Wednesday: Uncircumcised Lips
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 16th of July 2025
The Lord had indeed given Moses some powerful promises about what He was going to do. Though that encounter must have encouraged Moses, his encouragement was probably short-lived, given the response that he received from his people.
Read Exodus 6:9-13. What happened next, and what lessons can we take from this story about times of disappointment and struggle in our lives?
Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com
The Hebrews are so disheartened by their grief, suffering, and hard labor that they do not listen to Moses’ words of reassurance that God will act to fulfill what He promised. They have waited so long for it, and their expectations have not been met. Why should it be different now? They were losing heart and hope, which must have been even more bitter because, perhaps for the first in all their lifetimes, they saw real hope of deliverance.
And yet, who hasn’t been in a similar place? Who hasn’t at some point felt depressed, disappointed, dissatisfied—even abandoned by God?
Remember the story of Job? What about Asaph, a psalmist who struggled with his questions regarding the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous? Yet, regardless of his struggles, Asaph has one of the most beautiful confessions of faith: “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalms 73:23-26, NIV).
Through sacred history, God has assured His people that He is with them (Isaiah 41:13, Matthew 28:20). He gives them His peace, His comfort, and He strengthens them to make it through life’s challenges (John 14:27; John 16:33; Philippians 4:6-7).
The covenant formula, “ ‘I will take you as My people, and I will be your God’ ” (Exodus 6:7, NKJV), expresses the intimate relationship that the Lord wanted to have with His people.
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Think through the phrase “ ‘I will take you as My people, and I will be your God’ ” (Exodus 6:7, NKJV). Though the context was corporate, how does this apply to each one of us individually, and how should this relationship be manifested in our daily lives? (See also 2 Corinthians 6:16.) |
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The man Moses very much felt that the mission God was giving him was too much for his abilities. Using all sorts of excuses, he wanted God to let him out of the mission to Pharaoh. Using a figurative expression: "uncircumcised lips", was another attempt to escape the mission (Exodus 6:12). No matter how Moses expressed his inability to do the task, God was not letting him alone. It is not Moses only who protested when God assigned missions to His messengers. Prophet Jeremiah protested too!
“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you... And I have put my words in your mouth!” (Jeremiah 1:6-9, NLT)
Why didn't God excuse Moses from this “burden”? God wanted Moses and us by extension to learn a few spiritual lessons.
1. God calls the weak and qualifies to demonstrate His power (2 Corinthians 12:9). In our weakness, God’s power is manifested.
2. True power does not lie in the messenger but in the message. The message is as good as the one who gives it.
3. Spiritual readiness is more essential that the skills. God will make “uncircumcised lips” more effective when used by the One who created them.
4. God does not abandon us regardless of our bitter protests. He is ever patient with us.
The biggest problem that Moses had in getting the Hebrews to act was that he was working against the status quo. In Physics, one of the first rules you learn is Newton's first law of motion or the law of inertia.
Or, to put it in human terms, people tend to keep doing the same things the same way until someone puts a bomb under them. And having been in the teaching business for most of my life, trying to teach folk to change the way they do things has been my mission.
Captivity and oppression are comfortable if they are the only experience you know. Freedom is scary stuff; you have to make decisions yourself! This is what Moses was up against, and he needed God's "bomb" to get things going.
Application: Are we living with the "Status Quo", spiritually? Are we inside a spiritual status quo world where our spirituality is decided for us by others? Have we forgotten what is means to have spiritual freedom?
We often like to quote:
... as applying to come out of apostate Christian churches. But what if the message is really for us, to leave our spiritual status quo?
We often read Exodus as a battle between Moses and Pharoah, but if you look at the big picture. It is really about the spiritual inertia of the Hebrews. The battle with Pharoah only lasts a few chapters. The rest of the book is a case study on overcoming the Hebrew's intertial state of rest.
Thanks Maurice for your good comment today and you’re quite right with what you’re indicating. I like the idea about the „bomb“. 🙂
Moses’ claim that his lips were “uncircumcised” offers is a powerful metaphor especially when we feel spiritually ineffective or disconnected. In the bible context, circumcision was a sign of belonging to God’s covenant relationship—so to have “uncircumcised lips” meant lacking divine presence and authority in his speech. As much Moses was to say what he was told him to say, his words lacked power. Unfortunately Pharaoh was unmoved, and instead of liberation, the Israelites faced greater suffering in bondage. Moses wasn’t just struggling with his ability to speak, he was wrestling with the apparent absence of God in his obedience.
The same struggle plays out in our lives today. Many are the times we have stepped out in faith—speaking truth, offering encouragement, sharing the gospel, or standing for what is right—only to be met with huge resistance or even unresponsiveness. We expect that because our message is from God, it will produce instant results. But like Moses, we find that obedience doesn't always lead to success as we could have expected. It can feel as though we’re just talking on our own, and we begin to question the presence of God in our message. That feeling of spiritual disconnection, of having “uncircumcised lips,” is something every believer can face at some point.
