God seeks to kill Moses (Exo 4:24)

"And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him." (Ex.4:24)
~Even Moses was not indispensable, despite his burning bush experience and the clear call to mission. God has no use for any vessel that is slack and careless to observe what He has already clearly revealed in His word.

The Call of Moses: Exo 4:13-17

Exo 4:13 - "O Lord, please send someone else to do it".
How easy to say "No" and forego all hassles of mission! Moses recognized very well that the call of God involved a huge responsibility. Nobody likes to choose the complicated and risky road. Most Christians harbor a particular sense of happiness that it is not they who are out there in the difficult fields of missions. They are satisfied that they give some money or send some goods to help the missionaries out there. It always looks alright as long as it is not they but "someone else" out there. There are some who don't even give a dime to missions. They lack both vision and passion.

It seems that Moses too was very disconnected from the concern and passion of God's heart. He doesn't seem to feel the same way that God feels for them. But, God knows that this is the man who one day would intercede and cry out to God for the Israelites saying, "Blot me out, but spare them!" God knows whom He has chosen though His chosen vessel is still very unwilling when He calls. So, when Moses prays to God to send someone else, God doesn't grant his request. How many times have you been grateful that God hadn't granted your foolish prayers? 

Everyone has a call in his/her life. It may not be to Africa, Asia, or South America, but it is a call nevertheless, whether it be to serve, to lead, to give, or to do anything Christ's work calls for. Sometimes, what He asks us for may look too difficult and unwanted a task. But, we must be thankful that He chose us for it, among all, and we must say "Yes" to the Lord. Remember that it is He who first said "Yes" for us; He didn't say, "Send someone else", but He said, "Here I am, I come to do Your will!" (Heb.10:9)

Exo 4:14 - "Aaron..." Moses felt that he was all alone in this deliverance mission. He must have felt alone, with regard to this, since the time he had been rejected by his people some 40 years ago. At that time, his rejection meant also rejection by Egypt. He tried to save a Hebrew by killing an Egyptian, and when the Hebrews rejected him, he realized he belonged to no one there. But, God reminds him that he has a brother, Aaron. Some think that his name means mountain-like strength; others think it means illuminator. I think in a way he was both, despite his imperfections. And Moses needed him. Moses might have felt rejected by some; but to be rejected and to feel rejected are two different things; the former may be an incident, the latter, a choice. And, then rejection is never universal. One always has someone that will be happy to see him/her. Moses had Aaron his brother.

It is interesting that, as a principle, Jesus never encouraged mission to be a lonely task. Of course, there are times of being alone, but that doesn't mean God wants us to be alone in the work. Therefore, He brings together a team. He had His twelve and He sent His disciples two by two. Paul always preferred a team. Moses was not aware, but God had already chosen Aaron to be on his way to meet Moses before He began speaking to Moses. When God calls a man, He does it because it is time and He has already arranged all things for this moment.

Exo 4:15 -  "you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth." Moses had to speak anyway, and God knew that his confidence to speak would not fail before Aaron; he only had a problem with the others. But, in time that would also change and Moses would boldly speak. In process of time, this self-judgment of Moses, that he could not speak, would be overcome. But, aren't we grateful that God didn't wait for Moses to become homiletically proficient before He called him? How often we judge a preacher by his rhetoric abilities and are blind to the call of God over his life? Nevertheless, here, though Aaron was the one who could speak well, Moses was chosen to put the words in his mouth.

"And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do." God spells it out clearly that Moses is the leader. Yet, he is not a leader in his own capacity; he must only do what God will teach him to do. Of course, Moses could not do anything now unless he heard from God. But, sadly, towards the end of his journey Moses failed to meticulously obey and demonstrate his reliance on God at the waters of Meribah. God told him to speak to the rock and he struck it shouting "Should WE bring you out water from the rock?" He had by then somehow forgotten that it was not they but Christ that was to be glorified. So, God rebuked him. But, at the burning bush now, it was different. (Note: this burning bush would become a mountain enveloping fire in Exodus 19). God promises to teach Moses what he had to do.

