Exodus 3:11

Who am I? A great change had come over Moses. Forty years earlier he had volunteered as a deliverer. He had gone to his brethren and slain one of their oppressors, expecting that they would understand “that God by his hand would deliver them” (Acts 7:25). However, at that time he was not qualified for the position of leadership to which he aspired, nor were the children of Israel ready for deliverance. The 40 years in Midian had taught him humility and filled him with utter distrust of self. The adopted prince of Egypt’s royal house had become a shepherd, following a pursuit despised by the Egyptians (Gen. 46:34), and felt so uncertain of himself as to fear Pharaoh. What influence could he, a despised shepherd from the eastern desert, expect to have with the mighty king of the most powerful nation on earth? Furthermore, what influence would he have with his own people? They had rejected him when he was a mighty man; would they accept his leadership as a returned fugitive? Thoughts like these may have flashed through Moses’ mind when the call to return to Egypt and deliver his people came to him. His reluctance to accept the call, his distrust of himself and of his people, can be easily understood.