Exodus 4 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Exodus 4

Moses Given Powerful Signs

4:1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you.’” 2 The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the LORD said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—5 “that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the LORD said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.”¹ And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous² like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

10 But Moses said to the LORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” 13 But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” 14 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. 16 He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. 17 And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Returns to Egypt

18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

21 And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, 23 and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”

24 At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. 25 Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’³ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.

27 The LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Footnotes

[1] 4:6 Hebrew into your bosom; also verse 7
[2] 4:6 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
[3] 4:25 Hebrew his

Commentary

v1: Moses was reticent, reflecting his feelings of unworthiness, and his fear of not being accepted by his own people. He had not suffered at the hands of the Egyptians as they had. Yet Moses had a zealous heart, and a real concern for his people; God would honour these attitudes. Moses' question, "What if..?" was graciously answered by God providing a sign.

v2-5: The first sign - the rod turning into a snake.

v2: The rod/staff; a symbol of authority/strength/correction/salvation, 1 Cor 4.21. The shepherd's staff, once released, became out of control; what should be a servant became a master.

We apply this to the servant of God who has to put down what he is doing, so that God calls him afresh to take it up again. Service which is commanded by God will be fruitful and powerful in our hands. We should not grasp anything unless we are so commanded by God. Even the Lord Jesus did not grasp equality with God (Phil 2.6).

v3-4: Moses obeyed immediately, a sign of his meekness. The serpent; a sign of sin/death/destruction - that which was good and useful became something dangerous; in fact Moses actually faced death.

v5: The sign of the staff had a purpose, to establish Moses' authority amongst the elders of the children of Israel.

v6-7: The second sign was that of leprosy, death that can spread. Unless we serve God in His strength, we spread death not life. Moses had already killed a man, and Pharaoh had already sought to kill Moses, so this sign had already been illustrated in Moses' life. Unless we serve in God's strength, we cannot bring hope and life.

v8: A third sign; anticipating their unbelief. The people had suffered years of dreadful treatment, and would take some convincing that better times were ahead.

v9: The third sign, turning water into blood, was only explained. The sign was performed before the Egyptian magicians (7.14-24).

The signs were later performed before the Elders of Israel; see v30.

v10: Moses' reluctance, perhaps indicating a lack of faith; Judg 4.8. Eloquence was never stated to be a quality that the Lord looked for. Moses had not been asked to speak well to the elders. In fact God had already promised that the elders would listen to him (3.18).

v11: All things are subject to God's sovereignty, so His choice remained. He expected obedience and commitment from Moses.

v12: The command and the promise. The command to go. The promise is that God was with him, and that He would teach him what to say.

v13: Moses' refusal and disobedience. In spite of the words from God, Moses became more fearful, asking that someone else do it.

v14: As a result of Moses' attitude, the Lord God was angry. However, Aaron became the solution, as Moses' spokesman. Throughout the time of the plagues, Aaron was with Moses. Moses had not seen Aaron for 40 years; he did not know that he could speak well.

v15: The respective tasks of Moses and Aaron were chosen by God; all that they did and said was to be directed by Him.

v16: Their relationship pictures Christ; Christ the man is Aaron; Christ as God is Moses. They thus had to be together, even as Christ was both God and man.

Aaron as mediator and mouthpiece is both priest and prophet - just as Christ as and is.

v17: Moses had the staff, representing authority, and the power of God to perform miraculous signs. The deliverance of God's people needed both words and power.

v18: Moses returned to Jethro, before returning to Egypt. Moses would return later to Jethro, and find good advice.

v19: The timing of Moses' return was important, as those who wanted to kill him were now dead. In particular, Pharaoh had died (2.23). This meant that Moses could return to Egypt in safety. He was delivered from death, so that many others could be delivered from death.

v20: Moses took the staff of God, no longer just a shepherd's staff, but an important symbol.

v21: The signs were to be shown to Pharaoh, but he would not let the people go. The Lord God would harden his heart, even though mighty signs were demonstrated.

v22-23: If the children of Israel had doubted their preciousness to God, these words would have convinced them. Israel is described as God's son, His first born (see Is 49.15). This truth was to be declared to Pharaoh. In time, the world would see that Israel was God's first born; in time the world shall see that Christ is God's One and Only Son.

Note that the nation of Israel is thus a picture of Christ, rather than of the church. See also Is 5.7; John 15.1. We must be cautious in applying all statements about Israel directly to the church.

v24-26: Moses had omitted to circumcise his son. This was a sign of belonging to the people of God. Moses' omission was serious, inasmuch as the Lord God sought to kill him.

v27-28: Moses' meeting with Aaron.. The Lord had told Aaron to go to meet with Moses; see v14. As promised, Aaron was glad to see Moses.

v29-31: Moses and Aaron, as instructed, went first to the elders of the children of Israel. They had a message to tell, and signs to demonstrate. The elders believed and worshipped.