Reading the same Bible verse in more than one translation can be a helpful exercise. Translators choose different English words to capture the meaning or intent of the original Hebrew or Greek. It’s fine to have a preferred translation, but studying key verses in several translations can lead to a fuller understanding of Scripture.
I was recently reading a familiar passage, Exodus 3:1-10, which recounts the call of Moses to deliver the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. I was reading from the Christian Standard Bible, not my go-to translation. Verse one begins, “Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro . . .” (Ex. 3:1).
I considered the word “meanwhile.” To fully grasp its meaning, I had to look at the preceding chapter. “Meanwhile” indicates that something else was happening at the same time. What was going on when God approached Moses with an assignment? We are told in Exodus 2:23-24 that “After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor; and they cried out; and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God. And God heard their groaning; and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob; and God saw the Israelites; and God knew.”
God approached Moses with an assignment because he had heard the groaning and seen the suffering of his people in Egypt. Moses commenced a two-chapter argument with God about whether he was the right person for the job. Meanwhile, his fellow Hebrews were languishing in bondage. The longer Moses hesitated to obey God, the longer people suffered.
God’s assignments are never just about us. If God is calling you to be a person of integrity, your response will impact those around you. While you decide whether to conduct your life and business ethically, your children are watching your example to determine how they will live. Your non-Christian colleague at work is trying to decide whether all Christians are hypocrites. While you work out your walk with God, others are waiting. Will your children grow up in a godly home? Will your colleague see what genuine Christianity looks like? Will those people living on the other side of the world hear the gospel? Will that non-profit receive a much-needed financial gift?
Meanwhile, while we decide whether to accept God’s invitation to join his activity, people are crying out to God for deliverance. Our walk with God exists within a context. There are people around us who need us to be and do all God intends for our life. When God comes to us, as he came to Moses, may people not have to wait long for our response! May we conduct our lives with the profound awareness that our decisions have enormous impact on other people. Meanwhile . . .
