Moses and Aaron

[Rose2020]

I am reading Exodus Chapters 4 to 7 and finding myself perplexed.
Is it right that Moses had either a stutter or a complete inability to do public speaking? That Aaron having a much better ability, spoke on his behalf to the people and to Pharaoh?
I see Moses was 80 and Aaron 83 at this time, that certainly the first miracle of the staff turning into a snake was performed by Aaron on behalf of Moses.

It shows again and again the Bible is specific in giving details, that God used imperfect often seemingly inadequate people to carry out His orders and achieve incredible success. Moses was such a great leader but here he is as an old man who couldn't even speak clearly. He was so reluctant to obey God because he lacked confidence, that is just so human!

For me this confirms authenticity in all details.

[myth-one.com]

[Replying to Rose2020 in post #1]

God chooses the most unlikely candidates when selecting individuals to perform leadership roles. In the motion picture "The Ten Commandments," Charlton Heston played the part of Moses. He led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage with his booming voice and commanding physical appearance. Would those doing the casting have chosen the actual Moses of the Bible to play himself in the movie? Absolutely not! He did not come close to being the overpowering "Moses" required by the movie script! When God called Moses, Moses protested that he was "slow of speech":

And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord. I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou has spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. (Exodus 4:10)

In fact, God allowed Moses to take his brother Aaron who spoke well, along with him to be his mouth:

And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth... (Exodus 4:16)

There is an excellent comparison between the leadership qualities desired by men versus those desired by God in the sixteenth chapter of First Samuel. God informs Samuel that He will choose a King of Israel from the sons of Jesse. Samuel is to review Jesse's sons, and God will tell him which one is to be anointed as king. The first to be reviewed was Eliab. Eliab was tall and impressive. He looked like a king! Samuel thought that surely this was the one. But the Lord said unto Samuel:

Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. (I Samuel 16:7)

Jesse proceeded to call Abinadab, Shammah, and seven of his sons to pass by Samuel, but God chose none of them. Samuel asked if there were any other sons. There was only the youngest remaining. Jesse had not even considered him as a possibility, so he was still out in the pasture tending sheep. Samuel asked that the youngest son be fetched from his work:

And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. (I Samuel 16:12)

So the son of Jesse that was thought unworthy of even consideration, became one of the greatest Kings of Israel. The Jews still call Jerusalem the City of David! With today's technology and sophistication, would we have chosen David as the first choice? Absolutely not. Physical appearance remains mans most important criteria:

For man looketh on the outward appearance, (skin, etc) but the Lord looketh on the heart. (character) (I Samuel 16:7)

My personal favorite of God's unlikely underdogs is Paul. Paul was originally known as Saul, and was one of the most notorious persecutors of Christians. Along the road to Damascus God confronted Saul:

And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:3-4)

Saul turned from persecuting Christians to become the great apostle Paul! Perhaps Paul is my favorite Bible character because he wrote the one Bible verse which best describes me and my life:

There is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of which I am chief. (I Timothy 1:15)

Other underdogs of God possessed some human frailty which made them unlikely candidates for the mission ahead. Paul apparently had none. He was originally a strong, powerful, persuasive, decisive, energetic persecutor of Christians. Incredibly, when God chose him to spread the gospel to the Gentiles, He gave Paul a "thorn in the flesh":

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. (II Corinthians 12:7)

This thorn in the flesh could indicate pain caused by some physical problem. However, it may also indicate pain caused by some psychological problem. In Galatians, Paul describes his infirmity as a temptation:

And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. (Galatians 4:14)

Consider the following verse written by Paul:

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do. (Romans 7:15)

Compare that verse with the definition of "compulsion" as used in psychology:

Compulsion: a strong usually irresistible impulse to perform an act that is contrary to the will of the subject.

Did Paul have a compulsion? Someone suffering from a compulsive behavior will recognize themselves in Romans 7:15 as listed above. That is, what they desire to do (stop the compulsive behavior) they do not. What they do not desire to do (the compulsive behavior) they do. Most, if not all, compulsives desire to stop. Paul may have been an alcoholic, a womanizer, or something more serious, if indeed he suffered from some compulsion. Whether compulsive behavior or a physical condition, Paul prayed for God to remove it:

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (II Corinthians 12:8)

Describing his affliction as a "thing" or "it" further indicates Paul may have had a psychological problem. Physical ailments are generally accompanied by obvious symptoms such as bleeding, physical pain, rashes, fever, vomiting, disfigurement, etc. These are obvious conditions which we can see. Mental problems are difficult to comprehend since we cannot "see" them. Therefore, we describe these problems as abnormalities, things, weird, crazy, etc.

