Exodus 4:21-26 – Let’s align our conscience and responsibility

God has set in motion natural laws so that the universe can operate normally day to day. But there will be times when He will break into a circumstance and with a miracle, change the order and make life better for someone or some people. In the earlier verses, we saw how Moses was granted three signs to convince him of God’s ability to deliver the people. He was asked to throw the staff he held in his hand and when he did so, it became a snake. And when he was told to catch it by the tail, it turned back into a snake. He was told to put his hand into his breast under his clothes, that hand was immediately inflicted with leprosy. When he put it in again the second time, that hand inflicted by leprosy was healed immediately. The third sign God gave him was by turning the water of the River Nile into a river of blood. Moses was told to perform the same signs not only to convince the Israelites but also to harden the heart of Pharaoh. Verse 23 gives us an indication of what the final outcome of Moses’ rescue operation would be. Here we learn something about signs and wonders. They are given to authenticate God’s ownership of everything and to help convince people of the reality of God. They are not given for showmanship. Signs and wonders are given to show that God is sovereign and He has control over everything.

Next, we must deal with Pharaoh’s hardened heart. Was it God who had hardened his heart or was it Pharaoh himself who had hardened his own heart? If it was God, it would seem unfair to Pharaoh. It would appear as if he did not have a choice for it was God who had hardened his heart and infringed on his free will. The simple answer is this: God had simply facilitated the hardening of his heart which Pharaoh himself had initiated. He repeatedly refused to go along with God to a point where his own conscience had become rendered incapable to respond to God. This can happen to us too. When God shows us something totally wrong in our life and we persistently refuse to deal with it. When that happens once too often, our conscience will so harden that we will be rendered incapable to respond to God. The best prevention is always to trust and obey God immediately.  

In verses 24-26, we see an incident where God disciplined Moses. It calls attention to the needs of God’s servant and his family to be in covenant obedience to God. One of God’s sign for His covenant people was circumcision. Moses apparently did not circumcise his son. So, God came that night and threatened to take away His life. His wife, Zipporah immediately could identify the root of the problem. So, she took matters into her own hand, circumcised their elder’s son and save Moses from the divine discipline. The way she went about it so grudgingly implies that she could be the one resisting the rite at first. This is a lesson for us fathers. We must set our home aright if we desire to be effective in ministry. As heads of our home, we are responsible to set our home in order. God will hold us accountable for the orderliness of our home. Nothing should absolve us from our duty to lead the home God’s way. This is one duty we must not renege. Remember, private victory must precede public victory. An orderly home is where we must start if we are to be effective instruments to demonstrate God’s power to the world.