Magdy Samuel

Serialized Articles From:
"Peace amid Pain"

Last Published Devotions

Why is Pain?
Second: Moses and the divine conformation (1)

When God enters us in a trial’s fire, His intention is not only to purify us but to form us using pressure, digging and decorating thus becoming "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21)

If Jacob was an example of purification then Moses would be an example of shaping.  Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action after learning Egypt’s best knowledge and culture; despite all of that, God has taken him out of Egypt for all the teachings, schools and universities of Egypt are not able to produce the form God wants.

Where is that school that can teach a better education than Egypt at that time?! It’s the school of the wilderness and its burning experiences.  Moses graduated from Egypt reckless, exuberant, tough and eager man.  The Holy Bible says about him “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not” (Acts: 7:23-25).

After 40 years in Egypt, Moses became a violent man without mercy even a killer: “Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" (Exodus 2:14).  Surely he was zealous and had courage but not according to the divine form. Therefore the skillful goldsmith takes him and exposes him to the harsh heat of the wilderness, he got pressed, annoyed, deprived and suffered for another forty years until he became manageable and easy to shape. Then the goldsmith shaped him the way He wanted.  At that point all the ferocity and rush disappeared from him and were replaced by humbleness.  And now we can see the shape made according to God’s heart. God testifies and said about him: “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3)

Dear reader, Jesus image could show on us but it might be not clear because not all of His qualities appear in this image. Maybe we show the Lord’s enthusiasm but without His modesty so the image becomes distorted which may result in blasphemy on His name from others because of us. Therefore the trials keep going on, and the life of wilderness, troubles, pains; formation continues on. Till when? “Until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19).

Nothing could change us and form us like distress, pain, deprivation and delay; so we learn patience and waiting, submission and obedience, modesty and love, faith and hope, thankfulness and endurance. All these qualities cannot show in us until God allows us to experience pains of trials. Therefore, do not fail or despair when you are exposed to pressures, for “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11).

Magdy Samuel