But, at the same time, God would also be with the mouth of Aaron. Aaron was not a secondary team member. God had a purpose for him as well, an individual call. He was to become the high priest. But, he was also called to be submissive to Moses. Yet, he had a distinct call that he could not fulfill on his own. Every member in the mission team is individually a partner of God in the work; the cloven tongues of fire divide equally and sit on the head of each disciple. Even the deacons in Acts 6 had to be Spirit-filled. They were not exempted from the Spirit. Christ is the Head of all ultimately. We are members of His body (1Cor.12). Aaron needed God to be with his mouth in order to be a spokesman for Moses.

Also Aaron could not speak unless Moses had put the words in his mouth; similarly, not everyone is an apostle or teacher in the body. The mission team is not a disordered body where everyone is an eye or ear. They have different roles and places, and each is called to walk in accordance to his calling. Paul dealt with this issue several times, where people began considering themselves spiritually independent of all authority. It led to disorder and hindered growth. Peter called the separators who despised authority as carnal slaves of flesh. They were not spiritual. The missionary cannot partner with carnal people, even if these be rich or influential. He must be spiritual and ready to see divine connections, people that God brings into his life, even if these people are poor and weak by human standards. Like Samuel learned it, we must learn not to judge by human appearance but by the anointing of God over lives. Many times it is the smart, rich, and strong, that we have great hopes for, that fail and hurt. But, many a leader has to regret for despising God's truly chosen vessels. I think even Paul didn't make a wise decision when he separated from Barnabas over Mark, because Mark had left them half-way earlier. But, Barnabas was not willing to let go off Mark. Aren't we grateful for that? God had chosen Mark to write the Gospel according to Mark, an amazing Gospel of Action.

It is sinful to monopolize ministry as if God has chosen only one guy who sits on the top. God had chosen Aaron as well as Moses. However, Aaron had to know and abide in his calling even as Moses had to abide in his own, as far as authority and leadership was concerned.

Exo. 4:16 - "you shall be to him as God." Moses is not God but to rebel against Moses would mean to rebel against God. This, God did affirm many times during the journey of Israel. When Korah and his defection rebelled, God struck them. Even in the NT, when Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter, it was a lie not against men but against God, because when it came to the matter of authority, God's order of authority is never compromised.

Exo 4:17 - "rod" The rod was a shepherd's rod. It would remind Moses of many things, including this burning bush experience. It would also remind him that Moses was still a shepherd, but now shepherd of God's flock. However, this was not a magic rod. The rod had no power of its own, apart from the commandment of God. Yet, Moses could say, "This was all I had with me when God called me to His great work." For, it is not by funds or by diplomacy, but only by the Spirit of God that one can be a witness of Christ to the uttermost parts of the earth. To lead Israel out of Egypt into Canaan was no small task. Modern missiologists might calculate it as a multi-billion project. But, God tells Moses to just take his rod. What is my rod?

The Call of Moses: Exodus 4:10-12

Exo 4:10 - "I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant..."

It is interesting to note, by the way, that in verse 10, Moses has begun to see God as "my Lord" and himself as "Your servant."

"I am not eloquent..." There are at least three ways in which this excuse has been interpreted by commentators. The first that Moses had some natural disability that made it difficult for him to communicate fluently. He got easily tongue-tied and tangled when trying to speak (NLT). But, Moses is not just worried that he is not eloquent, he observes that he is not eloquent even after God had started speaking to him and shown him these amazing signs ("nor since You have spoken to Your servant"). It seems he is saying, "Lord, it's okay with these external signs, but what about my own disability, my own thorn in the flesh?" We are not told if Moses was ever healed of this disability, if there was one. But, it is worth noting that what Moses considered to be a hindrance, a problem, and a disqualifier is not considered a problem at all by God. I remember the story of Smith Wigglesworth whom God used to deliver many people from sin, diseases, demons, and even death; how he used to travel around with his daughter, Alice, who had a hearing problem and had to use a "hearing horn" (a hearing aid). Once somebody shouted out to him and asked, "Wigglesworth, if you are such a healer in the power of God, then why does your daughter need a hearing horn?" Unshaken, Wigglesworth answered “When you can tell me why Elijah was bald, I’ll tell you why Alice needs a hearing horn.”¹ The man of God is not shaken by the fact that he has a disability in the flesh that God hasn't miraculously healed. In anyway, whatever, this disability is not a hindrance to obeying the call of God.

