Often the call of God on our lives will not be easy, or pleasing, either. Often it will incur anger, resentment and persecution. Our divine calling may well result in death. Of course, not all believers will be martyred, but all will experience some rejection, abuse, and contempt. Our Lord experienced this in full, and the servant is not above the Master.

How do you react when you sense God wants you to do something, or say something, or go somewhere, and so on? Do you argue with him? Do you make excuses to him? Do you plead to God that someone else does it? There are obviously right ways and wrong ways to respond to the call of God.

One of the worst responses recorded in the Old Testament of course comes from Jonah. God had to use more than a little persuasion to get him to reconsider his initial bad choice! Christians today might want to rethink going down the path that Jonah did.

Other biblical responses to the call of God come to mind. Consider these two remarks made to God by two famous OT characters:

“Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

“Here I am, Lord, send me.”

You would likely be quite aware of both, but to refresh your memory, the first was made by Moses in Exodus 4:13, while the second was made by Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8. Let me speak to each in turn, offering a bit of commentary along the way.

Moses

The context for what Moses said is found in Ex. 4:10-17:

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

How many of us have tried to offer similar sorts of excuses to the Lord when we hear his call? ‘But God, I am not a great speaker. I am afraid of crowds. What will people think? Why not send someone else? I am too busy.’ While most of us might look down on Moses and condemn him, Christopher Wright offers a more nuanced assessment of him.

We know that Moses did in the end heed the call, and he did not need the same sort of divine prodding that Jonah got from God. But Wright does note how the response of Moses was quite different from that of Mary (“I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled”—Luke 1:38) and Jesus (‘yet not my will, but yours be done”—Luke 22;42). Says Wright:

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