Meditations in Exodus
In Exodus 3:16-17 the Lord God instructed Moses to go unto and gather together the elders of Israel and to deliver the Lord’s message of deliverance unto them. Yet three times throughout Exodus 4:1-13, we find Moses questioning the Lord. First, Moses questioned the Lord’s Word unto him. In the opening line of Exodus 3:18, the Lord God declared, “And they shall hearken to thy voice.” Yet Exodus 4:1 declares, “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.” Second, Moses questioned the Lord’s work through him. In Exodus 4:2-9 the Lord God granted unto Moses a series of miraculous signs whereby he could validate the Lord’s message to the elders of Israel. Yet Exodus 4:10 declares, “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Third, Moses questioned the Lord’s wisdom in choosing him. In Exodus 4:12 the Lord God gave His assurance unto Moses, saying, “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Yet Exodus 4:13 reveals Moses response, “And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.”
Thus Exodus 4:14 begins with the statement, “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses.” However, throughout this discussion with Moses, and even after His anger “was kindled against Moses,” the Lord God continued to demonstrate the abundance of His grace unto Moses.
In Exodus 3:16-17 the Lord God instructed Moses to go unto and gather together the elders of Israel and to deliver the Lord’s message of deliverance unto them. Yet three times throughout Exodus 4:1-13, we find Moses questioning the Lord. First, Moses questioned the Lord’s Word unto him. In the opening line of Exodus 3:18, the Lord God declared, “And they shall hearken to thy voice.” Yet Exodus 4:1 declares, “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.” Second, Moses questioned the Lord’s work through him. In Exodus 4:2-9 the Lord God granted unto Moses a series of miraculous signs whereby he could validate the Lord’s message to the elders of Israel. Yet Exodus 4:10 declares, “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” Third, Moses questioned the Lord’s wisdom in choosing him. In Exodus 4:12 the Lord God gave His assurance unto Moses, saying, “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” Yet Exodus 4:13 reveals Moses response, “And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.”
Thus Exodus 4:14 begins with the statement, “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses.” However, throughout this discussion with Moses, and even after His anger “was kindled against Moses,” the Lord God continued to demonstrate the abundance of His grace unto Moses.
Indeed, after the Lord God had proclaimed His call upon Moses in Exodus 3:9-10, Moses presented his first question – “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” In answer to this question, the Lord God graciously gave the assurance of His presence through the opening line of Exodus 3:12 – “And he said, Certainly I will be with thee.”
Then in Exodus 3:13 Moses presented his second question – “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?” In answer to this question, the Lord God graciously gave the memorial of His name through the declaration of Exodus 3:14-15 – “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
Furthermore, through the declaration of Exodus 3: 19-22, the Lord God graciously gave the foundation of His promise concerning powerful deliverance and profitable favor for His people Israel – “And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: but every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.”
Yet in Exodus 4:1 Moses expressed his spirit of doubt against the Lord’s Word to him – “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.” In answer to this doubt, the Lord God graciously provided a series of miraculous signs and declared in Exodus 4:8, “And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.”
Yet in Exodus 4:10 Moses expressed his spirit of doubt against the Lord’s work through him – “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.” In answer to this doubt, the Lord God confronted Moses’ lack of faith through the questions of Exodus 4:11 and then graciously provided the assurance of His all-sufficient help through the declaration of Exodus 4:12 – “And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”
Yet in Exodus 4:13 Moses expressed his spirit of doubt against the Lord’s wisdom in choosing him – ““Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” In answer to this doubt, the Lord God’s anger was indeed kindled against Moses. Yet even in the midst of His anger, the Lord God graciously provided a helper for Moses and graciously repeated His assurance to help Moses – “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.”
Thus throughout this entire account, we observe the abundance of the Lord God’s grace unto Moses –
1. “Certainly I will be with thee.”
2. “I AM THAT I AM.” “This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
3. “And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof.”
4. “And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians.”
5. “And I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”
6. “And I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.”
7. “And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.”
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