Game of Thrones

Exodus 3:1-15

But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain."



Moses grew up in the Pharaoh's palace. He was one of 'them' even though born a Hebrew, not an Egyptian.
In Exodus 2, though, he sees an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew people and Moses is so troubled that he kills the Egyptian.  After that, he has shown his true colors and the Pharaoh is out to kill him, this traitor who was raised by the Egyptians.

Moses moves to a new place and eventually marries a woman, Zipporah, and tends flocks for her father. It is here in this place in life that he receives a call from God from a burning bush.

And now, the call to obey God and take the Hebrew people out of the bondage of the Egyptians and lead them away from slavery, is upon Moses. Given his past, he is probably an emotional wreck. In a sense he has to go 'home' again and cause a lot of havoc and chaos and lead a dangerous uprising of slave labor against the master. It's risky and threatening. Why wouldn't he say he isn't qualified? Who wouldn't rather stay in the field with the flocks?

Moses faces his own Game of Thrones. He is forced to take his lineage, his Hebrew people, away from the people who raised him, the Egyptians. He is  in the middle of the 'throne' of his heritage and God calling him to become their 'leader' and the 'throne' he has already walked away from, but must return to... his Egyptian 'family' who raised him.

What do we do when faced with corruption and 'evil' in our families? In our Church? In our world and community?  When we have already walked away, do we just stay away or do we sometimes take a deep breath and throw ourselves headlong into the fire again?  The burning bush may be a metaphor here for the fire that faces us when we accept God's calling to return to our roots and weed out corruption.  The fire that hits us when we are called to lead ourselves and others into a promised land that we cannot see ahead of us just yet.

Thoughts? Email me or comment below.