4:1Moses’ reluctance and fear were caused by overanticipation. He was worried about how the people might respond to him. We often build up events in our minds and then panic over what might go wrong. God does not ask us to go where he has not provided the means to help. Go where he leads, trusting him to supply courage, confidence, and resources at the right moment.
Life Application Study BibleExodusChapter 4
Exodus 4
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 101, 102, 103
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4Exodus 4
Signs of the LORD’s Power
1But Moses protested again, “What if they won't believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The LORD never appeared to you’?” 2Then the LORD asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd's staff,” Moses replied. 3“Throw it down on the ground,” the LORD told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. 4Then the LORD told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd's staff in his hand. 5“Perform this sign,” the LORD told him. “Then they will believe that the LORD, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.” 3:14 Or I Wit BE WeaT! Wit Be. 3:15 Yahwehis a transliteration of the proper name YHWH that is sometimes rendered 6Jehovah”; in this translation it is usually rendered “the LORD” (note the use of small capitals). 3:19 As in Greek and Latin versions; Hebrew reads will not let you go, not by a mighty hand. 6Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his 4:6 o-40 hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow witha se- 2 Kgs 5:27 vere skin disease.* 7“Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the LORD said. So Moses put 4:7 his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of hisbody. ragaa 8The LORD Said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first mi- Luke 17:12-14 raculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don't believe youorlis- #9 5115.5, ten to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it, out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” 10But Moses pleaded with the Lor, “O LORD, I'm not very good with words. I never have EO. . xod 3:11 been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words Jer 1:6 tangled.” 4:11 get tangie Ps 94:9 Then the LORD asked Moses, 11Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether matt 11:5 people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the LORD? 4:12 12Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” pe O16 20° 13But Moses again pleaded, “LORD, please! Send anyone else.” Mark 13:11 14Then the LORD became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your #4 brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you 4. is now. He will be delighted to see you. 'STalk to him, and put the words inhis mouth. I willbe isa 51:16 with both of youas you speak, and I will instruct you bothin what to do. 16Aaronwillbe your 2 "9 spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God we 1: 18:19-20 for him, telling him what to say. 17And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to per- 4:17 form the miraculous signs I have shown you.” Exod 14:16; 17:9 Moses Returns to Egypt #19 2-16. 23 18Sq Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to myrela- 44. tives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.” Exod 1 8:3 cts 7: “Go in peace,” Jethro replied. 19Before Moses left Midian, the LORD said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who Exod 7:3, 13: 9:12 Deut 2:30 wanted to kill you have died.” Deut tO 20S Moses took his wife and sons, put them ona donkey, and headed back to the landof 4.59 Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God. isa 63:4 6; 64:8 er: 21And the LORD told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform Hos 14:1 all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to Rom 9:4 let the people go. 22Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn eed edi: son. 231 commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, 7:16 I will now kill your firstborn son!’” 4:24 24On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, Nonrei46 the LORD confronted him and was about to kill him. 25But Moses’ wife, Zipporah, took a flint knife and circumcised her son. She touched his feet* with the foreskin and said, “Now you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26(When she said “a bridegroom of blood,” she was referring to the circumcision.) After that, the LORD left him alone. 27Now the LORD had said to Aaron, “Go out into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the mountain of God, and he embraced him. 28Moses then told Aaron everything the LORD had commanded him to say. And he told him about the miraculous signs the LORD had commanded him to perform. 28Then Moses and Aaron returned to Egypt and called all the elders of Israel together. 30Aaron told them everything the LORD had told Moses, and Moses performed the miraculous signs as they watched. 31Then the people of Israel were convinced that the LORD had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Textual footnotes
- 4:6 Or with leprosy. The Hebrew word used here can describe various skin diseases.
- 4:25 The Hebrew word for “feet” may refer here to the male sex organ.
Life Application Notes 9 notes
4:2-4A shepherd’s staff was commonly a three- to six-foot wooden rod with a curved hook at the top. The shepherd used it for walking, guiding his sheep, killing snakes, and many other tasks. Still, it was just a stick. But God used the simple shepherd’s staff Moses carried as a sign to teach him an important lesson. God sometimes takes joy in using ordinary things for extraordinary purposes. What are the ordinary things in your life—your voice, a pen, a hammer, a broom, a musical instrument? While it is easy to assume God can use only special skills, you must not hinder his use of the everyday contributions you can make. Little did Moses imagine the power his simple staff would wield when it became the staff of God.
4:6,7This severe skin disease was leprosy, one of the most feared diseases of this time. There was no cure, and a great deal of suffering preceded eventual death. Through this experience, Moses learned that God could cause or cure any kind of problem. He saw that God indeed had ail power and was commissioning him to exercise that power to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.
