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The Call of God

Today I want to look at the call of God. In particular I want to look at some of the callings of a few of the great Old Testament heroes of faith. The main thing I want to focus on is the call and the response of the people to that call.

As I shared with you last week, I believe God is calling us to do great things as a church. For that to happen I believe God is going to us as a whole, but He will also individuals at different times to play our own part in His plan for this region.

I am hoping that we can learn from their responses and it can help us all with the callings on our lives.

Let’s pray

1. Moses

God called Moses in an unusual way. Moses ended up having to flee Egypt because in anger over the way that Israelites were being mistreated, he killed an Egyptian. He was an outlaw. From age 40 to age 80, he lived in the Sinai wilderness. He married there; he was a shepherd. Then at age 80, God called him to go back to Egypt to link up with his older brother, Aaron, and to lead the Israelites out of the nation. This was no easy task. Egypt was a great superpower. It was the most powerful nation of that time.

Moses’ call was in Chapter 3, but his response was in chapter 4

Reading Exodus 4:10-17

10 Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14 Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."

Key Points from passage

• From this reading we see that Moses was reluctant to say the least. In verse 10 he said, “O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue”. He basically told God he wasn’t the right person for the job. God reassures him in v11 & 12 “I made your mouth and I will teach you”.
• Moses again tells God he is not the one, “Please send someone else”. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t imagine saying that to God! God gets angry with Moses but says his brother Aaron can go with him. Moses then agrees it will be ok.

What can we learn from this?  

• Moses was 80 years of age when God called him. This is usually the time when most people are winding down and have been retired for many years. But God wasn’t ready to put Moses out to pasture. If you are retired or approaching retirement, don’t think can’t still use you. Don’t think He may not call you on to something new.
• When God calls it is ok to feel inadequate and unworthy to do His will. Most people probably do. The reality is God will help you and might bring someone else along side you to help and support you.

2. Samuel

The story of Samuel begins with Hannah’s concern – that she would have a child. She was childless for a long time, and it was hard for her in that culture to be comforted by anything else but the thought of finally having a child. When God in His mercy gave Hannah a child, He did give her a special child – Samuel. She dedicated him to the Lord; and he served the Lord as an assistant to the high priest Eli at the tabernacle at Shiloh. The stories about his childhood are interesting, because he really was called by God.

Samuel’s call was in 1 Samuel Chapter 3

Reading 1 Samuel 3:1-10

The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD called Samuel.
Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
6 Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
"My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Key points from passage

• Samuel was dedicated to God from a young age and he served Eli in the Tabernacle. In fact I have read that from as young as three or four his lived in the Tabernacle and served there.
• Samuel slept near the Ark of God which is where God’s presence was known to reside. If you were going to hear from God, this would be the place to be.
• When the call came, he ran to his master to see what he needed. He was a faithful and obedient servant, ready to answer the call.
  He was ready to serve God and be obedient His calling. His response was "Speak, for your servant is listening."

• Samuel served faithfully. If you desire to hear the call of God for your life, you need to serving God faithfully. It doesn’t matter what you do. Just serve Him in some area. Find something and do it. God can use that time to prepare you. And just like driving a car, it is easier to steer a moving vehicle.
• Samuel had an older person to speak into his life. A mentor to guide him and advice him. He told him how to respond to God. Have you got someone speaking into your life?
• Samuel was willing to do whatever God asked. His response tells us that.
  

3. Jeremiah

Jeremiah is often called the prophet to the nations based on the first words of his call from God. We read this in Jeremiah 1. Jeremiah lived in a time, the last few decades of the 600s of the seventh century B.C. It was the end of the time of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians had been the great superpower for a couple of centuries, but their time was drawing to a close. Replacing them would be the Babylonians. Jeremiah saw this transition take place and spoke of many of these things happening.

Jeremiah’s call was right at the start of the Book in Jeremiah 1.

Reading Jeremiah 1:4-10

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
6 "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."
 

Key points in this passage

• Jeremiah was shy and reluctant. Much like we saw in the calling of Moses. He was worried about his youth and inexperience. At 21 years of age he was very young in that culture. Most people were considered mature at 30. Especially for religious service.
• He shared his doubts with God in verse 6 and God reassured him in verse 8, 9 and 10. He touched his lips and said He put His words in his mouth.
• Interestingly God said He would rescue him, not protect him. To me that means that he would get in dangerous situations and God would get him out. Not that he would be immune from them completely!

What can we learn from this passage?

• If God calls us to do something, He is going to provide us with what we need. If He has called us to speak for Him as a prophet, He will give us the words to say. After all a prophet is God’s mouthpiece.
• If He calls us into a dangerous situation, He is responsible to care for us and rescue us. He is not going to leave us alone to sink or swim in it.
• If we are reluctant or fearful about God’s call, we should express it to Him openly and honestly. He is big enough to hear our doubts and fears.

4. Isaiah

Isaiah preached in the eighth century and the very early years of the seventh century B.C. In other words, from the late 700s down to the early 600s B.C. He is one of the earliest prophets but not the earliest. The Bible scholars seem to agree that Hosea or maybe Amos were the earliest.

The Book of Isaiah looks at the period before the exile, the exile and it also looks at the period of the beginning part of the restoration. Then it looks further into the era that we are in, the New Testament refers to relatively often. So Isaiah certainly has a lot to say about these various parts of history.

Isaiah’s call is found in Isaiah Chapter 6

Reading from Isaiah 6:1-8

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."
6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Key points from this passage

• Isaiah has a vision of the very throne room of God. He sees and hears heaven in all of its glory. It is surround sound at its best. He sees the throne, he sees the angels, he hears the worship, he sees the smoke. Then what happens. He realizes his complete lack and his own sinfulness. He has seen the glory of the Lord and he suddenly realizes he falls very very very short of God’s holiness. “Woe to me, I am undone” is all he can say.
• Then an angel comes over to cleanse him from his sin and readies him for service.
• Then the call comes, “Whom shall I send?” in verse 8. Straight away he responds, “Here I am send me”

• I have to be upfront and say I love Isaiah. His response to God’s call inspires me greatly. He had no idea what God was going to ask him to do, but after seeing God in all of his glory I don’t think he really cared. He just knew he had to respond with “Send me”. We see that from the next 60 odd chapters he did what God asked!
• The other thing that really hit me, is that some of us may have received the call recently or in years gone by. We may have been put off by some of the sinful things we have done or our complete lack when compared to God’s glory. I am here today to tell you that God can forgive you and make you ready for His work, just like he cleansed and set Isaiah free from his sin. The key thing is to confess it to Him and ask His forgiveness and cleansing. I know He will forgive you and I know He will release you to do His will. I know because he has done that for me.

So what can we learn from these great heroes?

• Well one thing for sure is that it is ok to be afraid or reluctant when the call comes. All of these great Bible heroes thought they were not ready or not good enough to do God’s will. History shows that they were.
• The second thing is that God will supply all of your needs to do the task He calls you too. He might forgive you, He might empower you, He might rescue you, He might bring someone else to help. Whatever it is He will come through.
• All we need to do is step out in faith like these great Bible heroes did. After all I don’t think they are too much different to you and I. With all of their frailties they managed to turn the course of history in their own ways. I believe there are people here today who will do the same thing in years to come. I look forward to being part of God’s unfolding story and seeing the great heroes of Merredin rise up and take a stand.

Let’s pray.

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