If Paul did indeed have a compulsion, then he made a great discovery which is today part of all twelve step rehabilitation programs. That discovery was that he was not sufficiently powerful to stop the behavior on his own. He needed help from a higher authority! Therefore, he prayed to God three times asking that it be removed from him:

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice... (II Corinthians 12:8)

Regardless of what Paul's thorn in the flesh was, God refused to remove it. Therefore, Paul learned to take pleasure in his infirmities:

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (II Corinthians 12:8-10)

Paul's escape from his "temptation" was the realization that his weakness made him a stronger witness for Jesus. Thus Paul came to actually take pleasure in his infirmities. He realized that God made him weak so that others could see what God could accomplish through such a weak person! Regardless of how weak due to physical or mental problems, we are all here for a reason. Never, ever believe you are too weak to fulfill your mission! The weaker you are, the more spectacular your accomplishment will be for God's glory.
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Which human being of all time who ever lived, or ever shall live, might we consider to be the ultimate underdog? Let's consider Jesus Christ. Although He was the Son of God, He was also born of water and spent thirty-three years as a human being on the earth. Let's consider the day of His crucifixion and whether He was a winner or loser that day.

His disciples and most of His friends and family were in hiding. It was Him against the Roman Empire, the most powerful nation on earth. Many of God's chosen people wanted Him crucified. He had been whipped, beaten, and humiliated. He refused to prevent His crucifixion at each of several opportunities. He refused to defend himself. How could this apparently helpless, beaten down individual, turn this event into His victory?

Let's attempt to view the day's events from Jesus' perspective. What were Jesus' goals for that day? He wanted to be killed so that others could live forever. Being human, we can assume He wanted this to occur as quickly as possible. His other goal was to draw people to a belief in Him. After His death and resurrection this would be man's only path to salvation from the second death:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

Could undergoing the most excruciating and humiliating death the Roman Empire ever designed, accomplish these goals? To answer this question, let us examine the testimony of the few witnesses which are detailed in the Bible. Of course, one criminal crucified alongside Jesus, asked for forgiveness and was informed that he would be with Jesus in paradise. But what about the other infrequently discussed witness? What about the centurion's eye witness account?

What is a centurion? In the ancient Roman army, a centurion commanded a century. A century was a company of approximately one hundred men. Today, we would call him a company commander. This centurion surely had participated in combat and perhaps seen much bloodshed in his advance through the ranks. Possibly he had supervised or witnessed many crucifixions. It is safe to assume that suffering and bloodshed were commonplace to him. Upon completion of Jesus' death, after considering Jesus' behavior and all he had witnessed that day, the centurion summed up that day's events with one sentence:

...Truly this man was the Son of God. (Mark 15:39)

The corresponding verse in Matthew indicates that those with the centurion, possibly other soldiers under his command, reached the same conclusion:

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:54)

Who won the victory that day? The Jewish leaders and the Romans wanted to humiliate and violently execute Jesus for even presuming to be the King of the Jews. They wanted to make an example of this pathetic person who some called a king. How could this dead body ever be a threat to the Roman Empire?

But who met their goals that day? Jesus did give His life so that those who believe in Him would never perish. He met that goal. Incredibly, while being crucified, he viewed the gathered crowd as an opportunity and drew the most hardened participants to a belief in Him as the Son of God. These included the criminal, the centurion, and those with the centurion. Certainly these soldiers went on to discover more about this "Son of God," and probably accepted Him as their Savior. So Jesus completed His planned death and drew several in attendance to a belief in Him during the process! Based on His plan, He had a good day!

Did the Roman Empire accomplish their goal? Their goal was the elimination of this so-called Christianity at its root, by crucifying its leader. Instead, Rome later acknowledged Christianity as the state religion! They then worshiped the "man" they so brutally murdered! In a sense, the centurion spoke for the entire Roman Empire of the near future when he stated:

Truly, this was the Son of God.

[Rose2020]

[Replying to myth-one.com in post #2]

What a magnificent comprehensive answer. Thankyou so much.