3:1-4:31, After 40 years of monotonous tending of sheep, Moses receives God's call at the burning bush; He is to go to Pharaoh to demand that Israel be released (Note 4:22-23, "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel [is] my son, [even] my firstborn: 23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, [even] thy firstborn.")
4:1 AND MOSES ANSWERED AND SAID, BUT, BEHOLD, THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE ME, NOR HEARKEN UNTO MY VOICE: FOR THEY WILL SAY, THE LORD HATH NOT APPEARED UNTO THEE.
A.In Ex 3:11 Moses showed his reluctance to undertake the part of leader when he said, "Who am I that I should go?" God's answer in Ex 3:12 was, "I will be with thee."
B.In Ex 3:18 God assured him that the Israelites would listen to him and would respond to his words.
C.Now (in Ex 4:1) Moses shows that his reluctance has not been overcome and that he does not think the people will believe that a weather-beaten shepherd from the desert can save them.
D.This is human weakness, but under the circumstances his lack of faith was excusable, and God now shows him how he would be able to persuade the people that his mission was of God, and that would be by the producing of the credentials of miracles, as God gave him three signs to perform.
E.NOTE: Remember that the Israelites had not seen Moses for 40 years, and they would not know if he was a truthful person.
4:2 AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HIM, WHAT [IS] THAT IN THINE HAND? AND HE SAID, A ROD.
A.WHAT IS THAT IN THINE HAND?: The ROD was a staff which shep-herds used in herding the sheep and in supporting themselves.
B.This is a miracle which Moses would be able to do without any preparation, and at a moment's notice.
C.It would show that the God he served had endued him with supernatural power over both the vegetable and animal worlds.
D.Also this would be especially impressive to the Egyptians be-cause they used the symbol of a serpent to mean "a king," or "a crown," and the change of a staff into a snake would sug-gest that Moses had been converted from a shepherd into a great ruler.
E.WHAT IS THAT IN THINE HAND?: When we say we do not have power to do anything, this question from God might well be con-sidered by us -- Just take what we have available and USE it.
4:3 AND HE SAID, CAST IT ON THE GROUND. AND HE CAST IT ON THE GROUND, AND IT BECAME A SERPENT; AND MOSES FLED FROM BEFORE IT.
4:4 AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, PUT FORTH THINE HAND, AND TAKE IT BY THE TAIL. AND HE PUT FORTH HIS HAND, AND CAUGHT IT, AND IT BECAME A ROD IN HIS HAND:
A.BY THE TAIL: Those who handle snakes know that in order to keep from being bitten, one takes the serpent by the neck.
B.This would be a test of his faith; His immediate obedience also shows his courage.
4:5 THAT THEY MAY BELIEVE THAT THE LORD GOD OF THEIR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB, HATH APPEARED UNTO THEE.
A.THAT THEY MAY BELIEVE: The sign would convince the Israelites.
B.Later it would try Pharaoh, but would not convince him.
4:6 AND THE LORD SAID FURTHERMORE UNTO HIM, PUT NOW THINE HAND INTO THY BOSOM. AND HE PUT HIS HAND INTO HIS BOSOM: AND WHEN HE TOOK IT OUT, BEHOLD, HIS HAND [WAS] LEPROUS AS SNOW.
A.Leprosy was at that time absolutely incurable, and seems to have been the most dreaded of all "dread diseases."
B.This instantaneous production and removal of the disease was contrary to all experience, and thoroughly astonishing.
C.If God had this power over the human body, surely He was to be held in reverence, and to be obeyed.
4:7 AND HE SAID, PUT THINE HAND INTO THY BOSOM AGAIN. AND HE PUT HIS HAND INTO HIS BOSOM AGAIN; AND PLUCKED IT OUT OF HIS BOSOM, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS TURNED AGAIN AS HIS [OTHER] FLESH.
4:8 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, IF THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE THEE, NEITHER HEARKEN TO THE VOICE OF THE FIRST SIGN, THAT THEY WILL BELIEVE THE VOICE OF THE LATTER SIGN.
A.THE VOICE (MESSAGE, NKJ) OF THE FIRST SIGN: There is a way in which all of creation speaks to us, declaring the Majesty of the Creator - cf Psa 19:1-3; Job 12:7-8; Hab 2:11; Lk 19:40.