But, there is a second way of interpreting this excuse. Some think that Moses was not able to eloquently speak, in the technical sense of eloquence. He was not an orator, neither naturally nor by practice. He was not at all good in the art of persuasion. He was a rhetoric failure. That may be one reason why he raises the concern again when the Israelites reject him, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?" (Exo 6:12 NIV). But, Moses had to learn what Paul understood when it came to preaching the Gospel,

And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God." (1Co 2:1-4)
For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive, and his speech contemptible. Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present. (2Co 10:10-11)
But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things." (2Co 11:6)

Paul knew that this was no human mission, this was no human calling; and, when God calls and when God sends, human methods have no significance before the power of God. There is a story about D.L. Moody, who after his preaching was countered by a certain gentleman who tried to point out several grammatical mistakes in the preaching of Moody. Moody only asked back in answer, "That’s all right, brother. What little grammar I have, I use for the Lord Jesus Christ. What do you do with yours?"

Thirdly, some have seen it as Moses' inability to communicate fluently anymore in the Egyptian language, after having not used this language for about 40 years in the wilderness. If he can't speak the Egyptian language fluently, and could look archaic and comical in his communication, how could he authoritatively speak before the Egyptians, especially Pharaoh? Doesn't that seem to be a very poignant question? What would it look like to go to a foreign land and try to speak of God and His salvation when the missionary is not very fluent in the local tongue or dialect, as elite fluency may be considered? In one way, Moses seems puzzled that God should choose him when there were better people, as he thought, who were great orators and had strong confidence. Also, now he was 80 years old. But, God rules out all the disability, inability excuses as invalid; in fact, He ruled them out all as invalid before He called out Moses.

Exo 4:11 - "Who gave man his mouth?..." God knew Moses better than Moses knew himself. 

Often times, we behave with God as if He is doing things without knowing anything about us properly. Sometimes, this lands us in false self-pity that helps nothing. The servant of God must be confident that God sees all, knows all, and that God does what He wishes. The clay cannot say to the Maker, "What are you doing?"

Exo 4:12 - "I will be with your mouth and teach you.." Another promise. He will not only go with him but also speak through him. The same is promised in a much intimate way to the disciple. Jesus is with the Gospel bearer, He works through him, and through the Spirit teaches and gives what the disciple must speak.

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¹The quote seems to mistake Elisha for Elijah in Smith Wigglesworth on Prayer, Power, and Miracles, compiled by Roberts Liardon, p.9. In the Biblical narrative, it is not Elijah but Elisha who was bald.

The Call of Moses: Exo 4:6-9

Exo 4:6-8 - It is interesting to see that all the three signs that God gave to Moses had symbolic affinities to the redemptive plan of God. The rod and the serpent, the leprous hand, water and blood, all these speak of human sin and divine redemption. I don't think this was accidental. But, what is more striking is the direct literal experience of Moses.

In this second sign, Moses' hand turns leprous, then is healed again. Leprosy was considered unclean in those days. It carried stigma and reproach. It was physically contagious and a threat to society. It symbolized hopeless alienation. Here, Moses experiences becoming unclean (of leprosy) and then becoming clean (through healing) in a moment. He becomes suddenly a man of reproach and then is restored to honour. In an instant, he becomes an outcaste and then is healed to be included. What went through the mind of Moses in the instant he took his hand out of his bosom and saw that he was now a leper? What went through his mind when he put it back in his bosom and took it out to see he was healed?

I think it is more like an internal catharsis, purging. This shocking moment of sudden pain should have freed him and healed him of his 40 years of guilt-ridden, reproach-filled life. His sudden intense experience of reproach and restoration, in a moment, must have delivered him from any sense of godless self-reproach.

It is interesting to see the divine move from rod to hand in sequence to the question, "What is in your hand?" For, even if Moses didn't have the rod, he had hands for God to use. No excuse is excuse enough before God.

Also, God's sovereignty is manifest here. We don't maintain as some of our brethren do that God's sovereignty includes human errors, that the sin of man was not beyond the sovereignty of God. We certainly believe that God is not the author of sin. But, at the same time we also know that the God who condemns us by the Law is also the God who has provided for us a way to be justified and be declared as clean in His sight by His grace.

The man called by God is clean, holy, and separated for the service of God; therefore, the missionary can say with Paul, "I labored... yet, not I but the grace of God that was with me." (1Cor.15:10).

