Exhortation Station

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet Moses or Paul face-to-face?  When you think of these prominent Bible characters, do you think of men bold and impressive in appearance and eloquent in speech?  That’s certainly how they are often characterized by movies today…but how does the Bible characterize these men?  Let’s look at some verses…

First, let’s look at Moses.  The following passage is part of Moses’ conversation with Yahweh through the burning bush, just after Yah gave Moses instruction to lead Israel out of Egypt.  Exodus 4:10-12 — “Then Moses said to YHWH, ‘Please, Adonai, 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.’ ¹¹ YHWH said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, YHWH? ¹² Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.’“

Now for Paul.  2 Corinthians 10:1,10-11 — “Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!… ¹⁰ For they say, ‘His [Paul’s] letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.’ ¹¹ Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.”  

We see that both Moses and Paul appear to have had difficulty with speech.  What is encouraging, however, is that both Moses and Paul were mightily used by Yahweh despite their struggles.

The verse that particularly stands out to me is 2 Corinthians 10:11 where Paul says, “what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.”  What Paul is essentially saying, I believe, is that although his appearance is unimpressive, his actions are what reveal his true strength — the same strength that is displayed in his letters.  Notice also Yahweh’s response to Moses — “Who has made man’s mouth?…I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”

These passages drive home to me what true spiritual strength is all about.  The real strength has nothing to do with appearance; the real strength has everything to do with our actions of obedience to Yah’s leading.  When Yahweh calls us to do something and we feel “too small,” let us remember that He is big enough to work through us regardless of our perceived inadequacies.  Boldness doesn’t mean our voice won’t shake; boldness means our obedience won’t shake. 

2 Corinthians 12:10 — “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Messiah’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

(All Bible passages NASB; Hebrew transl. added.)

Song “Big Enough” by the Clark Family: