No More Excuses - Exodus 3 & 4 by Pastor Paul Jacks

Exodus 3 puts Moses in a field with his father-in-law’s sheep, and the burning bush pulls him into holy ground. God says he has seen the misery of his people, heard their cry, and come down to rescue them. Then God tells Moses, “So now go,” and sends him to Pharaoh to bring Israel out of Egypt.

Moses answers first with insecurity. Moses does not argue with God’s plan. Moses questions himself. “Who am I?” comes out of a real past, because forty years earlier Moses tried to step in, failed, killed an Egyptian, got exposed, got rejected, and ran. Moses is now an eighty-year-old shepherd, and his excuse sounds familiar: not qualified, too old, too young, too messed up, too much history. God does not answer by hyping Moses up. God simply says, “I will be with you.” The issue is not whether Moses has enough in himself. The issue is who is with him.

Moses then answers with fear. “What if they do not believe me?” comes from a man who had already been rejected before. God does not remove the possibility of rejection. God gives Moses signs, the staff becoming a snake, the leprous hand restored, the water turning to blood. The signs tell Moses that the power is not in the staff, and the power is not in Moses. The power belongs to the God who sends.

Moses then answers with inadequacy. “I have never been eloquent” shows Moses staring at what he lacks instead of looking at God’s presence. God answers, “Who gave human beings their mouths?” God made Moses the way he was, with his limits and his gifts, and none of that surprised God. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness, and God promises ongoing help: “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Moses finally answers with reluctance: “Please send somebody else.” God’s anger burns, but God still meets Moses with grace and mercy. Aaron is already on the way. God does not let the excuses win, because if Moses wins the argument, there is no Red Sea crossing, no plagues, no Passover, no Sinai, no Ten Commandments. The burning bush moment exposes every reasonable excuse and calls God’s people to trust the God who says, “I am with you always.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God answers insecurity with presence. Moses asked, “Who am I?” but God did not build the answer around Moses’ gifts, personality, or confidence. God answered with himself: “I will be with you.” A believer’s calling is not secured by self-esteem, but by the nearness of the God who sends. [07:03]
• 2. Rejection does not cancel obedience. Moses feared that the people would not believe him, and that fear had history behind it. God did not promise that rejection would never happen, but God gave Moses everything needed to obey. Faithfulness is not measured by applause, acceptance, or visible success, but by trusting the One who gives power for the assignment. [15:31]
• 3. Weakness is not a surprise. Moses looked at his slow speech and treated it like disqualification. God looked at Moses’ mouth and said, in effect, “I made that.” The limitation that feels embarrassing to a servant may become the place where God’s strength is seen most clearly. [19:18]
• 4. Reluctance meets mercy, not permission. Moses finally stopped explaining and simply asked God to send somebody else. God’s anger burned, yet God still provided Aaron, showing both holiness and mercy at the same time. Grace does not excuse disobedience, but it does meet a fearful servant with help for the road. [27:31]
• 5. Excuses can erase burning-bush moments. Moses’ excuses, if allowed to win, would have kept him from the Red Sea, the Passover, Sinai, and a place in God’s story. A reasonable excuse can still become a wall against obedience. The question is not whether the excuse sounds believable, but whether God has already said, “Go.” [31:28]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:14] - The Irritation Of Excuses
• [02:04] - Moses At The Burning Bush
• [03:05] - God Hears Israel’s Cry
• [04:36] - Insecurity Says, Who Am I?
• [07:03] - God Answers, I Will Be With You
• [11:33] - Fear Asks, What If They Reject Me?
• [13:11] - The Staff, The Snake, And Power
• [17:36] - Inadequacy Looks At What Is Lacking
• [19:18] - The Creator Knows Every Weakness
• [23:49] - Please Send Somebody Else
• [27:31] - Anger, Grace, And Aaron’s Help
• [31:28] - Burning Bush Moments Still Matter
• [34:52] - Christ Says, I Am With You

Bible Reading

Exodus 3:1-4:17
“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.' When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then he said, 'Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.' And 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 at God. Then the LORD said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' He said, 'But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.' Then Moses said to God, 'If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, "What is his name?" what shall I say to them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: "I AM has sent me to you."' God also said to Moses, 'Say this to the people of Israel: "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, 'I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.'" And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, "The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God." But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.' Then Moses answered, 'But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, "The LORD did not appear to you."' The LORD said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' He said, 'A staff.' And he said, 'Throw it on the ground.' So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. But the LORD said to Moses, 'Put out your hand and catch it by the tail'—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 'that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.' Again, the LORD said to him, 'Put your hand inside your cloak.' And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then God said, 'Put your hand back inside your cloak.' So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 'If they will not believe you,' God said, 'or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.' But Moses said to the LORD, 'Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.' Then the LORD said to him, 'Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.' But he said, 'Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.' Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, 'Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.'” [03:05]

Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” [34:52]

2 Corinthians 12:9
“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Observation questions

1. In Exodus 3–4, what are the different reasons Moses gives for not wanting to go, and how does each excuse sound a little different from the others? [23:49]
2. When Moses asks, “Who am I?” what exact answer does God give, and what does God not say? [07:03]
3. What signs does God place in Moses’ hands when Moses fears people will not believe him? [13:11]
4. In Matthew 28:18-20, what command does Jesus give, and what promise does he attach to that command? [34:52]

Interpretation questions

1. God answers Moses’ insecurity with “I will be with you.” What does that reveal about how God wants his servants to think about calling, ability, and confidence? [07:03]
2. God does not promise Moses that nobody will reject him. He gives him what he needs to obey anyway. How does that shape the way believers should think about faithfulness and visible success? [15:31]
3. When God says, “Who has made man’s mouth?” what does that say about weakness, limitation, and the way God chooses to use people? [19:18]
4. God’s anger burns when Moses says, “Please send somebody else,” yet God still provides Aaron. What does that show about the way God holds together holiness, mercy, and help? [27:31]

Application questions

1. Moses asked, “Who am I?” Where does that question show up in life right now: serving, speaking about Christ, forgiving someone, leading at home, or stepping into something that feels bigger than personal ability? [04:36]
2. Fear of rejection can quietly keep a person from obedience. Where is “What if they don’t listen?” shaping decisions right now? Is there a conversation, invitation, apology, or act of service that has been avoided because of that fear? [11:33]
3. God already knows every weakness and limitation. What weakness tends to feel most disqualifying right now? Slow speech, lack of confidence, not knowing enough, a painful past, limited time, or something else? How might that very place become a place to trust God more deeply? [19:30]
4. Some excuses sound completely reasonable: “I’m too busy,” “This isn’t the season,” “Somebody else can do it.” Which excuse feels most believable right now, and what might it be keeping a person from doing? [24:38]
5. If Moses had won the argument, he would have missed a place in God’s story. What “burning bush moment” might be in front of the group right now—something God may be calling someone to do that feels costly, stretching, or uncomfortable? [31:28]
6. Jesus says, “I am with you always.” How would this week look different if that promise were taken seriously in one specific area of obedience? [34:52]
7. God met Moses’ reluctance with mercy, but not permission to walk away. Where is help needed instead of escape? What would it look like to ask for support, accountability, or partnership the way Moses received Aaron? [27:31]