B.In this way a miracle would be regarded as having a VOICE, and so presenting a MESSAGE.
4:9 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, IF THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE ALSO THESE TWO SIGNS, NEITHER HEARKEN UNTO THY VOICE, THAT THOU SHALT TAKE OF THE WATER OF THE RIVER, AND POUR [IT] UPON THE DRY [LAND]: AND THE WATER WHICH THOU TAKEST OUT OF THE RIVER SHALL BECOME BLOOD UPON THE DRY [LAND].
A.IF THEY WILL NOT BELIEVE ALSO (EVEN, NKJ) THESE TWO SIGNS: The first sign probably would convince the most serious and spiri-tually inclined, and the second might convince those who could then be frightened into believing (cf 2Co 5:11).
B.That would leave the wicked Jews who despised Jehovah, and put their trust in the gods of the Egyptians.
C.This third sign seems to be for them: They would regard the Nile as a deity, and they would see in the turning of its water into blood a proof that the God Who sent Moses was greater than all the pagan deities of Egypt.
D.NEITHER HEARKEN UNTO THY VOICE: If they would not listen to the VOICE (MESSAGE) of Moses, maybe they will hear the VOICE (MESSAGE) of the signs, which message was:
NOTE: In the first two signs there was a reversal, but in the last sign there was not -- If God is rejected long enough, His day of Grace will close and there will be judgment without mercy to those who refuse Him and insult Him.
4:10 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.
A.Moses shows total distrust of himself, and a low level of trust in God.
B.He is still holding back, and he finds another objection, which is that he has a personal defect which he thinks dis-qualifies him for the work.
C.O MY LORD: He seems to be sorry he is trying the patience of God, but he just must try to excuse himself from the mission.
D.I AM NOT ELOQUENT: This may suggest that he has not used Egyptian as his daily language for so long that he is halting in its use -- he is no longer fluent in speech. This view of his words would harmonize with Acts 7:22 (at the time he left Egypt he was eloquent and expressive, but now the words came slowly, and haltingly -- Cf "use it or lose it").
E.Some have suggested he may have been paralyzed by the fear of speaking in public, but that does not seem to fit Acts 7:22.
F.Also, in reference to Acts 7:22, perhaps we need to dis-tinguish between fluency and power -- quiet words of truth, though not well-spoken, can do more good than loud oratory which is empty.
G.Whatever he had in mind specifically, his problem was not in his mouth -- it was in his heart.
4:11 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?
A.The God who made Moses' speech facilities could give him elo-quence if he would yield himself to God without reservation.
B.He gives all powers that human beings possess (cf Ac 17:25).
4:12 NOW THEREFORE GO, AND I WILL BE WITH THY MOUTH, AND TEACH THEE WHAT THOU SHALT SAY.
A.This totally answers the objection/excuse of Verse 10.
B.God here promises to remove all hesitation and mispronuncia-tion (or any other speech problem), and even to "put the words in Moses' mouth" if Moses would let Him.
4:13 AND HE SAID, O MY LORD, SEND, I PRAY THEE, BY THE HAND [OF HIM WHOM] THOU WILT SEND.
A.Moses is stubborn, and on the border of rudeness as he tells God to go ahead and send him (Moses) if He is just going to insist on it.
B.This reply of Moses prevented the outpouring of God's power to make him great in speech; It left him the ineffective speaker which he was content to be.
4:14 AND THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED AGAINST MOSES, AND HE SAID, [IS] NOT AARON THE LEVITE THY BROTHER? I KNOW THAT HE CAN SPEAK WELL. AND ALSO, BEHOLD, HE COMETH FORTH TO MEET THEE: AND WHEN HE SEETH THEE, HE WILL BE GLAD IN HIS HEART.
A.THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED: God was displeased with the restraint of Moses. Perhaps His ANGER had been building through all of the excuse-making, and now it flames out.
B.No positive punishment is named, but there would be the withholding of a gift that God was ready to bestow, and there would be a division between two men of a position and a dig-nity which Moses could have had all to himself if he had stepped forward quickly at God's call. However, also observe that God turned this backwardness of Moses to his good in that he was relieved of some of the burden which was ahead (a like
blessing belongs to all Christians because we have all other Christians to share responsibilities with us, as Paul teaches in Eph 4:16, "the whole building fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love").
