Psalm 69:8-11
Verse 8 I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children;
We started discussing the Lord saying that there was a prophet coming that would be like Moses. Let's continue looking at the similarities and differences of Moses and Jesus.
Jesus left His heavenly home to be born among His chosen people but Moses was drawn away from God's chosen people to be raised amongst the pagans. Moses was sent back into Egypt because those who had wanted to kill him were dead, Jesus was sent to Egypt because there were people wanting to kill Him.
Both had the mission of saving God's people. When Moses came back into Egypt the Israelites weren't exactly thrilled that he was coming to help them. They may have suspected that he was trying to gain their trust so he could betray them. They weren't happy that his meeting with the pharaoh meant no straw but the same amount of bricks expected.
Moses wasn't secure in his calling but he was doing it anyway. He was having to go to a leader he has likely grown up with and ask him to release the people that had benefited the leaders for decades. Moses had fears that were no different than ones we face on a regular basis, yet the fact that he faced them should encourage us to face ours too.
Another way that Moses and Jesus differed in their stories was that Moses had his brother standing with him, supporting him. On the other hand we have Jesus being opposed by His brothers. Moses was the younger brother but Aaron accepted what he said about God’s calling as if he had heard it too. Aaron took Moses to the Israeli elders and told them what God had said with total confidence in what Moses had told him. Jesus was the older brother but His brothers tried to talk Him out of preaching because they couldn’t believe that He was from God. Moses had found family in the community he hadn’t grown up with and was shunned from the world he grew up in. Jesus found family with people He found as an adult who was beginning His ministry and was shunned by His blood family that had known Him as a child.
Making It Personal
Do you feel like a stranger in your own family? What part does your faith family play in your life? How are you blessing others in the Church family?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you sometimes feel like you don’t fit in with your family? How at home do you feel with the people at church? Do you help others at church feel like they belong?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for placing us in a family of faith that can be a source of encouragement to us. Please help us also live as a blessing to those in our Church family. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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