EXODUS CHAPTER FOUR ------------------- Verse 1, Moses still does not have confidence, which it is good not to have confidence in the flesh, but God had told him what was going to happen and he needed to have confidence in God's word. Notice in the next verse God did not chastise Moses for not having faith. God would give Moses THREE signs. Verses 2-5, The miracle of the rod becoming a serpent as a sign. 1) A practical lesson - Ps 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. God's grace comforts and protects us, but if we cast it to the ground we will be helpless before the devil. 2) doctrinal lesson - Ps 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Also Rev 2:27 The rod speaks of governmental power. Adam had governmental power over all the earth but because of casting God's commandment to the ground, now Satan and the rulers of this world have it, but the coming King will take the serpent by the tail and once more God will rule this world in plain view. 3) value lesson - Notice that God gave Moses power over the serpent as he saw fit. The serpent only had power as long as Moses saw fit. So too Satan only has power as long as God allows him to have power. 4) evangelical message - Moses fled from before the face of the serpent, which shows the utter helplessness of man before Satan. The power over the serpent was placed in the hands of a mediator, Moses. So too, Christ the only mediator between God and men, has power over the devil. 5) Historical significance - From the call of Abraham until a king who knew not Joseph came they were free. But now they were in bondage. The man Moses who would be able to take the serpent by the tail would be the one to break the bondage. 6) dispensational forecast - When Israel, in particular Judah, the ruling tribe, cast their Messiah down, they lost their position of authority. And for these past almost 2000 years they have been prey to the serpent. But one greater than Moses is coming. 7) The typical message - The greatest of all, Christ In Psalm 110:2, the Lord Jesus is called the rod of God. But HOW could Jesus become a serpent? On might ask. Joh 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Compare: Nu 21:8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. So why would God command Moses to make a fiery serpent of brass, not take one of the ones from the ground, and that the people would live if they looked on it. The serpent is connected with the curse and sin. Gen 3. It was the serpent in the garden which enticed man to fall into sin and thereby he inflicted a mortal wound on man. Here we have man being bitten by sin and some have perished and others are perishing. Christ was not that serpent, but He became a curse for us, and he who knew no sin (brass), God made him to be sin for us (serpent), and those who look to Him for salvation will be healed from the bite of sin. Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree: 2Co 5:21 For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Verses 6-8, Notice it was not till Moses put his hand INTO HIS BOSOM that it came out leperous. The hand represents work and energy. The actions of the will. But it was the bosom that caused the hand to be leperous. It is the heart of man that causes the hand to sin. If the hand is to be clean, it must come from a new bosom, so God commands Moses to put his hand back into his bosom and now it is clean. After the heart is changed, the hand comes forth clean. "Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature..." (2Co 5:17). God made man upright and clean. But because of the fall man's heart is defiled. Also a picture of Christ. First Moses, the deliver, was whole, then leperous, and then whole. Christ appeared without sin, became sin and a curse for us, and as the scapegoat carried Israel's sins in type into the wilderness, so too Christ carried our sins away as far as the east is from the west, and now appears whole again. Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. The lepers place was outside the camp, as so too Christ was crucified without the camp. Heb 13:11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. 13 Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Verse 9, The Nile was Egypt's life and that which was their life became death. Ro 7:10 And the commandment, which [was ordained] to life, I found [to be] unto death. Verse 10, Moses thought that he needed to be of eloquent speech. How many of God's men think that they can not do His work because they are not of eloquent speech! 1Co 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: {enticing: or, persuasible} Also the difficulties felt by Moses are the difficulties felt by all of God's called servants at sometime or another. There is also an element of unbelief here. Did not God know of Moses' abilities? He knew more about Moses' ability to speak than Moses did. Had God made a mistake in calling Moses? He never makes mistakes. Verse 11, The LORD rebukes him here by asking a question. As if he did not know about Moses' speech. It was He that made the mouth, the deaf and dumb, the seeing or the blind. We see here an important lesson in SOVEREIGNTY. Not only did God give the speaking mouth, the hearing ear, and the seeing eye, BUT He also by His sovereign will determined the IMPERFECTIONS also. Notice: "who MAKETH the DUMB, or DEAF, or the seeing, or the BLIND? HAVE NOT I the LORD?" Am 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done [it]? Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Verse 12, The LORD commands Moses to go. He will be with him and enable him to speak before Israel and Pharaoh. How much better this should be that the LORD would tell us what to say and we not rely upon our own wisdom. Pink says that too many pulpits have been turned into stages where men may demonstrate their oratorical abilities instead of a place where God's word is simply taught. Verse 13, What Moses is saying here is, "Send anyone, but not me!" Moses' distrust had almost turned to rebellion. How much God puts up with our unbelief. This kindled the anger of the LORD against Moses as we see in the next verse. Verses 14-17, Moses is content to go with another feeble mortal like himself, but not with the all powerful God of heaven. This is fallen human nature. Though God's anger was kindled against Moses, it was tempered by mercy. The Lord Jesus would in the future make propitiation for Moses' sins. Another sign is given to Moses. Aaron shall come forth to meet him when he goes back to Egypt. This could only happen because of an all powerful and all knowing God. Verse 18, Moses shows thoughtfulness toward his father-in-law. It would have been unthankful to just pack up and leave without meeting with his father-in-law. he had given him a place to live, his daughter to be his wife, and Moses had charge over his flock. Notice that Moses makes no mention to Jethro that the LORD had commanded him to go. No assurance that he would bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Was Moses not convinced yet? In the next verse the LORD assures Moses again!!!! Verse 19, Evidently Moses had a fear of the men that had sought his life when he left Egypt 40 years before. Pr 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Verses 20-23, Moses returns to Egypt with his family, his wife and sons, and the rod of God. Moses had now obeyed God's command, but another long neglected matter needed to be attended to before he could act as God's ambassador as we shall see. God informs Moses that he will harden Pharaoh's heart. Again we see God's sovereignty in all matters. The LORD tells Moses what to tell Pharaoh after his heart is hardened, that Israel is His firstborn and if Pharaoh does not let Israel go then God will slay Pharaoh's firstborn son. This Pharaoh did have a son. He is not the same Pharaoh that Moses had fled from. Verses 24-26, Jehovah was about to fulfill his covenant with Abraham, but the sign of that covenant was circumcision, but Moses' son was not and this had Moses left off, probably because of objections by his wife. (see vs 25) It is evident that Moses' wife had objected to the ordinance of God by what happened in verses 25 and 26. Moses must have been held by the angel of the LORD, because after the circumcision was performed by Zipporah, Moses was let go by the LORD (vs 26). We also know from Ex 18:2 that Moses sent his wife back to Jethro. Later Jethro would bring her and her sons into the camp of Israel, after Moses had led them out of Egypt by the hand of the LORD. Verses 27-28, God was working on both ends. On Moses' end and on Aaron's end in Egypt. Aaron goes out to meet Moses just as God had told Moses he would. He was sent out by the LORD. Pink thinks that Aaron was sent out before Moses had actually left for Egypt (see vs 14, "he COMETH forth to meet thee"). Which, if true, shows the power of God in fulfilling His purposes. What if Moses refused to go after God had already sent Aaron out? Aaron meets Moses in "the mount of God." The same place that Jehovah first appeared to Moses. Moses relates to his older (3 years) brother all that God had told him. Verses 29-31, The elders represented the people of Israel. Aaron spoke for Moses, but it must have been Moses that did the signs, because the Lord had told him to put HIS hand into his bosom, etc. The people believed that God had sent Moses, just as God had told Moses (3:18). In 4:1 Moses thought that they would not hear him, but they harkened just as God had said they would. They then worshiped the God of their fathers for remembering the covenant made with them and had looked upon their affliction. He looked upon THEIR affliction. Certainly there were others in the world that were being afflicted, but God looked upon THEIR affliction; the children of the covenant; the chosen nation. De 7:7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye [were] the fewest of all people: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the OATH which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.