So Moses comes upon a burning bush that is not consumed by fire, then has a conversation with God – I mean a real conversation. At the conclusion of the conversation he gets some orders from God. It has been all good to that point. But from this point forward, through the rest of Exodus, Moses becomes the most reluctant of Biblical characters. It is almost as if his remainder of Exodus, at least the Moses role, was written by Mel Brooks to be used 2000 years later in a farcical movie.
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11) God replies: “I will be with you,” (3:12) but that is not good enough.
What if they ask me who sent me? (3:13)
Tell them it is Me, and if that doesn’t work I’ll “stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with the wonders that I will perform among them.” (3:20)
“What if they do not believe or listen to me….” (4:1)
Oh, okay, take along that staff, and when you throw it on the ground it will become a snake, like that. And if that doesn’t work, try they “now you see it, now you don’t” leprous hand trick. (4:6-7) At this point, even God is in on the shtick – “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe those two signs or listen to you…” (4:8) then try the Nile water into blood” bit.
Running out of options, and seeing there this is going, Moses them focuses directly on his inadequacies (apparently realizing, finally, God has none): “I have never been eloquent….” (3:10)
(Cue the slap on the forehead and the “Oy vey!”) Okay, if you must, take your brother, Aaron, with you – but don’t forget the staff.
I could, of course, go on, just as Exodus does. Through the trips to Pharaoh, through the doubting, through the whining, through the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, Moses is still playing the doubting, reluctant hero. I mean, look what Thomas got for one single act of doubt – and Moses makes a career of it.
But of course, am I any better?
It occurs to me... 