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A Conversation with Fire - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the angel of the Lord appeared
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  Speaker 1: unto him in a flame of fire, out of the
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  Speaker 1: midst of a bush. And he looked, and behold, the
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  Speaker 1: bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
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  Speaker 1: Exodus 3.2 Dear God, like Moses, open my eyes to
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  Speaker 1: see that I am a Savior. Open my eyes to
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  Speaker 1: see that I am called even when my calling is
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  Speaker 1: questioned by those who don't believe. Give me God moments
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  Speaker 1: that will illuminate my mind and heart like the burning
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  Speaker 1: bush in Genesis. I declare that I will no longer
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  Speaker 1: try to convince others that I have a purpose, but instead,
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  Speaker 1: when questioned, I will tell them that God co-signed my
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  Speaker 1: life and purpose. When I feel unworthy, strengthen me and
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  Speaker 1: affirm me, Lord. Anoint my speech so that it will
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  Speaker 1: flow like oil out of heaven. Let my words be
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  Speaker 1: sweet to the ears, like honey is to the taste.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that I will no longer look down on myself,
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  Speaker 1: nor on my capabilities, because you have equipped me with
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  Speaker 1: the ability to move in signs and wonders. Therefore, I
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  Speaker 1: am not alone. I declare that I am not helpless.
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  Speaker 1: because the God of the universe has called me and
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  Speaker 1: validated my life. Look out, future, because I am on
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  Speaker 1: the move, and I am ready to grab all that
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  Speaker 1: God has for me. I am the one. I am chosen.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority
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  Speaker 1: in your life. To hear the Bible come to life,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Stay tuned for the Bible in a Year, brought to
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  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: A conversation with fire. In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: about how the Israelites expanded in numbers and Pharaoh feared
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  Speaker 2: that they would overtake him. His darkened heart led him
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  Speaker 2: to enslave them. When slavery didn't work, he ordered all
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  Speaker 2: the newborn boys to be thrown into the Nile River.
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  Speaker 2: The river ran red with the blood of children, yet
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  Speaker 2: one was able to survive, Moses. He was saved by
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  Speaker 2: his mother and found by the princess of Egypt. In
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  Speaker 2: this story, we will learn how Moses grew up a
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  Speaker 2: part of both worlds and became concerned about his people
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  Speaker 2: being treated poorly by the Egyptians. Despite his flaws, God
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  Speaker 2: calls Moses to lead his people as inspired by the
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  Speaker 2: book of Exodus.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we learned the
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  Speaker 3: new Pharaoh enslaved and brutalized the people of Israel, and
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  Speaker 3: he even murdered babies to keep the Hebrews from growing
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  Speaker 3: in number and power and influence. Then we met Moses,
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  Speaker 3: the adoptive son of the Pharaoh's own daughter. raised by
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  Speaker 3: his biological mother in the Hebrew community. And today, we're
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  Speaker 3: going to see that he makes a rash and angry
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  Speaker 3: decision to help a Hebrew slave. The prince of Egypt
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  Speaker 3: will then have a price on his head. In fear,
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  Speaker 3: he will flee to a land far away to seek safety.
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  Speaker 3: Then we will see how God intervenes and calls Moses
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  Speaker 3: to a very special role. As you listen to this exchange,
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  Speaker 3: this conversation between God, the great I Am, and this
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  Speaker 3: man Moses, Think about the things that God has called
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  Speaker 3: you to do, his will for your own life. And
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  Speaker 3: then ask yourself, will I respond and do what God
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  Speaker 3: tells me to do? Let's listen now to today's story.
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  Speaker 2: Moses could hear screaming in the distance. He ran towards
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  Speaker 2: the cries to find a Hebrew slave being brutalized by
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  Speaker 2: an Egyptian taskmaster. Whips, fists, and fury were being unleashed
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  Speaker 2: on the back of the Israelite. Blood spilled. Sweat and
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  Speaker 2: tears fell from the man's face. His eyes caught Moses'
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  Speaker 2: as he was being tortured in front of him. Moses
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  Speaker 2: watched in horror. The Egyptian in him was used to
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  Speaker 2: this image, yet the Hebrew in him teemed with anger.
