God Is Bigger than Your Excuses

Career moves aren’t all that rare these days. In fact, according to some estimates, Gen Zers and millennials may switch jobs a dozen times during their working years.¹ While some of those moves are lateral shifts within the same field, others involve stepping into an entirely new vocation. 

Still, it seems safe to assume that most career changes happen long before someone reaches his or her ninth decade of life. It would likely take more than a little persuading to convince most eighty-year-olds to leave a comfortable, quiet routine for a high-profile public role.

But that’s exactly what happened to Moses. 

Just Obey Already! 

The opening chapters of Exodus unfold along two parallel tracks. On one side is the continuing story of Abraham’s family, who were living securely in Egypt after the death of Joseph (Gen. 50:26). As the curtain rises, however, a new Pharaoh—one who knows nothing of Joseph—comes to power and enslaves the Israelites, attempting to crush a potential rebellion before it begins.

On the other side, we’re given a brief account of the first eighty years of Moses’ life. We learn of his remarkable rescue from the murderous edict of Pharaoh (2:1–10), his privileged upbringing in Egypt and sudden flight from Pharaoh’s wrath (vv. 11–15), and his subsequent years in Midian as a shepherd, tending his father-in-law’s flocks (vv. 16–22).

By the time Moses turned eighty, he likely assumed he would live out his days in Midian. I imagine he had no intention to return to Egypt at all, let alone to act as a representative for God’s people. But as is so often the case, God had other plans. 

Exodus 3 gives the account of when God appeared to Moses in a burning (or actually a not-burning) bush and commissioned him to lead Israel out of captivity: 

“So because the Israelites’ cry for help has come to me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them, therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” (Exodus 3:9–10)

You might expect Moses to head home immediately to start packing his bags—that’s what a good Sunday school hero would do. But instead, he responds in a far more human way: he begins making excuses. First, it’s, “Who me?” And then, “But who do I say sent me?” (3:13) and then, “But they’ll never believe that You actually appeared to me!” (4:1). Even after God answers that objection in spectacular fashion—turning a staff into a serpent—Moses still isn’t finished. His next protest is that he isn’t eloquent, that his mouth and tongue are “sluggish” (v. 10). 

If you’re anything like me, you may start to feel a little frustrated with Moses at this point. You may want to say, “Just do it! Obey already!” Of course, it’s easier to feel that way when you know how the story ends. We know about the plagues, the Passover, and the parting of the Red Sea. More than that, we aren’t the ones being asked to go.

Excuse Factories

Truthfully, had I been standing in Moses’ sandals, I probably would have come up with even more excuses than he did. John Calvin famously described our hearts as “idol factories.” We might extend the metaphor and say they are also excuse factories.

At least mine is. 

When an opportunity arises to share the gospel, I can slip into excuse mode almost instantly:

• “I don’t know what to say.”
• “I don’t know how to turn the conversation to spiritual things.”
• “The topic just didn’t come up.” 
• “They’ll probably get upset.”
• “I’m just so bad at it!”

Or maybe an opportunity to serve in church presents itself. Excuses again are at the ready:

• “I’m too busy.”
• “I don’t think I’d be good at that.”
• “Someone else will do a better job.”
• “I already do enough things.” 

Need to seek forgiveness for an offense? I’ve got excuses for that too: 

• “They need to ask forgiveness first. I didn’t really do anything wrong.” 
• “I’m busy right now. I’ll deal with it later.” 

The list could go on endlessly. But here’s one more. When there’s an opportunity to disciple or encourage a struggling believer, I can produce excuses faster than a gunslinger in an old Western:

• “They’re probably too busy. I’ll wait until things settle down.” 
• “I don’t think they even like me that much.” 
• “I don’t have anything helpful to offer. They should ask someone more qualified.” 

So, Moses, I get you. Excuses are my native language. 

God’s Patience—And Persistence

Though I’ve made much of Moses’ excuse-making, I’ve neglected to mention to whom he’s making the excuses. As Moses’ objections continue, God responds to each one with remarkable patience—and unwavering persistence. 

God reveals to Moses His covenant name, Yahweh—“I AM WHO I AM”—and instructs him to share it with the people. God assures Moses of His presence and even demonstrates His power by turning Moses’ staff into a snake. For every excuse Moses raises, the Lord has a response. 

God does not respond with irritation or surprise. Instead, He answers patiently and kindly. At the same time, He does not withdraw His call. He does not release Moses because the objections sound reasonable. He continues to press him toward obedience.

I’m thankful He treats me the same way.

No Excuse Too Big

So what? What’s the point of all this excuse talk? Consider three brief takeaways: 

First, just obey already. While God was merciful to Moses in the midst of all of his excuse-making, the right response to God’s call would have been as Christ said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). We are called to obey, trusting God’s good and faithful providence to care for us, even when things don’t make sense. No, we don’t know how things will play out—just like Moses didn’t know about the plagues or Passover. But we do know the God who’s calling us. 

Second, praise God for His loving-kindness. God didn’t throw His hands up in exasperation with Moses. Instead, He listened and gently persisted with His servant. Psalm 103 assures us of the compassion of our heavenly Father: 

As a father has compassion on his children, 
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him. 
For he knows what we are made of, 
remembering that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13–14)

Though God’s compassion and grace don’t excuse our excuses, they do give us hope on our weak and whiny days. 

Finally, God uses excuse-makers like Moses (and me). Despite the rocky start, God still used Moses in amazing ways. For the next forty years, Moses would lead the people, speak with the Lord face to face innumerable times, witness the Red Sea split in two, behold the glory of the Lord at Mount Sinai, see water gush from a rock, and eat bread from heaven day after day. 

The same God who used Moses delights to work through weak, hesitant people—people like him and people like us.

Who knows what He might do when we lay down our excuses and simply trust Him?

¹ Ryan Bradshaw, “17 Remarkable Career Change Statistics to Know,” Apollo Technical, December 31, 2025, https://www.apollotechnical.com/career-change-statistics/#4---how-many-jobs-will-the-average-person-have-in-their-lifetime.