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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: a Savior. 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
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  Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your life. To hear
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  Speaker 1: the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The Bible
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  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: 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, sweat, and tears
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  Speaker 2: fell from the man's face. His eyes caught Moses' as
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  Speaker 2: he was being tortured in front of him. Moses watched
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  Speaker 2: in horror. The Egyptian in him was used to this image,
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  Speaker 2: yet the Hebrew in him teemed with anger. Moses looked
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  Speaker 2: away and saw that nobody else was present. In a
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  Speaker 2: moment of unbridled rage, Moses attacked the Egyptian. Tumbling in
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  Speaker 2: the sand, the two fought, exchanging blows and screams. Moses
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  Speaker 2: prevailed against the taskmaster and took his life. The slave
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  Speaker 2: 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.
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  Speaker 4: 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.
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  Speaker 3: Moses,'.
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  Speaker 2: The voice said.' Moses!' it said again.
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  Speaker 4: Here I am,' Moses replied, still in awe.' Do not
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  Speaker 4: come any closer,' the voice said.' Take off your sandals,
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  Speaker 4: for you are standing on holy ground.
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  Speaker 2: Moses did as he commanded, now standing in amazement before
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  Speaker 2: the flame. I am the God of your father, 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. When Moses heard this, he covered his face
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  Speaker 2: and fell to the floor. He now fully understood he
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  Speaker 2: was in the presence of the Most High God, Elohim,
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  Speaker 2: the Creator of the heavens and earth. The Lord spoke again, saying,
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  Speaker 2: I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt.
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  Speaker 2: Their cries have reached my ears, and their suffering is
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  Speaker 2: before my eyes. Moses listened intently. The Lord continued,'' I
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  Speaker 2: have come to rescue my people from the power of
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  Speaker 2: the Egyptians. I will lead them out to a new land,
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  Speaker 2: a land flowing with milk and honey. I shall wipe
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  Speaker 2: away 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, I
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  Speaker 2: know that the king of Egypt will not let you
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  Speaker 2: go unless he is compelled. So my mighty hand will
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  Speaker 2: be stretched out to strike Egypt with wonder, and I
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  Speaker 2: will give my people favor. After hearing these things, Moses
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  Speaker 2: grew less and less confident in himself. So God instructed him,
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  Speaker 2: Take your staff in your hand and throw it on
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  Speaker 2: the ground. Moses obeyed, and the staff began to move, crawl,
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  Speaker 2: and then slither.
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  Speaker 1: As a snake.
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  Speaker 2: Moses ran from it terrified. God instructed him to pick
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  Speaker 2: it up by the tail. He did, and it was
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  Speaker 2: immediately turned back into a staff. God then instructed him
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  Speaker 2: to put his hand in his cloak. Once he did,
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  Speaker 2: his hand became leprous. Rotting flesh plagued Moses' hand, and
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  Speaker 2: it was clearly on the brink of total decay. He
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  Speaker 2: put it back in his cloak, and his hand was restored.
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  Speaker 2: These would be signs God would allow Moses to use
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  Speaker 2: as proof he was sent by God. Yet Moses was
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  Speaker 2: still riddled with doubt, for he stuttered in his speech
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  Speaker 2: and struggled with a deep anger inside him. Moses felt unworthy.
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  Speaker 2: Moses begged God, O Lord, I am not eloquent. I
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  Speaker 2: have always been slow of speech and tongue. You must
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  Speaker 2: have the wrong person. Immediately the flames raged, and the
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  Speaker 2: voice of God burned greater than the fire. Who made
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  Speaker 2: 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 forth.
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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 sheepherder.
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  Speaker 3: And for 40 years, His past was a distant, dark memory.
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  Speaker 3: He's no longer a prince, but he's a shepherd in
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  Speaker 3: the desert. He surely thought his life as he had
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  Speaker 3: known it has come to an end, just living out
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  Speaker 3: his days in the desert with his family. And then
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  Speaker 3: one day, God appears to him in a supernatural way
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  Speaker 3: through a burning bush. And this amazing sight warrants investigation.
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  Speaker 3: So Moses approaches and out of this bush, the living
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  Speaker 3: God speaks. 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
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  Speaker 3: God and he hid his face. God then tells Moses
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  Speaker 3: he's heard the cries of his people. God does not
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  Speaker 3: forget his own. The cries that Moses could no longer
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  Speaker 3: hear have reached God's ears. So God tells Moses he's
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  Speaker 3: come 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. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: your life. If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with
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  Speaker 3: a difference in someone's life. And if you want more
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: resources on how to tap into God's power for successful
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  Speaker 3: Christian living, be sure to visit JackGraham.org. God bless.
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