Authorized By God

Exodus 4:1-17

Forty years before, Moses had attempted to produce changes in Israel’s state by killing an Egyptian overseer. His efforts were viewed as the efforts of a gang leader or crime boss trying to take over a neighborhood, rather than a legitimate effort to help, and were rejected.

“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.” (Exodus 4:1)

Moses had lost the arrogance that he had as a prince of Egypt. He was aware people might see his approach as just another attempt to take over. They were likely to want some assurance that his intentions were legitimate and had some possibility of actually improving things. Too many political leaders set out to accomplish a goal with no clue as to what will be required, and people begin to distrust them.

“And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

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. 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: 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.” (Exodus 4:2-5)

God performed a miracle, changing Moses walking stick into a snake when he threw it on the ground. When he picked it up by the tail it changed back into a stick. Since only God could do this, it would indicate that God had directed Moses. Since the walking stick had been used by Moses for some time there was no question of trickery.

“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. 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. 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.” (Exodus 4:6-8)

Leprosy is not common in the United States, but it was common in that area of the world until just a few years ago. My understanding is that it destroys the nerve endings so the body does not respond naturally to stimuli. In the process, the blood flow and pigmentation are reduced making the skin appear unnaturally white. It was a progressive disease, spreading from one part of the body to another, and there was no cure for the disease, although spontaneous remissions did occasionally occur. Normally it was first identified as just a small white spot and Leviticus 13 gave specific instructions for identifying it.

When Moses placed his hand in his robe and pulled it out white, it clearly indicated an advanced case of a familiar disease. When he put his hand back into his shirt and pulled it out again it was normal. Clearly this was a miraculous sign that would convince many of th people, but some might well consider it some kind of trick.

“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.” (Exodus 4:9)

For those who still didn’t believe, Moses was to take some water from the river and pour it out on the ground. It would become blood on the ground that they could touch and smell. Since they usually butchered their own meat, they would be able to tell the difference between real blood and colored water by the way it coagulated, by the smell, and by the viscosity. It would be very hard to fool these people with a fake blood in such a situation.

“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.” (Exodus 4:10)

Like many others, Moses was concerned that he would not be persuasive enough because he was not an eloquent speaker or quick witted. Many people think that because a person can’t give a quick response off the cuff he doesn’t know what he is talking about. In fact, the quick response is frequently based on a superficial understanding of what is involved. Winning a debate does not make one right.

“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.” (Exodus 4:11-12)

God made the mouth, God made the brain that directs the mouth, and he can direct the thoughts of that mind. He chooses whether we could speak of hear or see, and he decides what needs to be said. The results are not about human logic or psychology or eloquence, but about God’s message. Far too much emphasis is put on the human part rather than on God’s.

“And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

“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. 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. 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. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.” (Exodus 4:13-17)

Not convinced that he was qualified, and not trusting God, Moses still hesitated, asking God to send some one else instead. His lack of faith angered God, but rather than destroying him for it, God gave him what he asked, sending his brother Aaron to do the talking. Aaron would always have to depend on Moses to tell him what God wanted, never having the same relationship himself, but just being Moses’ mouthpiece.

My own father was initially told he shouldn’t become a missionary because he was too old, had too many kids, and didn’t have a good enough education. He did have difficulty raising support, but was responsible for starting more churches among the Navajos than most of the missionaries who’ve tried. Many times we choose men on the basis of education or speaking ability or sophistication and discourage the men God has chosen.

Later Aaron would, acting independently of Moses, just going along with what the people wanted, in direct contradiction to God’s command. Today we see the same thing in many churches, with the emphasis on what the people or the pastor want rather than what God has said. It is why the instructions as to who should be chosen as pastors and leaders in first Timothy 3 and Titus 1are so critical today.