Exodus 4-8, Matthew 15

My Exodus reading today was the continuation of the story of Moses. The Lord appears to him in a burning bush and asks him to go back to Egypt and Moses complains that he's not a talented speaker. I am always struck by that part of the story because of the complete lack of confidence that Moses had was so strong that he had the courage to tell God, who was speaking to him out of a bush, that he wasn't the right one. First God is angry, then he provides a helper - which was his plan all along.

Than Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and ask not for release, but for 3 days to go and worship their God. I'm not sure why God told them to ask this when the plan was for them to leave completely. It doesn't matter though because Pharaoh doesn't listen to this request. And this is where I see parallels in the Exodus passage and the Matthew passage: in both God uses miracles to get the attention of the people. Much of Jesus' ministry was healing and other miracles. Moses and Aaron called down miraculous plagues on the Egyptians. In both stories even while witnessing these supernatural events there were people who did not believe.

Why not? Pharaoh didn't believe because if he did it meant losing his laborers and he believed in money more. The Pharisees didn't believe because they believed in the law and liked the esteem that came from being an expert. If they believed Jesus then their position as expert was lost as Jesus revealed areas where their interpretation was off.

So now I look to my own heart. God has performed miracles in my life, to be sure. Is there anything that even in the face of this means more to me than believing what is right in front of me? Dear Lord, give me eyes to see.