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  Speaker 2: Moses looked away and saw that nobody else was present.
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  Speaker 2: In a moment of unbridled rage, Moses attacked the Egyptian.
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  Speaker 2: Tumbling in the sand, the two fought, exchanging blows and screams.
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  Speaker 2: Moses prevailed against the taskmaster and took his life. The
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  Speaker 2: slave had fled, so Moses buried the body in the sand.
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  Speaker 2: The next morning, sore from his encounter the day before,
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  Speaker 2: Moses was walking amongst the Hebrews once again. When he
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  Speaker 2: saw that there were two Hebrew men fighting, he stopped them.
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  Speaker 2: Why would you fight your friend? he asked to the
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  Speaker 2: man who had started the fight. The man pointed at Moses. Angry,
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  Speaker 2: he said, Who appointed you judge over me, prince of Egypt?
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  Speaker 2: Are you going to kill me, as you did the
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  Speaker 2: Egyptian yesterday? Fear overcame Moses. For if the slave had known,
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  Speaker 2: it was only a matter of time before Pharaoh found
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  Speaker 2: out as well. Sure enough, Pharaoh did find out, and
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  Speaker 2: put a warrant out for Moses' arrest, so he might
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  Speaker 2: kill him. Moses fled the mighty nation of Egypt, the
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  Speaker 2: place he had called home for his entire life. He
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  Speaker 2: stripped himself of all signs of royalty and ran with
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  Speaker 2: the sun behind him. He ran to the countryside, to
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  Speaker 2: the people of Midian. There he settled, met his wife Zipporah,
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  Speaker 2: and lived a life of simplicity. Forty years had passed,
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  Speaker 2: and the Pharaoh had passed, and a new one was
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  Speaker 2: in power. Moses became a shepherd, intended to his father-in-law's
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  Speaker 2: sheep in tranquility. Moses felt at home and at peace.
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  Speaker 2: Yet hundreds of miles away, his people wailed in pain
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  Speaker 2: under the whip of their oppressors. Moses could not hear them,
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  Speaker 2: but God could. One day Moses was tending the flock
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  Speaker 2: of his father-in-law Jethro. He led the sheep far into
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  Speaker 2: the wilderness and came to a mountain called Sinai, the
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  Speaker 2: mountain of God. The mountain covered the sun, and the
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  Speaker 2: sheep grazed in the shade. Moses saw a faint light
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  Speaker 2: flickering in the distance. He approached it, and found a
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  Speaker 2: blazing fire engulfing a bush. The fire raged, yet the
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  Speaker 2: bush did not burn, nor wither. The fire reflected off Moses' eyes.
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  Speaker 2: He stared in amazement. Why isn't it burning? he whispered
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  Speaker 2: to himself. He took a step closer to the flame.
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  Speaker 2: Then a sound like a thousand rushing waters emanated from
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  Speaker 2: the flame. A voice so beautiful, yet so powerful, filled
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  Speaker 2: the air around him. Moses, the voice said, Moses, it
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  Speaker 2: said again. Here I am, Moses replied, still in awe.
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  Speaker 2: Do not come any closer, the voice said. Take off
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  Speaker 2: your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. Moses
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  Speaker 2: did as he commanded, now standing in amazement before the flame.
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  Speaker 2: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham,
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  Speaker 2: the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. When
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  Speaker 2: Moses heard this, he covered his face and fell to
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  Speaker 2: the floor. he now fully understood he was in the
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  Speaker 2: presence of the Most High God, Elohim, the Creator of
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  Speaker 2: the heavens and earth. The Lord spoke again, saying, I
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  Speaker 2: have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. Their
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  Speaker 2: cries have reached my ears, and their suffering is before
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  Speaker 2: my eyes. Moses listened intently. The Lord continued, I have
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  Speaker 2: come to rescue my people from the power of the Egyptians.
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  Speaker 2: I will lead them out to a new land a
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  Speaker 2: land flowing with milk and honey. I shall wipe away
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  Speaker 2: their tears and deliver them from those that abuse them.
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  Speaker 2: Now I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must be
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  Speaker 2: the one to lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses' amazement
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  Speaker 2: turned into protest. Who am I to go before Pharaoh?