Exo 4:9 - This was not the miracle of the plague that God intended for Egypt. In the plague, Moses had to strike the water with his rod (Exo.7:17); but, here he is told to take the water of the river and pour it on dry land, turning that water into blood. This sign is different from the first two in that it is a sign which is not exemplified here. In the former case, the rod was turned into a serpent and Moses' hand did become leprous as an example and proof of what God was about to do. However, turning water into blood is not given as an example. Of course, in one way, because the sign pertained to the Egyptian river. But, then, God didn't use an example of any water (say the bag of water Moses may have had) to illustrate the miracle. It seems that by this point, after the first two miracles, God is expecting Moses to move forward in faith with regard to the third. Also, this is the sealing miracle: it would be impossible for the people to not believe that God had appeared to Moses when Moses would have challenged the host of Egyptian poly-deities by turning the water of Nile into blood. The God who could challenge Nile (considered to be the source of all life) could not be just any Egyptian God; He had to be the God of Israel. The general and natural belief is that the water of the river, when it fell on the ground, made the ground fertile. Hapi (god of floods) was important to the Egyptians; for, the annual floods brought fertile soil. But, Moses was to take that same water and pour it on to the ground, turning the water into blood. In other words, the water that was considered to be life-giving now spelled death. This is not just a sign anymore, it is a proof of an anti-thesis; a proof of battle; a proof of conflict. The God of Israel was not actually the God who was sympathetic to the Egyptian gods. But, to challenge the Nile also meant to channel the life-source power of Egypt; to assert the supremacy of God's Kingdom over the powers of Egypt.

The missionary, on a deliverance mission, is not for a holiday trip; he is out for a spiritual battle, he is a challenge to the forces of darkness that hold humans in captivity (Eph.6:12; Exo.8:9; Lk.11:20). The missionary doesn't tackle pluralism by making the Gospel palatable to the poly-deities; the missionary speaks the truth in love (Eph.4:15) and brings all thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2Cor.10:5).

We are told that Moses did show these signs to the children of Israel when he and Aaron reached there (Exo 4:30) and they believed, though not for long.

The Call of Moses: Exodus 4:1-5

Exo.4:1 - Faith is integral to the mission-task. Faith in God is primary to Mission; whether people will believe or not is not what the missionary should worry about. Of course their unbelief is a hindrance to their salvation; but, the missionary is called first to begin with faith in God and must not allow fear of human rejection to prevent him from obeying the divine commission.

Also, God's missionary is not worried about credentials, recognition, security, and human support. The Call is his motivation, his direction, his qualification, his identity, and his goal. (Phil.3:13,14). A man recognized by God needs no recognition from men (Gal.2:6). He calls men to belief, but his calling is not affected by their response.

"Suppose..." This is Moses' lack of confidence in himself, which is good in a way because our confidence must be in God and not in flesh; however, here, Moses has not yet been able to replace lack of confidence in self with confidence in God. He is troubled by his low self-image because he is still not able to derive his identity from his relationship with God. While humility and meekness is a great virtue (for self-emptying allows God to fully work through our lives), self-humiliation and poor self-image that proceeds from not taking God into account can hinder a person from obeying God fully.

Also, Moses seems to feel very much unqualified for the task that God is calling him to. As much as we understand, Moses knew the Egyptians and also he knew the Israelites very well (Acts 7:21,22; Heb.11:24-27). God's task was not just to deliver out a people; it was to lead them, to bring them to the Promised Land. Any expert in politics will understand that to lead a people who have been in bondage for 4 centuries; to organize, to convince them to obey, and that without force or power (or by vile means of deception), was not humanly possible. Also, to convince the Egyptians to let these slaves go was a task equally difficult. And then, why should the people believe the words of Moses? Jonah didn't ask that question. He knew that if God was sending him, what mattered was whether people believed his words or not; and if they believed, they were going to repent and be saved; so, he fled because he didn't want God to have mercy on the Ninevites. In Moses' case, however, it seems to have been different. It seems that Moses, because of his experience in the past, knew that these people were a generation of unbelievers (Acts 7:27,28, 35,36,39,51) and the mission of salvation could not be accomplished if the word was not received with faith (Num 14:11; Heb.4:1,2; 3:16-19; Jude 1:5; 2Chr.20:20). The objective work of God must be received subjectively by the free exercise of faith. Unbelief is the barrier to Mission.

