Friday, June 25, 2010

God Uses the Slow of Speech

As a stutterer since the 4th grade, and as someone who burns with the desire to serve God in the preaching and teaching of His Word, Moses' weakness and subsequent victory over fear through faith, resulting in a life mightily used of God, is a tremendous inspiration to me. Thank You, Lord, for using underdogs.

"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'" (Exodus 4:10).

"Moreover, we see that the instruments which seem but little suitable are especially employed by Him, in order that His power may more fully appear. He might, if He had chosen to use Moses as His ambassador, have made him eloquent from the womb; or, at least, when He sends him to his work, have corrected his stammering tongue. It seems a mockery, then, to give a commission of speaking to a stammerer; but in this way, (as I have said,) He causes His glory to shine forth more brightly, proving that He can do all things without extrinsic aid. Interpreters vary as to the meaning of the words. Some think that the clause 'since thou hast spoken to thy servant' is added in amplification, as if the tongue of Moses began to be more slow than ever since the vision had appeared; but since the particle, gam, is thrice repeated, I interpret it simply, that Moses had never been eloquent from his infancy, and that he was not now endued with any new eloquence" (John Calvin, Commentary on Exodus 4:10).

5 comments:

  1. Kuya Wawi, it is hard to imagine you as a stutterer. You are such an articulate writer!

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  2. God works in mysterious ways, Keren.

    James' cousin, Nathaniel Co Yeu, was my classmate at Xavier from since elementary. He also has a stutter, but he has managed to overcome it. He can attest to this weakness of mine. :-)

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  3. Thanks for appreciating my writing, by the way. :-D

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  4. I wonder how Moses overcame his stuttering.

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  5. Calvin believes he never did. I am inclined to agree.

    There is a distinct parallelism to Paul's "thorn."

    Somehow, God encumbers His servants with weaknesses that serve to humble them in the administration of their work so that the glory is God's alone.

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