Eloquence is not needed

 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent…” (Exodus 4:10)

So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11)

Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say. (Exodus 4:12)

God's work needs no eloquence. A sermon with all the rhetorical techniques of an eloquent preacher trained in theology, with flawless grammar, may not touch people's hearts at all. However, a simple, even grammatically incorrect sermon, in which the pure Word of God is delivered, will change the hearts of the listeners. The Lord did not tell Moses that He would make him eloquent, but He promised to be with him and teach him what to say.

The fact that Moses was not eloquent was not an obstacle to fulfilling God's commission; it was the opposite. God might have given him the gift of eloquence, but it was not necessary. When we studied rhetoric as students, we learned that rhetoric is the art of persuasion. If Moses had that skill, the success of the work would be credited to him, not to God's glory.

How great is the power of our God that our shortcomings and weaknesses do not hinder His work.

From my diary,

January 26,  2024