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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: And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
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  Speaker 1: a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush.
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  Speaker 1: And he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire,
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  Speaker 1: and the bush was not consumed. Exodus 3.2 Dear God,
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  Speaker 1: like Moses, open my eyes to see that I am
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  Speaker 1: called even when my calling is questioned by those who
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  Speaker 1: don't believe. Give me God moments. that will illuminate my
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  Speaker 1: mind and heart like the burning bush in Genesis. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that I will no longer try to convince others
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  Speaker 1: that I have a purpose, but instead, when questioned, I
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  Speaker 1: will tell them that God co-signed my life and purpose.
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  Speaker 1: When I feel unworthy, strengthen me and affirm me, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: Anoint my speech so that it will flow like oil
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  Speaker 1: out of heaven. Let my words be sweet to the ears.
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  Speaker 1: like honey is to the taste. I declare that I
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  Speaker 1: will no longer look down on myself, nor on my capabilities,
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  Speaker 1: because you have equipped me with the ability to move
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  Speaker 1: in signs and wonders. Therefore, I am not alone. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that I am not helpless, because the God of
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  Speaker 1: the universe has called me and validated my life. Look out, future.
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  Speaker 1: because I am on the move, and I am ready
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  Speaker 1: to grab all that God has for me. I am
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  Speaker 1: the one. I am chosen. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your life. To hear
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The Bible
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: in a Year, brought to 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: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, Simply go
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: you for your support. 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, and tended to his
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  Speaker 2: father-in-law's 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. Then,
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  Speaker 2: a sound like a thousand rushing waters emanated from the flame.
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  Speaker 2: A voice so beautiful, yet so powerful, filled the air
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  Speaker 2: around him. Moses, the voice said. Moses, it said again.
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  Speaker 2: Here I am, Moses replied, still in awe. Do not
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  Speaker 2: come any closer, the voice said. Take off your sandals,
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  Speaker 2: for you are standing on holy ground. Moses did as
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  Speaker 2: he commanded, now standing in amazement before the flame. I
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  Speaker 2: 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 welled
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  Speaker 2: up in Moses. God answered him and said, I will
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  Speaker 2: be with you. Moses continued to protest. If I go
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  Speaker 2: to them, who shall I say sent me? The flames
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  Speaker 2: grew larger and more glorious before Moses. His voice illuminated
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  Speaker 2: from the flames as boldly as the light itself.
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  Speaker 4: I am that I am. he said with power.
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  Speaker 2: When the people ask who has sent you, say it
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  Speaker 2: is I am, Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the
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  Speaker 2: God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
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  Speaker 2: of Jacob.
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  Speaker 4: That is my name forever.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord then instructed Moses to go and take his
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  Speaker 2: message to Pharaoh so that his people might be set free.
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  Speaker 4: Yet God knew that Pharaoh would not listen. He said,
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  Speaker 4: I know that the.
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  Speaker 2: King of Egypt will not let you go unless he
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  Speaker 2: is compelled. So my mighty hand will be stretched out
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  Speaker 2: to strike Egypt with wonder, and I will give my
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  Speaker 2: people favor. After hearing these things, Moses grew less and
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  Speaker 2: less confident in himself. So God instructed him, Take your
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  Speaker 2: staff in your hand and throw it on the ground.
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  Speaker 2: Moses obeyed, and the staff began to move, crawl, and
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  Speaker 2: then slither as a snake. Moses ran from it terrified.
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  Speaker 2: God instructed him to pick it up by the tail.
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  Speaker 2: He did, and it was immediately turned back into a staff.
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  Speaker 2: God 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, 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 4: Who made man's mouth?
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  Speaker 2: He shouted.
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  Speaker 4: Who makes him mute, deaf, seeing, or blind? Is it
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  Speaker 4: not I? Now go!
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  Speaker 2: Moses trembled before the burning bush, and the voice of
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  Speaker 2: God continued, now more comforting and silent. Moses, I will
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  Speaker 2: be your mouth and teach you what to say. Moses
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  Speaker 2: had tears streaming down his face. He was afraid. Please,
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  Speaker 2: Send someone else, he weeped silently. God grew angry with Moses,
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  Speaker 2: for he could not see what was clearly in front
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  Speaker 2: of him. The sovereignty of God would be what accomplished
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  Speaker 2: great things. I will send your brother Aaron, the Levite.
