Exodus 3:18 (ESV)
And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’
God sent Moses back to his people to lead them out of Egypt. His promise to Moses was that “they will listen to your voice.” We know on several occasions that truth was hindered, but God promised him this and the nation did follow Moses right to the end of his life. That is not true for all of God’s servants. Notice what God said to Jeremiah when God called him to ministry:
Jeremiah 1:18-19 (ESV)
And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.”
The Apostle Paul can relate more to Jeremiah than to Moses. Our calls to follow and speak for God have different responses, but the call is one and of the same. The power behind the call is one and of the same. We are not to worry about the results of our speaking for God. That was Jonah’s issue. He was both fearful of the wicked men of Nineveh, but also was fearful these wicked men would repent and, frankly, he hated them. But, Jonah was focused on results, not obedience and faith in God’s call. The response of those that hear us in our call is not the point, it is rather the response of the one who is called.
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