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  Speaker 2: Who am I to lead the people out of Egypt?
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  Speaker 2: For Moses knew that he was once a part of
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  Speaker 2: the people that oppressed him. A sense of unworthiness.
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  Speaker 3: Welled up in Moses.
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  Speaker 2: God answered him and said, I will be with you.
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  Speaker 2: Moses continued to protest. If I go to them, who
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  Speaker 2: shall I say sent me? The flames grew larger and
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  Speaker 2: more glorious before Moses. His voice illuminated from the flames
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  Speaker 2: as boldly as the light itself. I am that I am,
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  Speaker 2: he said with power. When the people ask who has
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  Speaker 2: sent you, say it is I am Yahweh, the God
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  Speaker 2: of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
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  Speaker 2: and the God of Jacob. That is my name forever,
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  Speaker 2: and I will be remembered throughout all generations. The Lord
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  Speaker 2: then instructed Moses to go and take his message to
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  Speaker 2: Pharaoh so that his people might be set free. Yet
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  Speaker 2: God knew that Pharaoh would not listen. He said, After
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  Speaker 2: hearing these things, Moses grew less and less confident in himself.
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  Speaker 2: strike Egypt with wonder, and I will give my people favor.
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  Speaker 2: After hearing these things, Moses grew less and less confident
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  Speaker 2: in himself. So God instructed him, Take your staff in
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  Speaker 2: your hand and throw it on the ground. Moses obeyed,
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  Speaker 2: and the staff began to move, crawl, and then slither
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  Speaker 2: as a snake. Moses ran from it terrified. God instructed
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  Speaker 2: him to pick it up by the tail. He did,
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  Speaker 2: and it was immediately turned back into a staff. God
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  Speaker 2: then instructed him to put his hand in his cloak.
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  Speaker 2: Once he did, his hand became leprous. Rotting flesh plagued Moses' hand,
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  Speaker 2: and it was clearly on the brink of total decay.
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  Speaker 2: He put it back in his cloak, and his hand
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  Speaker 2: was restored. These would be signs God would allow Moses
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  Speaker 2: to use as proof he was sent by God. Yet
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  Speaker 2: Moses was still riddled with doubt, for he stuttered in
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  Speaker 2: his speech and struggled with a deep anger inside him.
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  Speaker 2: Moses felt unworthy. Moses begged God, Oh Lord, I am
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  Speaker 2: not eloquent. I have always been slow of speech and tongue.
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  Speaker 2: You must have the wrong person. Immediately the flames raged,
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  Speaker 2: and the voice of God burned greater than the fire.
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  Speaker 2: Who made man's mouth? He shouted. Who makes him mute, deaf, seeing,
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  Speaker 2: or blind? Is it not I? Now go! Moses trembled
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  Speaker 2: before the burning bush, and the voice of God continued,
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  Speaker 2: now more comforting and silent. Moses, I will be your
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  Speaker 2: mouth and teach you what to say. Moses had tears
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  Speaker 2: streaming down his face. He was afraid. Please, send someone else.
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  Speaker 2: He weeped silently. God grew angry with Moses, for he
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  Speaker 2: could not see what was clearly in front of him.
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  Speaker 2: The sovereignty of God would be what accomplished great things.
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  Speaker 2: I will send your brother Aaron, the Levite. He can
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  Speaker 2: speak well, and he will come out to meet you.
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  Speaker 2: The flame dissipated into the ether. Night had fallen, and
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  Speaker 2: Moses stood there in shock. Yet in that instant, an
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  Speaker 2: empowering spirit overwhelmed him. He took his staff and ventured
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  Speaker 2: forth to Egypt.
