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Read Exodus 4

Signs for Moses

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

“A staff,” he replied.

The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”

Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.Then the Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believethat the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”

Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

“Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

10 Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

13 But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.”

14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive.”

Jethro said, “Go, and I wish you well.”

19 Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’”

24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.

29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, 31 and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Go Deeper

One of the most influential leaders in history didn’t want to be a leader. Moses objects to God’s appointment for him several times. He voices the first two objections in chapter 3–he’s a shepherd, not the appropriate person to go in front of Pharaoh, and he doesn’t even know God’s right name or how to refer to the deity who is sending him. Now, in chapter 4, he reminds God that he’s not very eloquent (as if God is surprised by any of Moses’s shortcomings). 

Moses asks all the questions we’re thinking, right? We can’t blame him for his hesitancy. After all, he doesn’t feel like he has the ability or talent to do the job God is asking him to do. In verse 1, he says the two debilitating words we often ask God: what if? 

Those two words wreak havoc on our faith. What if You don’t come through for me, God? What if obedience to You requires a sacrifice I’m unwilling to make? What if they reject me? Rebuke me? Ridicule me? What if...? And we’re left holding the bag of questions without answers and steps of faith left untaken. Missing out on the work God has prepared for us and prepared us for. 

Moses wasn’t chosen for his charisma or eloquence, he was chosen because God saw fit to use him. He wasn’t chosen because he sounded good, he was chosen because God is good and God uses the foolish and ordinary people of this world to declare His excellencies and advance the Kingdom. God was neither surprised nor hindered by Moses’ deficiencies. And God is not surprised or hindered by ours. 

Like Moses, God has prepared work for us. Will we believe and trust that He will be faithful to prepare us for the work? He will not leave us nor forsake us. He is with us wherever we go. Let’s quit making excuses and get to work. The harvest is plentiful.

Questions
  1. What do you learn about the character of God in this passage?

  2. What do you learn about the character of Moses in this passage? Do you relate? Why or why not?

  3. Is there an area in your life that God is asking for obedience and you are answering with objections and “what ifs”? What is keeping you from trusting God?

Did You Know?

In verse 17, we read that God tells Moses to “take this staff” with him. That staff will accompany Moses for the rest of his life, as a link to his first encounter with God and a reminder of his humble beginnings as a shepherd. The symbolism reminds us that Moses will still be a shepherd, but with a new flock—the Hebrew nation.

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7 thoughts on “Exodus 4”

  1. Referencing v.2, I’m wondering “what’s in MY hand” that God means to use to deliver his message of love & reconciliation? Things that I might deem unworthy but surrendered to him could be a game changer, a lifeline to a hurting fractured world.

  2. Oh Ella, that is a beautiful observation and realization! I loved reading and studying this chapter. It really underscores that I don’t have to doubt myself or my abilities when God has set me on a course. This is so timely because of a life decision/circumstance that my husband and I are dealing with right now.

  3. I have hesitated so many times to take the steps forward to do what God already knows I can do, because I have felt inadequate to do the job for God-yes, I have felt just like Moses. However, as I look back now, I can see how God has used me with family and friends in need. God has always been there to lead me with His word and His love. Thank you God for always being there for us!!❤️ Help me to continue to trust you.

  4. 1 – God is sufficient for us, no matter what real or imagined inadequacies we have. It’s a short answer but as I read it, it was like yes that is it. Plus of course his patience, for he did not get angry at Moses for saying or asking or doubting, only when he showed plain unwillingness got the Lord angry.

    2 – Moses did not understand (neder would I) and He had a very human reaction. A human who was rejected as leader, told to go and try again to be a leader; reaction. And sadly I do completely find myself in this behavior, not the task but the response. It did learn or was reminded again of that It is far more important (and more beneficial) for others to see the fruit of God’s guidance in your life than to hear you explain all you believe God said to you. That we should obey and do instead of just talking about it, that we show others instead of telling them how good or great, blessed or loved, happy or oké, we are.

    3 – My trust is hindered by the thought of what other people might think, for I know God urges me to do right and set the (ongoing) wrongs right in my life. But I’m scared of people’s reactions as things become more and more right, but slowly but surely I’m coming to a better place.

  5. 1. I learned that God is our mentor and our guidance. When we don’t know the way to go, he will always tell us the right path to take. God is the creator of all things big and small, our tongue, our mouths, trees, animals, etc. So he will not let us go the wrong was as long as he is directing us and leading us. Also that God will sometimes allow for our hearts to be hardened so we don’t come to see the truth, it shows me how God is gracious in his relationship with us and he won’t force us to have a relationship with him. He is a gracious God for allowing to have the free will to choose good or evil. God looks for those he sees fit to achieve his purpose, he’s not looking for perfection or flawlessness to do that. He uses the unqualified to achieve his purpose.

    2. Moses is a man of doubt and also wants to please the people. But he has human emotions just like the rest of us. Moses wanted to please God but was letting his fears of people and how he saw himself to get in the way of God’s purpose. I can relate there’s been so many times where the Holy Spirit has laid something on my heart to share something with someone about Him, but because I’ve feared what others think or how I may look or sound when I say those things I don’t do them.
    3. I feel like a lot of the time its heading God’s voice. I can tell sometimes if the response is His, or the enemy, or my own. But I don’t want to be doubtful in that area, I want to know with confidence that it’s Jesus’ voice for certain. But I know in order to get those answers, sometimes it requires me to take a leap of Faith.

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