The statement in the story reminds us that God’s power is not limited by our perception. Even when we feel like our efforts fall flat, God is still working behind the scenes. Moses’ words didn’t free Israel instantly, but they began a process that would lead to deliverance. Thus spiritual fruit may not always be immediate, but faithfulness matters. God honors those who speak in obedience, even when it seems their words are weak. So when we feel like our speech lacks divine power, remember that God is still present, still active, and still using us, even when convinced that our that we have “uncircumcised lips.”
I have learnt that God himself loved the Hebrew children to the extent that even in their time of troubles and hardships He was working and making their way straight even though they were not seeing it that way, moses by complaining he he's to take God's chacter of being patient and slow to anger
How long does the coverage of a prayer last for us as a people who, when problems come, panic instead of pray? Even
in the face of just-occured miracles, we run away from God as opposed to running to God(Elijah). Moses was not different - run away, pity party, too hard, Lord, I can't. To remember God's strength, I have to be in the presence of God. To do that I have to be in close contact with Him... a (phone) call/prayer away. I now realize why Daniel prayed 3 times a day. Morning blessings memories last only for that first period of the day, and then the human mind starts doubting and gets weary, so top-off is needed. Noonday prayer is the answer. Then, to retire, you want to thank God and review and ask Him to wake you for the next rotation of life.
I want to remember Your promises more Lord! I will intentionally adapt the Daniel template... starting today!
In Jesus name Amen
Uncircumcised lips or not, Exodus 6:12, Exodus 6:30, God decided He would take over the communication to the tower and let Moses and Aaron take the yolk in hand to keep them from rolling to the left or right, putting in a little yaw, while keeping their pitch level. Moses and Aaron spoke as God commanded, Exodus 6:13, Exodus 6:28.
As Captain, God's patience must have been running out with Moses, yet He kept Moses as the leader and Aaron as His spokesman. Exodus 7:1-2. Moses was in His 80's, yet acting as a child before the Lord. Though, they both obeyed the Lord. Looking at it from a positive view, our God the God of Abraham listens to our lamenting to Him. Lamenting is a part of asking. God hears our groanings.
Do we act as children before the Lord? Sometimes. Yet because our love for Him wins, we hang in there with His power and loving watch care over us. God is good all the time. How many times has He wanted to throw us out with the trash, yet His mercy, love, and sacrifice for us has kept us under His wings where we safely abide? Psalm 91:4.
The LORD chose us long before we chose him. We were like the old dog at the shelter that everyone passed by. We were the orphan child in the orphanage that never was chosen for adoption. But God chose us for adoption.
I remember those times in childhood when nobody wanted me on their team. How utterly deflating and discouraging was that experience when I was the last one left and neither captain wanted me. 😔
One time, my best friend, Tommy, was Captain of a team, and he chose me, not first, but not last either. But he wanted me on his team. I was so excited and yet so nervous. There's something about being wanted, that makes you want to give your best for your Captain and your team. That season I narrowly missed making the All-Star team. Some said that I should have been selected.
But God...as he did with Israel, chose us. Not because we were the greatest or most talented, but because we were the perfect candidates to let his love transform us and glorify his name.
God not only loved us, he liked us, and was, and is determined to use us to do great things for his "team." There's something about knowing that you are loved and chosen, that changes you, and makes you want to "give of your best to the Master." Why? I guess, it's because He gave of His best to us.
It is nice to have comfort. It is good to grow surrounded by abundance and riches. But comfort on this planet may weigh heavily on the heart. Ultimately, things can become more important than people, and physical satisfaction may fuel pride. Our real and best Promised Land is not here. What God wanted to teach Israel is the same He wants for us today: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)
Uncircumcised lips and hearts, when being called, will be changed to clean lips and a clean heart, signifying that God is the Potter and we are the clay. Our own words would fail to convey the fullness of God’s message, but He assures us and makes us ready by His Spirit to speak to His purpose with clarity.
He calls us, by His Spirit, to open eyes and explain errors of hearts and minds, equipping us to communicate His message effectively. God knew Moses’s heart, He knew that he just needed some encouragement and reassurance, but Moses still needed to accept God's calling. God’s answer to Moses was simple but profound: God promised to be with him every step of the way; this assurance of His presence needed to be sufficient, and it was, through faith – Ex. 3:12.
God will always prepare the faithful, giving them a new heart to empower them by His Spirit to share His Word, which, when shared, will not return void – Isaiah 55:11. Moses and all God’s prophets, and ultimately us through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, are called to be examples of faithful, humble obedience; called to engage in the work God called us to do - 1 Peter:2:9; Rom 8:28.
Ezekiel 20:5-9 indicates why Israel was getting discouraged….why God seemed less powerful than Pharaoh to them during this time. Ezekiel writes that they were turning to the gods of their oppressors, worshipping the many distractions and false answers to life’s problems followed by the Egyptians. With their minds and attentions elsewhere, they didn’t trust God or His messenger Moses. After centuries of enslavement, they were used to thinking like slaves and acting like slaves, addicted to false sources of comfort and false answers that didn’t require cultivating a personal intimate relationship with God. Am I like this? What do I turn to when stressed and needing hope rather than spending that time in prayer ?
Somehow that phrase "they were used to thinking like slaves and acting like slaves" really struck me. There are areas in my own life where I have been thinking and acting like I'm still a slave. I pray that God will help me to escape those thought patterns and remember that I am free from sin and negativity if I stay by His side.