Qualifications for God’s work (Exod 4:10-12)

Only days after I decided to give up my job as an English language teacher, I went to a friend’s party where a casual conversation with a new acquaintance led to my applying for a PA job at a German bank in Budapest. On paper, I was overqualified as a university graduate, in practice, I felt underqualified with rusty German and no touch-typing skills. I would never have dared to apply, except the timing and nature of that chat (I wasn’t angling for a job) at this friend’s party made me wonder if the Lord was in it. After the interview, I was told to expect news in a week’s time, but I barely arrived home when the phone rang: I got the job. I found out later that my employers were more concerned about having a trustworthy worker than about my German or typing skills.

Like me, Moses here is worried about certain obvious prerequisites for his mission. He feels that his lack of speaking abilities disqualifies him. He is emphatic in v.10: I have never been – in the Hebrew idiom – ‘a man of words’. He is ‘heavy of mouth’ and ‘heavy of tongue’, a Hebrew expression to indicate that his speech does not function properly. Moses further stresses that at no point in his career, neither more recently (perhaps meaning his years in the desert), nor further back in the past (when he was in Egypt), nor since God has spoken to him (i.e. He did not change it) has this situation been any different. Interpreters have wondered if Moses had a stammer or similar, but it is also possible that he was not a natural speaker who could carry an audience. His language skills (Egyptian, Hebrew) could also have become rusty in the wilderness years.

Nevertheless, the Lord points him back to Himself as Creator who gives or withholds abilities (Exod 4:11). He knows what He is doing, and He can give what is needed for the job. He can also enable us either to overcome obstacles in our physical, emotional or mental makeup, or succeed in our mission despite them. As He promises Moses, ‘I will be with your mouth’ (Exod 4:12). He may also have different priorities about what qualities matter. King George VI came unexpectedly to the throne of Great Britain when his brother abdicated in 1936. George had a debilitating stammer and, beyond that, both he and the rest of the country had serious misgivings about his overall ability to cope with royal responsibilities. His story is an example of overcoming a physical disability (though the stammer never entirely left him). At the same time, his life also demonstrates that the obvious ‘disqualifiers’ are not always the most important requirements for the job. In the end, his determination, courage and sense of duty mattered more in executing royal tasks than anything he lacked. In fact, he became a much loved and respected monarch in his time.

So, what qualifies us for the tasks God calls us to? Sometimes Christians seem to revel in their inability as if that would give greater glory to God. However, I am convinced that the God who creates and shapes us gives us abilities and experiences in preparation for the jobs He would have us do. It would be rather wasteful to endow us with gifts and then give the job to someone ill-qualified just so that God would get the glory. Rather, we can give God the glory even when we have the gifting for a task because we know that those abilities come from Him. At the same time, God often builds into our lives weaknesses and deficiencies to remind us that all things come from His hand and we are dependent on Him. Finally, while particular skills are important, our willingness to serve the Lord and building our character may prove to be more important assets.