C.HE COMETH FORTH TO MEET THEE: Aaron was coming because God was sending him (Verse 27, And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses).
D.HE WILL BE GLAD IN HIS HEART: He had not seen his brother for 40 years, and he would rejoice at the reunion and would "kiss" Moses when he met him - Verse 27 (we Americans might learn a lesson here about showing affection).
4:15 AND THOU SHALT SPEAK UNTO HIM, AND PUT WORDS IN HIS MOUTH: AND I WILL BE WITH THY MOUTH, AND WITH HIS MOUTH, AND WILL TEACH YOU WHAT YE SHALL DO.
A.THOU SHALT SPEAK UNTO HIM AND PUT WORDS IN HIS MOUTH: Moses was to furnish the matter of the speeches, and Aaron was to put it into smooth-flowing words. God would be with Moses' mouth, to make him give right directions to Aaron, and with Aaron's mouth, to make him be persuasive in speech.
B.So, because of his unwillingness to respond quickly and serve, Moses is degraded -- he is demoted from the position of being the only leader to having an associate.
C.And the associate (Aaron), because of his public position, would sometimes appear to both the Israelites and Pharaoh as the chief leader - Cf Ex 4:30; 7:2,10,19; 8:6,17).
4:16 AND HE SHALL BE THY SPOKESMAN UNTO THE PEOPLE: AND HE SHALL BE, [EVEN] HE SHALL BE TO THEE INSTEAD OF A MOUTH, AND THOU SHALT BE TO HIM INSTEAD OF GOD.
A.Aaron would do the speaking, but Moses would have the inspi-ration from God, and would guide Aaron.
B.This, incidentally, is the Bible's definition of the word "prophet" (a mouth for, a spokesman for, another) -- See Ex 7:1-2, "1 And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land."
4:17 AND THOU SHALT TAKE THIS ROD IN THINE HAND, WHEREWITH THOU SHALT DO SIGNS.
A.TAKE THIS ROD: Not just any rod, but THIS one which has already once been a serpent.
B.THOU SHALT DO SIGNS: Compare Ex 3:20, "And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go."
C.This is the end of the meeting between Moses and Jehovah, and now the action of the Exodus begins.
D.Before continuing, let us be impressed with the good lesson to be learned here about "voluntary humility" - Cf Col 2:18.
4:18 AND MOSES WENT AND RETURNED TO JETHRO HIS FATHER IN LAW, AND SAID UNTO HIM, LET ME GO, I PRAY THEE, AND RETURN UNTO MY BRETHREN WHICH [ARE] IN EGYPT, AND SEE WHETHER THEY BE YET ALIVE. AND JETHRO SAID TO MOSES, GO IN PEACE.
A.Moses had been accepted into this family and was serving his father in law, so, first he obtains permission to leave Midian and go to Egypt to see his brethren.
B.This brief account highlights at least three things:
4:19 AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES IN MIDIAN, GO, RETURN INTO EGYPT: FOR ALL THE MEN ARE DEAD WHICH SOUGHT THY LIFE.
A.This opens the thought to us that Moses had been holding back because he thought he would be put to death if he returned.
B.So God assures him that this will not happen -- And note the next words (Verse 20, AND MOSES TOOK...AND HE RETURNED...).
4:20 AND MOSES TOOK HIS WIFE AND HIS SONS, AND SET THEM UPON AN ASS, AND HE RETURNED TO THE LAND OF EGYPT: AND MOSES TOOK THE ROD OF GOD IN HIS HAND.
A.TOOK HIS WIFE AND HIS SONS: He started back to Egypt with his family, but perhaps we will soon conclude the record indicates he thought it better to send them back to Midian.
B.THE ROD OF GOD IN HIS HAND: This special instrument he would need to carry out his mission.
4:21 AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, WHEN THOU GOEST TO RETURN INTO EGYPT, SEE THAT THOU DO ALL THOSE WONDERS BEFORE PHARAOH, WHICH I HAVE PUT IN THINE HAND: BUT I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART, THAT HE SHALL NOT LET THE PEOPLE GO.
