10. You want excuses? We got ’em!

Moses was the champion in many areas for the Lord’s people who would eventually follow him. In his call, we find him coming up with some doozies of excuses why this isn’t going to work, sending him into Pharaoh’s court is a terrible idea, and he is the wrong person for this job.

“Who am I, Lord?” (3:11)

“Who are you, Lord?” (3:13)

“What if they don’t believe me, Lord?” (4:1)

“I can’t really do this, Lord.” (4:10)

“Here am I, Lord; send Aaron.” (4:13)

Sift through the entire conversation and you quickly decide that God’s answer to all of Moses’ excuses is the same: “I’ll be with you.” (3:12 and 4:12, 15)

When our Lord walked the earth, He kept running into one ridiculous excuse after another. Finally, He addressed the matter in a teaching found in Luke 14:16-24. The excuses given in this passage are so absurd (“I’ve bought some land and need to go see it,” “I’ve bought some oxen and need to test them,” and “I’ve gotten married and can’t come”), the Lord hoped people would see how flimsy were their alibis for not responding to God’s message.

The wonderful Vance Havner used to say, “An excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie.” Several times in early Romans, Paul says, “They are without excuse.” So are we all.

9. God is a God of infinite patience. (And aren’t we glad!)

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