Theme: THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF HIS GRACE
DAY 8, Read Ex.33:12-23
THE GRACE OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF MOSES
Key Text: “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name” (Exodus 33: 17).
As we said earlier, the Old Testament contain portraits that depict the grace of God, which proves the fact that grace has been part of God’s redemptive plan from inception. We have already seen that Noah enjoyed the grace of God, so did the children of Israel in the wilderness. According to the Psalmist in 44:3, it was the favour of God that made them to inherit Canaan, and not their strength or righteousness. We now turn to the obvious example of Moses to whom the LORD extended grace.
In our main text, Moses pleaded for grace before the LORD twice, in verses 13 and 16; while the LORD used the word grace twice, in verses 12 and 17. Notice that it was God who first mentioned the word grace to Moses in verse 12. “Yet you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.” Moses was reporting what God had said to him.
Nothing short of God’s grace would have helped Moses to lead about two to three million people through all the hazards of the wilderness. Leaders have a way of escaping from the pressure and stress emanating from their office and those they lead, but Moses had none of such convenience. He lived in the midst of the people all through the years he led them, and bore the horror of their endless complaints. Imagine the enormous pressure he went through. Moses definitely experienced grace. Grace makes a man shoulder responsibilities which ordinarily he cannot shoulder. Grace takes a man far beyond his abilities. Every leader needs grace to succeed in office.
Moses experienced grace from cradle to the end of his life. We must not think that he started experiencing the grace of God in Exodus 33. The manifestation of grace in Moses’ life could be itemized as follows:
By grace his life was preserved at birth at a time Pharaoh commanded that most Hebrew children be killed (Exodus 2:1-4).
Grace made Pharaoh’s daughter to adopt Moses as her child ( Exodus 2:5-10; Acts 7:20,21).
By grace Moses lived in the house of Pharaoh for forty years, he lived in Midian for forty years and in Israel for forty years (Acts 7:23,29,30).
By grace the life of Moses was preserved from the wrath of Pharaoh when he killed an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-15).
By grace Moses secured a place in the house of Jethro, the priest of Midian, whose daughter he eventually married (Exodus 2:16-22).
By grace Moses answered the call of God in the wilderness (Exodus 3:1-10).
By grace, Moses was tutored by God on what miracles he was to perform before the elders of Israel and before Pharaoh (Exodus 4:1-17).
By grace Moses courageously stayed in the presence of the dreaded Pharaoh to perform miracles (Exodus 5:1-20).
By grace Pharaoh accorded Moses respect and agreed to release the children of Israel from bondage (Exodus 8:28).
By grace Moses led the children out of captivity in Egypt.
May we not labour without the grace of God. May the abundance of grace be supplied to us at every turn of our lives.
PRAYER: Father, I will never fail to appreciate the wonders of your grace. May I never cease to operate under the sufficiency of the power of your grace.