4:22 AND THOU SHALT SAY UNTO PHARAOH, THUS SAITH THE LORD, ISRAEL [IS] MY SON, [EVEN] MY FIRSTBORN:
4:23 AND I SAY UNTO THEE, LET MY SON GO, THAT HE MAY SERVE ME: AND IF THOU REFUSE TO LET HIM GO, BEHOLD, I WILL SLAY THY SON, [EVEN] THY FIRSTBORN.
A.Now that Moses had turned to fully obey God, he was given more revelation and further instructions as to what he was to do and say before Pharaoh.
B.DO ALL THOSE WONDERS...WHICH I HAVE PUT IN THINE HAND: The signs were very simple, but very significant.
C.Note that Moses was to present God's Word to Pharaoh, even though God already knew Pharaoh would reject it (HE SHALL NOT LET THE PEOPLE GO).
D.I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART: Not a miraculous interference with the free agency of Pharaoh, but a natural moral consequence to the wrongdoer as he makes himself insensible to Divine influ-ences -- It is the withdrawing of light from those who sin against the light - cf Rom 1:28; Psa 51:11.
a)In these Chapters it is said ten times that God hardened Pharaoh's heart; But also ten times it is stated or indicated that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.
b)Until after the fifth plague, usually Pharaoh is said to harden his own heart (he deliberately made his mind firm and insensible to the voice of God).
c)After that, God is said to harden Pharaoh's heart.
d)This all indicates that Pharaoh at first hardened his heart by rejecting Truth, and thus sinning against God, and when that process had become settled, then God per-mitted it to continue, and so it is said that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. He gave Pharaoh the choice to obey or to refuse, and thus His Word was the cause of Pharaoh's fail-ure to bend his self-will to the will of God.
e)As someone pointed out, the same sun both melts wax and hardens clay; The difference is not in the sun, but in the composition of that upon which it shines.
f)Just so, the Grace and Truth of God melts some hearts while it hardens others; The difference is not in God, but in the moral condition of the heart it touches; Therefore the final responsibility for the hardening lies in the heart that rejects the Word.
g)God permits a man to harden himself if the man so chooses, but God takes no pleasure in the ultimate destruction which then must result - See Eze 33:11; 1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9.
3.Now put God's statement to Moses (I WILL HARDEN HIS HEART) in context -- The object at this time was to prepare Moses for the opposition he would meet with from Pharaoh; And so to strengthen his weak faith, God removed any question he might have concerning God's power over Pharaoh.
E.ISRAEL IS MY SON: The only nation that God adopted and took into covenant - Deu 14:1-2; 28:1.
F.MY FIRSTBORN: This would give strong support to the faith of Moses -- If Israel was Jehovah's FIRSTBORN SON, then surely Jehovah could not let him stay in bondage. Note that this title implies the calling of the heathen, as was promised to Abraham - Gen 22:18.
G.I WILL SLAY THY SON: This was to come at the end of Moses' meetings with Pharaoh, after all arguments were exhausted. For its fulfillment, see Exo 12:29.
4:24 AND IT CAME TO PASS BY THE WAY IN THE INN, THAT THE LORD MET HIM, AND SOUGHT TO KILL HIM.
4:25 THEN ZIPPORAH TOOK A SHARP STONE, AND CUT OFF THE FORESKIN OF HER SON, AND CAST [IT] AT HIS FEET, AND SAID, SURELY A BLOODY HUSBAND [ART] THOU TO ME.
4:26 SO HE LET HIM GO: THEN SHE SAID, A BLOODY HUSBAND [THOU ART], BECAUSE OF THE CIRCUMCISION.
A.This passage (Verses 24-26) is brief and mysterious. Either it was not intended to be understood by us, or else it was intended that we use our senses of perception and figure out the meaning from the context (which to this point includes all of Genesis, and almost four chapters of Exodus).
B.Verse 24 was the inflicting of some kind of dangerous sick-ness, or perhaps the threat of violent death -- Whatever it was, it required the remedy of Verses 25-26 (note that as soon as Zipporah circumcised the child, Jehovah allowed Moses to recover his health and continue on his journey to Egypt).
C.If Moses was to carry out the Divine commission to rescue God's SON (Israel), he must first prove himself to be a faith-ful servant of Jehovah in reference to his own sons.
