One thing we ought to keep in mind is this, Moses wasnt expecting a God moment.

Moses wasnt expecting to meet God in the burning bush. He was merrily tending his sheep, he was curious about the bush, never did he think that God would be telling him to go lead his people out of Egypt. With that in mind, it makes sense why Moses resisted. He wasnt prepared. He wasnt ready. He wasnt given any warning whatsoever. Furthermore, he wasnt even able to get out of it. He tried to come up with things that he thought would disqualify him, but God wouldnt budge. He was going, he would be the leader, he would be the one. While God did grow angry with Moses protestations, with Moses lack of confidence in himself, and also in God, after all God promised to do the work through him, God showed abundant grace. God provided Aaron, Moses brother to be Moses spokesman. Think about that. This shared the work, didnt it? Wouldnt it be easier to go before a Judge, or ruler with someone else rather than alone? Didnt God state that it wasnt good that Adam was alone, so he made a helper for Adam? Were not a bunch of lone gunmen when it comes to the Christian faith. Were put together, built together to support, encourage and challenge one another. God has it all planned out. All he asks of us is to trust him and to be obedient through the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

What we have in Aaron is not simply a spokesman, but also a companion for Moses. Not only that, in Moses and Aaron, we get a glimpse of God himself. Consider these words, See I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. A prophet is like an ambassador. The prophet brings the kings words to the people, to the other kings and nations. We could look at it this way. The Prime Minister of Canada delegates his ambassador to go to a foreign land. The ambassador says, I want to go, but I dont speak their language well. Then the Prime Minister says, Okay, take so and so along with you. You will still be representing me, but this other person will be representing you. When they speak for you it will be as though you are me. It will be as though the Prime Minister of Canada were standing in their hall, being received. Thats what you represent. That was Aaron for Moses. The original plan was for Moses to do Aarons work. But he was afraid, so God appointed Aaron to go with him. Notice were never told what Aaron thought of this arrangement? Aaron just does it. Anyway, God speaks to Moses, Moses speaks to Aaron, Aaron speaks to Pharaoh. In Pharaohs mind, Moses represents God. Aaron is the prophet, the ambassador. This compounded to Pharaohs stubbornness. Pharaoh considered himself a god. Everyone believed he was. So when Moses standing there, representing God, hes giving a physical divine intimidation to Pharaoh. Hes

saying, theres nothing special about you. Anyone can claim to be a deity. Do you have the power and the authority to back it up? Well see in a few weeks. But this must have bugged Pharaoh to no end. He was being confronted, challenged, belittled. He didnt like it one bit. Not only that, Pharaoh had God working on him directly. Here we see what God will do. He says he will harden Pharaohs heart. That is, God will give Pharaoh over to his natural evil convictions. Remember what it says in answer 5 of the Heidelberg Catechism? I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbour. We know from the scriptures that everyone born into sin will sin, and will have this sinful nature. But unless God acts in that persons heart, bringing it from death to life, bringing it from hatred of God to love of God, that person will remain in their hard hearted, stone heartedness. So, when God says, I will harden his heart. What he is saying is, I will give him over to his natural tendency. He hates me. He loves himself. He thinks he is a god. He thinks he is more powerful than I am. He thinks he can deny me and get away with it. I will show him just how wrong he is. I will do mighty things, things that not even his magicians can do and it will frustrate him to no end. All these things I am going to do through you. Aaron will do them for you. Trust me. Lean on me. Know that Im the one who goes before you, who goes

behind you, who goes beside you. No one will harm you because I will watch over you. What Moses and Aaron represent, really is The Father and the Son. Jesus was compared to and found greater than Moses as a prophet. Jesus represented God before the ruler of this present darkness. Jesus crushed him, as surely as God crushed Egypt through Moses. 2 Corinthians 5 says that we are ambassadors of Christ, that through us, God might reconcile sinful humanity to himself. Now, as well see in this series, Gods actions in front of Pharaoh awakened many Egyptians to reality. Their leader wasnt a god. There is one God, not many. There is one god who has power and authority over all things. These people saw the evidence and they believed. We are Christs ambassadors. We witness to Christ. We tell of his great power and authority. We tell people about how God heard his people in Egypt and he rescued them. We tell them that Christ came to rescue us not from earthly oppression, but spiritual oppression. WE tell them about Christs life and death on the cross as an atonement, a payment for the curse of sin. We tell them about the evidence, so that they may know God. So that they may turn from sin, repent, believe, be baptised and discipled.

We might well, like Moses, say, But what can I say? How can I tell them? Theyll reject me, just like Pharaoh did Moses. He was lucky to escape with his life! Just as God protected him, God will protect you. Just as God gave him Aaron, God will bless you with someone to help you. That person might be a friend, or he might be simply the Holy Spirit. Sometimes