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  Speaker 3: When we meet Moses today, he's no longer a baby
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  Speaker 3: in a basket, but he's a grown man, a Hebrew-born
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  Speaker 3: prince of Egypt, a very powerful man. He is enjoying
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  Speaker 3: freedom and luxury and power that his fellow Israelites could
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  Speaker 3: only think of or dream of. But he is not
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  Speaker 3: blind to the pain, the suffering of his people. So
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  Speaker 3: when he sees an Egyptian overseer beating a Hebrew slave,
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  Speaker 3: Moses impulsively intervenes, killing the Egyptian. Now Moses is a murderer. Afterwards,
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  Speaker 3: Pharaoh learns that Moses has killed an Egyptian and he
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  Speaker 3: wants him dead. Prince or not, Moses is not above
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  Speaker 3: the law. Terrified, Moses flees to a place named Midian,
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  Speaker 3: far from the swords of the Egyptians and the helpless
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  Speaker 3: cries of the Hebrews. He meets and marries a woman
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  Speaker 3: there named Zipporah and adopts the simple life of a
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  Speaker 3: sheep herder. And for 40 years, his past was a distant,
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  Speaker 3: dark memory. He's no longer a prince, but he's a
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  Speaker 3: shepherd in the desert. He surely thought his life as
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  Speaker 3: he had known it has come to an end, just
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  Speaker 3: living out his days in the desert with his family.
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  Speaker 3: And then one day, God appears to him in a
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  Speaker 3: supernatural way through a burning bush and And this amazing
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  Speaker 3: sight warrants investigation. So Moses approaches and out of this bush,
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  Speaker 3: the living God speaks. He tells Moses, he is the
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  Speaker 3: God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the great I am.
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  Speaker 3: The stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would have been
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  Speaker 3: passed down through the Israelites from generation to generation. So Moses,
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  Speaker 3: because he was trained not only in Pharaoh's court, but
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  Speaker 3: in his own mother's house, knew full well of the
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  Speaker 3: story of the Hebrews. Like the midwives in yesterday's reading,
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  Speaker 3: Moses feared the Most High God, and he hid his face.
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  Speaker 3: God then tells Moses he's heard the cries of his people.
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  Speaker 3: God does not forget his own. The cries that Moses
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  Speaker 3: could no longer hear have reached God's ears. So God
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  Speaker 3: tells Moses he's come to rescue them, and Moses is
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  Speaker 3: to return to Egypt, speak with the Pharaoh, and ultimately
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  Speaker 3: lead the people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.
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  Speaker 3: It is a life-changing, life-altering call. Moses' first response is,
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  Speaker 3: I can't do it. That's often our first response as well,
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  Speaker 3: isn't it? We say, I can't. We don't feel equipped
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  Speaker 3: or we make excuses. We don't feel worthy. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: it's not about us, is it? It's all about what
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  Speaker 3: God can do through us. It's about God working through
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  Speaker 3: us so that he will always equip us and prepare
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  Speaker 3: us to do what he calls us to do. So
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  Speaker 3: that's God's answer to Moses. He promises, I will be
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  Speaker 3: with you. But that's not enough for Moses, apparently. His
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  Speaker 3: questions continue. Who do I tell them sent me? So
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  Speaker 3: God uses the name that will be his name forever
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  Speaker 3: and ever. The great I am. It is those same
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  Speaker 3: two words, I am, that Christ would one day use
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  Speaker 3: to describe himself and his own deity. Moses continues to protest.
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  Speaker 3: Even after God shows Moses wondrous signs, he's afraid, insecure,
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  Speaker 3: and just doesn't want to do it. If we're honest,
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  Speaker 3: sometimes we can relate to what Moses is going through.
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  Speaker 3: We just don't want to do what God wants us
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  Speaker 3: to do, especially when it's hard. But God still chooses
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  Speaker 3: to raise up Moses as a powerful deliverer and send Moses'
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  Speaker 3: brother Aaron as a helper. That's where we'll pick up
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  Speaker 3: the story the next time. Dear God, the great I am.
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  Speaker 3: So often we feel unable and unworthy to fulfill your
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  Speaker 3: calling upon our lives. Please help us to remember that
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  Speaker 3: it's not our power or our strength or our ability
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  Speaker 3: that accomplishes great things for you, but your power working
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  Speaker 3: through us, the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you
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  Speaker 3: for reminding us today that you can use us when
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  Speaker 3: we make ourselves available to you. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
• 16:31
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• 16:34
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• 16:37
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• 16:40
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• 16:43
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  Speaker 3: sure to visit jackgram.org. God bless.