4:10-13Moses pleaded with God to let him out of his mission. After all, he was not a good speaker and would probably embarrass both himself and God. But God looked at Moses’ problem quite differently. All Moses needed was some help, and who better than God could help him say and do the right things. God made his mouth and would give him the words to say. It is easy for us to focus on our weaknesses, but if God asks us to do something, then he will help us get the job done. If the job involves some of our weak areas, then we can trust that he will provide words, strength, courage, and ability where needed.
4:14God finally agreed to let Aaron speak for Moses. Moses’ feelings of inadequacy were so strong that he could not trust even God's ability to help him. Moses had to deal with his deep sense of inadequacy many times. When we face difficult or frightening situations, we must be willing to let God help us.
4:16The phrase “you will stand in the place of God for him” means that Moses would tell Aaron what to say as God was telling him.
4:17-20Moses clung tightly to the shepherd's staff as he left for Egypt to face the greatest challenge of his life. The staff was his assurance of God’s presence and power. When feeling uncertain, some people need something to stabilize and reassure them. For assurance when facing great trials, God has given promises from his Word and'examples from great heroes of faith. Any Christian may cling tightly to these. As we grow in faith, we will outgrow our need for physical or temporary assurances and be able to trust God's Word alone.
4:17-21Against Pharaoh’s orders, the midwives spared the Hebrew babies. Their faith in God gave them the courage to take a stand for what they knew was right. In this situation, disobeying the authority was proper. God does not expect us to obey those in authority when they ask us to disobey him or his Word. The Bible is filled with examples of those who were willing to sacrifice their very lives in order to obey God or save others. Esther and Mordecai (Esther 3:2; 4:13-16) and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:16-18) are some of the people who took a bald stand for what was right. Whole nations can be caught up in immorality (racial hatred, slavery, prison cruelty); thus following the majority or the authority is not always right. Whenever we are ordered to disobey God's Word, we must “obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29).
4:24-26God was about to kill Moses because Moses had not circumcised his son. Why hadn't Moses done this? Remember that Moses had spent half his life in Pharaoh’s palace and half his life in the Midianite wilderness. He might not have been too familiar with God’s laws, especially since all the requirements of God’s covenant with Israel (Genesis 17) had not been actively carried out for over 400 years. In addition, Moses’ wife, due to her Midianite background, may have opposed circumcision. But Moses could not effectively serve as deliverer of God’s people until he had fulfilled the conditions of God’s covenant, and one of those conditions was circumcision. Before they could go any
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farther, Moses and his family had to follow God's commands completely. Under Old Testament law, failing to circumcise your son was to remove yourself and your family from God’s blessings. Moses learned that disobeying God was even more dangerous than tangling with an Egyptian pharaoh. 4:25, 26 Why did Zipporah perform the circumcision? It may have been Zipporah who, as a Midianite unfamiliar with the circumcision requirement, had persuaded Moses not to circumcise their son. If she prevented the action, now she would have to perform it. It is also possible that Moses became ill as a result of permitting disobedience, and so Zipporah had to perform the circumcision herself to save both her husband and son. This would not have made her happy—hence, her unflattering comment to Moses. 5:1, 2 Pharaoh was familiar with many gods (Egypt was filled with them), but he had never heard of the God of Israel. Pharaoh assumed that the God of the Hebrew slaves couldn't be very powerful. At first, Pharaoh was not at all worried about Moses’ message, for he had not yet seen any evidence of the LORD’s power. §:3 Pharaoh would not listen to Moses and Aaron because he did not know or respect God. People who do not know God may not listen to his Word or his messengers. Like Moses and Aaron, we need to persist. When others reject you or your faith, don’t be surprised or discouraged. Continue to tell them about God, trusting him to open minds and soften stubborn hearts. 5:4-9 Moses and Aaron took their message to Pharaoh just as God directed. The unhappy result was harder work and more oppression for the Hebrews. Sometimes hardship comes as a result of obeying God. Are you following God but still suffering—
or suffering even worse than before? If your life is miserable, don’t assume you have fallen out of God's favor. You may be suffering for doing good in an evil world. 5:7, 8 Mixing straw with mud made bricks stronger and more durable. Pharaoh had supplied the slaves with straw, but now he made them find their own straw and keep up their production quota as well. re = MOOS PETUDAS
MOSES RETURNS TO EGYPT God appeared to Moses in a mysterious burning bush on Mount Sinai. Later Aaron met Moses at the mountain, and together they returned to Egypt, a 200-mile trip.
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