But, more definitely, Moses was thinking that there was nothing to back his claim to have listened from God. What if they said that Moses did not hear from God? How would he be able to convince them? Contrast this to the approach of Jesus: Jn.5:23-24, 30, 36,37,38; 6:44; 8:16,18,29,42; 10:36-38; 12:47-50; 20:21-22).

Exo.4:2 - God answers by granting Moses three signs to perform that He said would unquestionably convince the people that Moses was sent by God. First, he asks him what is in his hand. Moses replies, "A rod." The rod becomes God's first sign. In fact, it is a living sign; for the rod that became a snake becomes a rod again and would become a snake again if the people wouldn't believe. The rod was no longer a dead wood.

Also, there was a possessive transformation in the rod that till now belonged to Moses. In Exo.4:17, this rod is assigned a place in the mission-task; in Exo.4:20, it is referred to, henceforth, as "the rod of God".

When God calls a person, He takes all that belongs to him; he is no longer his own, all that he is and all that he has belongs to Christ.

Exo 4:3 - God's missionary has to learn to leave his false sense of security behind; he has only one security: God.

Moses felt very insecure about himself when God told him to go to Egypt. Here, in the wilderness, he felt secure with his rod in hand. He used this rod to protect himself and his sheep. The rod was a symbol of security to him. But, God tells him to cast it down. And, when he does that the rod becomes a serpent, the very opposite of security. Earlier, if Moses would have seen a snake, he would have killed it with his rod; but, what would you do when your only source of security becomes a threat? Moses fled from it.

Firstly, we can't just stay anywhere or go anywhere else and still be secure if we have rejected the will of God. If God desires me to go to Nineveh, and I think Nineveh is violent and dangerous, Tarshish can never be more secure.

Secondly, unless I let go off my present securities for Christ, I can never serve Him. Peter had to leave his secure business in order to become a fisher of men. But, before that he had an experience of true security in Christ that he never could forget--the fruitless toil of the night and the miracle of the fish catch at Jesus' command. Their business had loss risks, but with Jesus supernatural provision is assured. Jesus told the disciples whom He sent to carry neither purse nor extra baggage. In other words, He wanted them to learn that God's ministry can only be done with resources provided by God.

What is this rod that I think gives me security greater than God? What is this rod that I need to cast to the ground in order for it to become the rod of God?

Exo 4:4 God wants us to take hold of our object of fear by its tail. That is not the worldly way of doing it. That is foolishness in the world's eyes. You don't catch a serpent by its tail; you have to nib its head, demobilize it or crush it. But, God tells Moses to grab the serpent by its tail. Why? Because God holds the serpent's head. The serpent cannot harm the believer (Mark 16:17).

God doesn't rebuke Moses for his fear. God helps him overcome it. After this episode, Moses will never fear serpents. He is also going to overcome an inner fear more vicious than the external one. God's first sign addresses the problem of Moses' fear. I think it is a sign more useful for Moses than for the Israelites or for Pharaoh; for, Moses has to learn that God holds the head of our object of fear so that fear can have no power over us.

Exo 4:5 - Fearlessness is the primary virtue of the missionary. Fearlessness, courage, or boldness is an attribute of faith, hope, and love. The one who has faith doesn't fear because he knows the truth. The one who loves doesn't fear because love gives a person confidence before the beloved. This love is not that carnal love that is afraid of rejection and so is slavish. The love of God fearlessly and freely loves; the only fear is not of being hurt but of hurting (filial fear). Similarly, the one who has hope cannot fear because the future is not dark for him anymore. He has light, the light that hope lights in the darkness. Thus, the man of God is fearless with regard to the present and the future.

"The God of Abraham...." the only God who has ultimate creative power. The One who created the world can also turn a rod into a snake, a real snake that would eat up snakes of the Egyptian magicians. But, more specifically He is the God of Covenant, not a God that a tribe chose, but the God who chose the tribe and created her. He alone is worthy and able to redeem her.

In the NT,  it is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without the New Covenant of Christ, NT mission would have been impossible. Because Christ died, He is the Redeemer of the new Israel; but, as it was in the old so also in the new, only those who believe will enter the rest.

There is a Past rootedness (God of....), Present mission, and a Future vision (the Land).