Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

God dealt with Moses’ further protestations about his lack of ability as a speaker (1,2).

But the thing that leaps out of the page at me today is the reference to the ages of Moses and Aaron: 80 and 83 respectively. Your best years may be ahead of you. Age need not be a hindrance to serving God. In the words of a book title (a book by Derek Prime), it is possible to have ‘a good old age.’ Your life is not over because you’re on the pension.

“Old age is just as important and meaningful a part of God’s perfect will as is youth. God is every bit as interested in the old as the young.” J.O. Sanders.

Tom Hale also makes this point:

‘It took that long for God to prepare them for the work He had given them to do.

Are any of us tired of our training, impatient to “get on with the job”? Let us remember Moses. It is dangerous to go into the Lord’s work with poor preparation – especially poor spiritual preparation (1 Timothy 3:16). The Lord will let us know when we are ready.’ ‘Applied Old Testament Commentary’, p.217.