D.Clearly Moses was guilty of failing to circumcise one of his sons, as God had expressly ordained (with the penalty being exclusion from the blessings of God's covenant - Gen 17:9-14; This was the sign that God claimed the life for Himself and for righteous living -- To be in covenant relation with Him).
E.THEN ZIPPORAH TOOK A SHARP STONE: Apparently she now saw that this operation had to be done if Moses was to be successful in carrying out the orders of Jehovah. SHARP STONE knives were used before the manufacture of iron and steel.
F.Zipporah's dislike for the order of God for the Hebrews is seen in her throwing the skin AT HIS FEET, but her love for Moses, her desire that his life be spared, and her understand-ing that this had to be done to please the God Whom Moses served, is seen in her willingness to perform the operation on the child with her own hands.
G.A BLOODY HUSBAND ART THOU TO ME: Moses was being taken from her by the deadly attack that had come upon him, and Zipporah had been forced to buy him back by the shedding of the blood of her son. Now she was receiving him back from the dead, as it were, and marrying him anew: So he was a bridegroom of blood to her. In her frustration about the operation that she considered to be a barbaric act, she blamed Moses for being a husband who cost her the suffering along with her son.
H.All of this seems to have convinced Moses that his mission required his going without his wife and children, so he sent them back with his father-in-law, and had to wait for the reunion until Israel came out of Egypt to Sinai - Ex 18:1-7.
I.And all of this may have some moral lessons for us:
4:27 AND THE LORD SAID TO AARON, GO INTO THE WILDERNESS TO MEET MOSES. AND HE WENT, AND MET HIM IN THE MOUNT OF GOD, AND KISSED HIM.
A.Moses did not now have the comfort and companionship of his family; He needed a friend to share his burdens. God kept His promise to Moses and sent Aaron to assist him.
B.These brothers had grown up for the first 40 years under totally different conditions, and now they had not seen each other for another 40 years; Moses is 80, Aaron is 83 (Ex 7:7).
C.Aaron was to accompany Moses and assist him as he went to Pharaoh to demand the release of the Israelites, so there must be total confidence between them; Thus, Verse 28...
4:28 AND MOSES TOLD AARON ALL THE WORDS OF THE LORD WHO HAD SENT HIM, AND ALL THE SIGNS WHICH HE HAD COMMANDED HIM.
A.First, Aaron had to be convinced of the mission's Source (Jehovah), and so Moses wisely made him acquainted with the ALL THE WORDS of the revelations that had been given him.
B.Next, the Israelites had to be convinced; the proper beginning place was with the elders of Israel; Thus, Verse 29...
4:29 AND MOSES AND AARON WENT AND GATHERED TOGETHER ALL THE ELDERS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL:
A.Just imagine the feelings of Moses as he moves into sight of familiar cities and monuments, but unfamiliar faces.
B.GATHERED TOGETHER ALL THE ELDERS: Moses is 40 years wiser than when he made the first effort to help his people; He knows that nothing can be done without their confidence and their agreement, and that has to be done through the leaders.
C.The ELDERS were convinced, then Aaron took his place of prominence and presented the plan to all the people...
4:30 AND AARON SPAKE ALL THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD HAD SPOKEN UNTO MOSES, AND DID THE SIGNS IN THE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLE.
A.AARON SPAKE ALL THE WORDS: The right to do so had been given him because of the slowness of Moses to accept the responsi-bility for himself.
B.After a lapse of so many years, Moses may have become unfam-iliar with both the Egyptian and the Hebrew Languages, and then there was a lack of natural eloquence on his part.
4:31 AND THE PEOPLE BELIEVED: AND WHEN THEY HEARD THAT THE LORD HAD VISITED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND THAT HE HAD LOOKED UPON THEIR AFFLICTION, THEN THEY BOWED THEIR HEADS AND WORSHIPPED.
A.Note the order: God gave the Word to Moses; Moses gave the Word to Aaron; Aaron spoke the Word to the people, and con-firmed the Word with signs; The result: THE PEOPLE BELIEVED.
B.Here was great success as THE PEOPLE BELIEVED...BOWED...AND WORSHIPPED. Moses had said they would not believe (Ex 4:1), but God had said they would (Ex 3:18) -- and they did.
C.We rejoice at the obedience of both Moses and Aaron, and at the faithfulness of God in being true to them.
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