Exodus 4:1-9 – Being a vessel in God’s hand

In Exodus 3, Moses’ initial response to the call of God to go and set the people of Israel free was with two questions. Firstly, doubting his own standing he asked: “Who am I?” Then secondly, he wanted to know more about God, so he asked him, “Who are you?” God did not lose his patience with Him, but instead gently disarmed his fear by assuring him of His presence and made known His covenant name to him.

Now here in Exodus 4:1, Moses asked the third question. He wanted to know, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say?” This seems like a very reasonable question for, after all, no one except him saw the burning bush. Besides in his last conversation with a Hebrew recorded in Exodus 2:14, he was asked: “Who made you ruler and judge over us?” The only problem we see in this question is that it directly contradicts what God had already told him in Exodus 3:18. God told him to go to the elders of Israel and tell them that he was sent by God and assured him that the Israelites would listen to him. Moses here leaves us an example that we should not do when God has promised us something in His Word. We must trust Him explicitly.

God’s patience was further demonstrated when He did not chide Moses but instead gave him three visible signs to help him convince the people of God’s power. He began by asking Moses what he had in his hand. “A staff,” Moses replied. The Lord then told him to throw the staff onto the ground and immediately it became a snake. Moses was frightened by it so he ran away from the snake. The Lord told him to grab it by the tail and he did. Immediately it became his staff again. In this God had demonstrated that He could use something as ordinary as a shepherd’s crook and made it into an extraordinary instrument. Moses would eventually use that same staff to open the Red Sea and to bring water out of the rock. This underscores for us that there is no talent too ordinary that God cannot or will not use for His glory. However small we may think our talents are, if we are willing to surrender them to God, He can turn them into an extraordinary instrument for His glory. This first sign was so convincing and it would have been enough, but God did not stop there. He gave Moses two more signs.

In verses 6-7, God gave Moses a second sign. He was told, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom. When he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again. When he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. This second sign was just as miraculous as the first. Leprosy was known to be incurable and infectious. Lepers were expected to live a lonely and secluded life. God knew that a sudden appearance and then disappearance of leprosy on a person’s hand would surely be a convincing sign. It would clearly show that apart from the true God, no one else had the capacity to do that.  

As if two was not enough, God gave him a third one in verse 9. The last sign would eventually be the first plague that was inflicted on the Egyptians. God told Moses, “…you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” God knew that the River Nile was the Egyptians’ source of life. And only God has the ability to deprive them of their source of life. God gave Moses these three signs to authenticate his ministry. Interestingly, God in Exodus 4:1-9 was affirming the principle that any matter should be authenticated by two or three witnesses.   

The rod that Moses held in his hand was something that signified his career. It was an indispensable part of his work. The call to throw down the staff in his hand was a call to yield the one task he thought he was made to do. It was not until he yielded that staff did it become an extraordinary instrument. Similarly, unless we yield whatever we have and hold in our hands, we cannot be God’s effective instrument. Whatever we hold on and not let go will become a liability. Whatever we release to God become a spiritual asset!