the story of Moses and how God used him to liberate his people from Egypt (Exodus, Acts 7:20-36). Those who have not read it in the Bible will surely have seen one of the many repetitions that are made every year in the Easter season.
Giving a little more detailed look at this story there is something that is often overlooked or unnoticed, and that is just the charm it has.
The Bible tells us how Moses spends his first forty years of life in the comfort of Pharaoh's palace, hence he is taken to the desert where he spends another forty years as Shepherd of his father-in-law's sheep, learning from the desert and the next forty years guiding the God's people to the promised land.
In the first stage of his life Moses could have had all the power and capacity according to his point of view to carry out a great work for the people of God, but as they are always very different the plans that we have of the plans of God , as I always say: The big difference is that we plan, suppose, imagine, elucubramos, but God knows, and that makes all the difference.
We could say that these first forty years at the time may have been from the point of view of Moses the best of his life until the moment he must flee to the desert, just when he tries to do the work of God in his own way, without taking into account the owner of the work , God Himself.
Actually Moses begins to be useful to God once he loses his position and all his property in Egypt; Once in the desert begins to be trained in a very particular way that of course for Moses surely would have more of discomfort than of training, until it reaches a point where if ever thought to serve God is fully declared Incompetent.
and this is where this character, silent instrument of God, enters the scene.
Let's retake history from the moment God calls Moses and try to locate us in his position just at the time he is called by God, this time against all predictions. Now Moses, an eighty-year-old man, with all his past power and glory almost forgotten, accustomed to lead a peaceful life surrounded by nothing but the desert and its sheep.
As a shepherd of sheep his only tool was his rod or quiet, despite being nothing more than a long stick without greater value was the only thing that remained as a reminder diary of his new life, his new position, at the sight of anyone is no more than a Simple and ordinary stick with nothing special, much less pretense, but for Moses, his daily work tool.
In his first encounter with God, next to the Burning Bush (Exo 3:4), it was the only thing Moses possessed. Not even the sheep he cared for belonged to him, they were his father-in-law Jetro; If he ever felt powerful or had too many possessions, God had taken care of them, not being more than a burden to the mission he would have many years later, now all he possessed was his rod, and being his only possession God asks that also the Deliver.
It is perhaps a very subtle detail but that is precisely why it is so interesting, a rod in the hands of a shepherd is but a stick, but in the hands of God as we will see, is a powerful and meaningful instrument. Likewise my life in my own hands is but a number in the civil registry, but in the hands of God could take great meaning.
In his first encounter with God, the rod that Moses carried daily for many years without giving greater importance than that of a simple and ordinary rod, now was no longer the rod of the Shepherd of Sheep, from now on will be called "The Rod of God" (Exo 4:20 , 17:9), would no longer be merely a reminder of the daily life he had carried over the last forty years, now also reminded him that he had had a personal encounter with God, a sign of the power of God that he wore in his hand.
The rod of God goes unnoticed from now on unless it is for the use that Moses gives him at times when he must show the power of God either in front of Pharaoh and his people or in front of the same people of Israel in the wilderness.
The interesting thing about this inanimate object is that its "status" changed radically, before it was a rod more than if we put it next to a bunch of rods at the entrance of the bar of the shepherds, it would go completely unnoticed and also it would feel (if it could feel). But now it was no longer the same, now it was an instrument that Moses used every time he would demonstrate the power of God. At the sight of a particular eye, it could be thought that the power lay on the rod, even more dangerous, the rod itself could have believed it, could believe that Moses would not be anyone without it, that without the rod Moses could not carry out all the wonders and signs that made and arrives R to think it was indispensable! Big mistake.
When we begin our walk with God, one of the first scriptures we like to remember is Corinthians, when we are taught that we are new creatures and that all old things passed (2 Cor 5:17). Aahhhh that tranquility and that renew we feel to think that all that life was left behind with their mistakes and catastrophes! Time passes and God despite ourselves is happy to use us, giving gifts to each one, whether teaching, preaching, evangelism or any other "gift" that the Lord has given (we all have gifts Efe 4:8b). So far things are walking and we show humility always giving the glory to God, we never stop praying and preaching or teaching always ending with an "in the name of Jesus... Amen. "
But, perhaps it has not been through his mind at some point, thoughts such as:
– "If it wasn't for me, who would teach these."
"If I did not preach, I could not understand the scriptures."
– "If it wasn't me, the minister wouldn't be the same."
– "If it wasn't for me... i.... i..... i..."
Do these thoughts sound familiar? I hope not, but I'm afraid they are thoughts that do not lack the mind of any Christian in construction, because they are not "their" thoughts themselves, are rather whispers that come to our ears by the enemy of the work of God, with a simple objective , make you less efficient! That's right, because the moment we begin to think that it is because of our talent, our effort or our forces that the work of the Kingdom is done, then our efficiency begins to decay and our ego be like foam.
That is why I marvel so much at seeing the role of the rod in the Lord's work through Moses. There is a time in history when God tells Moses that in the sight of Pharaoh, he would be like a "God" and Aaron his brother would be his prophet (Exo 7:1). Anything missing at the scene? And the rod?, where is it then? Was it not she who carried Moses everywhere since her first interview with Pharaoh when she was turned into a serpent, was it not she who converted the waters of the Nile into blood, it was not she who divided the Red Sea? Was it not the one who drew water from the stone in the wilderness? "Aahh disappointment my dear rod was just an instrument and nothing else."
That is our position in this world as Christians, and we should not have greater desire than to be an "instrument of God" is not enough for it?
Think well, of all the planets of the universe, of all the epochs of humanity, of the millions of people of the planet, God the creator himself, the owner of the land and its inhabitants, has taken you from that heap of poles of the desert so that your my dear brother has do that part of your work to which you have been called.
