The Exodus – Part 6
Signs for Moses
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
· The Book of Genesis
· The Book of Exodus (Between years 2368-2448 or 1400 – 1320 B.C.)
· Introduction
· Israelite’s Oppression
· The Birth of Moses
· Moses Flees to Midian
· Moses and the Burning Bush
· Signs for Moses
INTRODUCTION
Last week we read about Moses seeing a burning bush afar off and going to examine it finding it was the Lord. The Lord instructs Moses to go to the Pharaoh and tell him to let God’s people go from the bondage of slavery to Egypt.
You would think that Pharaoh would agree and say yes because they hated the Hebrews, however, they loved free labor and had the Hebrews build Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
In the previous chapter when God instructs Moses in what to say and to whom to say it, Moses only responds with negativity and doubt.
Exodus 3:11 “Who am I to go to Pharaoh?”, to which God answers, I will be with you.
Exodus 3:13 “What if they ask what your name is?” and God answers, I am who I am.
This is where we pick up in Exodus 4
SCRIPTURE READING
Exodus 4
“Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”
2 Then the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
“A staff,” he replied. 3 The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.”
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 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. 5 “This,” said the Lord, “is so 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 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[a]—it had become as white as snow.
7 “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.
8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 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.”
TODAY’S MESSAGE
I. GOD CALLS MAN AND MAN RESPONDS
a. What if they don’t believe me
i. What does this have to do with your obedience?
ii. God didn’t tell Moses, make them believe.
b. What if they don’t listen
i. What does this have to do with your obedience?
ii. No one can “make” anyone listen if they don’t want to.
c. What if they say, The Lord didn’t appear to you
i. What does this have to do with obedience?
ii. Others doubts have no bearing on the reality and truth of God’s Word.
ILLUSTRATION
Jesus says in Matthew 13:3-9 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Jesus then tells them what the parable means in Matthew 13:18-23
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
We are called by God to obedience which unlocks all the blessings and benefits of God’s Kingdom including the gifts, fruits, Whole Armor of God, etc. What does or does not take place from us obeying is between them and God.
II. GOD GIVES THOSE CALLED SIGNS
a. Casting the staff to the ground it becomes a snake
i. First, a sign to Moses for encouragement
ii. Then, a sign to the Egyptians as proof that God sent Moses
iii. This sign was Moses was going up against Satan and the powers of darkness. When he picked the venomous serpent up, it turned back into a stick.
1. God was ensuring Moses that he would have power over the dark forces of evil and Satan’s powers.
b. Draw your hand from your cloak it becomes leprous then healed
i. Another sign to encourage Moses and later prove to the Egyptians God sent Moses
ii. Putting his hand into his cloak was symbolic of man’s inner being revealed as leprosy, sinful in nature, and only curable by God returning us to “flesh”
iii. Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,”
c. Pouring water from the Nile onto dry land becomes blood
i. Three assurances to Moses’ three doubts, and three pieces of evidence for the Egyptians
ii. Moses resists God three times and is reassured three times
In Matthew 26:31-35 we read about Peter denying Christ three times. The Lord responded to him three times in John 21:15-25 asking Peter, “Do you love me?”
We have our doubts and fears, and when God calls us, commands us, instructs us, leads us, He is often met with these fears and doubts.
Thomas was referred to as “doubting Thomas” because he couldn’t believe or wrap his head around how Jesus could be alive after being crucified. This is somewhat of an unfair title, considering doubting resurrection seems to make more sense than doubting or denying you know Jesus, or being told to do something and doubting it will work out, even though the Lord is the one telling you to do it.
There is doubt and fear in every single man, woman, and child and we should all be called doubting Thomas’ but blessed are those who ignore their fears and doubts and trust in the Lord and His Word.
Unlike Peter, who accepts the Lord’s three responses to his denials, Moses gets three responses to his doubts and fears but reiterates to the Lord his doubts and fears.
The ONLY answer to Satan (the serpent) and the result of him (man’s sin state – leprous hand) is blood!
The blood of Christ, symbolized here by the “pouring out”
God was not really speaking to Moses and the Pharaoh as much a directly to Satan and his kingdom!
Satan was ruling the world and corrupting man, keeping them enslaved to the bondage of sin, but the Lord was reminding Satan that the pouring out of His blood was coming soon and that bondage would be broken, and man would once again be made whole by the atoning blood of Christ Jesus!
III. MAN IS FULL OF EXCUSES
a. But I am slow of speech and tongue
i. Who asked you to talk fast or eloquently?
ii. It’s not like God couldn’t heal Moses of his speech or eloquence…
iii. Those make no difference to the Truth.
iv.
I Corinthians 1:27 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the
wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the
things which are mighty;”
b. Please send someone else
i. Oh, we instruct God now? We tell the Creator of the universe what His best interest is and that He made a mistake calling you?
c. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses
i. Moses would rather lean on his brother Aaron than God Himself.
ii. Arron was not much of a help to him, remember, they day Moses turned his back Aaron made a golden calf
CONCLUSION
Exodus 4:14b-17 “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.”
Your brother speaks well. I will help both of you speak and teach you what to do.
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.
The Lord is being sarcastic here. He is not implying Moses is God or a god, rather, “OK Moses, you be the middleman of speech then.”
NEXT WEEK
Moses returns to Egypt
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