Exodus 4:10-12

And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

Moses now moves to another objection. He says, in essence, Lord, I am not the man for this because I do not speak well. Whether he had an actual speech impediment or whether he simply felt deeply inadequate in the matter of public speaking, the point is the same. Moses is focusing on what he lacks. He is measuring the call of God against his own natural weakness, and in his mind the conclusion is obvious. I cannot do this. I do not have the voice for it. I do not have the words for it. I am not eloquent enough to stand before Pharaoh or to lead a people.

But the Lord answers him in a way that cuts right through the whole argument. “Who hath made man’s mouth?” That is the issue. Moses is staring at his limitation. God points him to the Creator. Moses is thinking about his weakness in speech. God reminds him who made the mouth in the first place. In other words, the problem is not beyond God simply because it is beyond Moses. The One who formed man’s mouth is not hindered by the weakness of the man He sends.

That is a needed reminder, because so many of us do the exact same thing. We disqualify ourselves on the basis of what we think we are not. We say, I am not polished enough, not educated enough, not gifted enough, not persuasive enough, not strong enough, not articulate enough. And the Lord brings us back to this same point. Who made you? Who shaped you? Who knows exactly what is present and what is absent in your frame? The God who calls is never surprised by the weakness of the one He is calling.

Then the Lord says something wonderful. “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” He does not promise Moses that he will suddenly become naturally eloquent. He promises His presence. He promises help. He promises that Moses will not be left alone with his weakness. The God who sends him will be with his mouth and teach him what to say. That means the answer to Moses’ weakness is not self improvement. It is divine enablement.

That is how God so often works. He does not always remove the sense of inadequacy. Sometimes He leaves a man aware of his weakness so that the man will keep leaning on Him. But He gives what is needed in the moment. He teaches. He steadies. He supplies. He puts words where words were lacking and strength where strength was thin. And in doing so, He makes it plain that the glory belongs to Him.

That is one reason God loves to use unlikely people. He uses men and women who do not seem to have the greatest polish or the strongest natural advantage so that it becomes unmistakably clear that the power is His. If the instrument were dazzling in itself, people might be tempted to rest in the instrument. But when the instrument is plainly weak and God still works through it, then there is no confusion about who deserves the praise.

That does not mean weakness is the goal. It means dependence is the goal. The Lord is not glorified by laziness, carelessness, or refusal to grow. But He is glorified when a weak servant says, Lord, I do not have what this task requires in myself, but if You are with me, that will be enough. Moses is still learning that lesson. He keeps returning to himself, and God keeps returning him to God.

That is really the heart of the passage.

Moses says, I am not eloquent.  God says, I made your mouth.

Moses says, I am slow of speech.  God says, I will be with your mouth.

Moses says, I do not know what to say.  God says, I will teach thee.

That is where confidence has to rest. Not in what we are by nature, but in who God is for us in the moment of obedience. The Lord does not call men because they are naturally complete. He calls them, sends them, and then proves Himself faithful in the going.