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  Speaker 2: He can speak well, and he will come out to
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  Speaker 2: meet you. The flame dissipated into the ether. Night had fallen,
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  Speaker 2: and Moses stood there in shock. Yet in that instant,
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  Speaker 2: An empowering spirit overwhelmed him. He took his staff and
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  Speaker 2: ventured 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, So when he sees
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  Speaker 3: an Egyptian overseer beating a Hebrew slave, Moses impulsively intervenes,
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  Speaker 3: killing the Egyptian. Now Moses is a murderer. Afterwards, Pharaoh
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  Speaker 3: learns that Moses has killed an Egyptian, and he wants
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  Speaker 3: him dead. Prince or not, Moses is not above the law. Terrified,
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  Speaker 3: Moses flees to a place named Midian, far from the
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  Speaker 3: swords of the Egyptians and the helpless cries of the Hebrews.
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  Speaker 3: He meets and marries a woman there named Zipporah and
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  Speaker 3: adopts the simple life of a sheep herder. And for
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  Speaker 3: 40 years, his past was a distant, dark memory. He's
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  Speaker 3: no longer a prince, but he's a shepherd in the desert.
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  Speaker 3: He surely thought his life as he had known it
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  Speaker 3: has come to an end, just living out his days
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  Speaker 3: in the desert with his family. And then one day,
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  Speaker 3: God appears to him in a supernatural way through a
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  Speaker 3: burning bush and And this amazing sight warrants investigation. So
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  Speaker 3: Moses approaches and out of this bush, the living God speaks.
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  Speaker 3: He tells Moses, he is the God of Abraham, Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: and Jacob, the great I am. The stories of Abraham, Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: and Jacob would have been passed down through the Israelites
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  Speaker 3: from generation to generation. So Moses, because he was trained
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  Speaker 3: not only in Pharaoh's court, but in his own mother's house,
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  Speaker 3: knew full well of the story of the Hebrews. Like
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  Speaker 3: the midwives in yesterday's reading, Moses feared the Most High God,
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  Speaker 3: and he hid his face. God then tells Moses he's
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  Speaker 3: heard the cries of his people. God does not forget
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  Speaker 3: his own. The cries that Moses could no longer hear
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  Speaker 3: have reached God's ears. So God tells Moses he's come
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  Speaker 3: to rescue them, and Moses is to return to Egypt,
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  Speaker 3: speak with the Pharaoh, and ultimately lead the people out
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  Speaker 3: of Egypt and into the Promised Land. It is a life-changing,
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  Speaker 3: life-altering call. Moses' first response is, I can't do it.
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  Speaker 3: That's often our first response as well, isn't it? We say,
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  Speaker 3: I can't. We don't feel equipped or we make excuses.
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  Speaker 3: We don't feel worthy. But you know, it's not about us,
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  Speaker 3: is it? It's all about what God can do through us.
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  Speaker 3: It's about God working through us so that he will
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  Speaker 3: always equip us and prepare us to do what he
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  Speaker 3: calls us to do. So that's God's answer to Moses.
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  Speaker 3: He promises, I will be with you. But that's not
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  Speaker 3: enough for Moses, apparently. His questions continue. Who do I
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  Speaker 3: tell them sent me? So God uses the name that
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  Speaker 3: will be his name forever and ever, the great I am.
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  Speaker 3: It is those same two words, I am, that Christ
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  Speaker 3: would one day use to describe himself and his own deity.
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  Speaker 3: Moses continues to protest. Even after God shows Moses wondrous signs,
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  Speaker 3: he's afraid, insecure, and just doesn't want to do it.
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  Speaker 3: If we're honest, sometimes we can relate to what Moses
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  Speaker 3: is going through. We just don't want to do what
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  Speaker 3: God wants us to do, especially when it's hard. But
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  Speaker 3: God still chooses to raise up Moses as a powerful
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  Speaker 3: deliverer and send Moses' brother Aaron as a helper. That's
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  Speaker 3: where we'll pick up the story the next time. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: the great I Am. So often we feel unable and
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  Speaker 3: unworthy to fulfill your calling upon our lives. Please help
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  Speaker 3: us to remember that it's not our power or our
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  Speaker 3: strength or our ability that accomplishes great things for you,
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  Speaker 3: but your power working through us, the power of your
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  Speaker 3: Holy Spirit. Thank you for reminding us today that you
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  Speaker 3: can use us when we make ourselves available to you.
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  Speaker 3: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening to today's
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. And before we go, I
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: wanted to let you know that the Bible in a
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: Year podcast is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: only come to you each week through the support of
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: listeners like you. Your support today is so important that
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: we want to thank you for your gift by giving
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: you a copy of my book called The Jesus Book.
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: This book is a powerful guide that shows how every
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: book in the Bible points to Christ and how you
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: can better read and understand the Bible. And How God's
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: Word Transforms Our Lives. So to get your copy of
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: the Jesus book, simply go to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for your support.