Objections to Being Obedient (Exodus 4:1-17)
When it comes to speaking about the Lord believers can have a hesitancy and they even might come up with reasons or excuses why they don’t want to do that. Maybe you’ve thought, it’s no use, they’re not gonna listen to me anyway. Have you ever thought that? Who hasn’t? Maybe you think this is one of those times where somebody else needs to do this. I’m just not good at speaking. There’s some people and they might ask me difficult questions and I’m afraid of what they’re going to ask me, I’m not the one for the job.
I would like to suggest that there are all kinds of reason people give about not speaking up, and there as old as Moses Himself. Come to think of it ,Moses had lots of reasons and excuses but what happened when he raised them, one by one, the Lord answered them. What I’d like for us to do is look at the objections that Moses gave, and we might see they are identical to the ones that we usually give and furthermore by seeing how the Lord answered them this could be highly instructive for us also.
Today we are looking at the first half of Exodus chapter 4. Thus, it is a continuation of the events first seen in the last chapter. In exodus chapter three we saw that the Lord told Moses that he wanted him to go to Pharaoh and tell him, to let his people go. Immediately Moses came up with excuses and we looked at two of those yesterday. Here in chapter 4, he gives three more excuses. Objections as to why he’s not the one to go talk to Pharaoh, so let’s pick up the story in chapter 4:1.
Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’ ”
In this passage there are three objections that Moses gives as to why he’s not the one that should speak on the Lord’s behalf. The first one is given in verse one, when Moses says they will not believe me or listen to me, and the Lord says, tell them that I appeared to you.
This is the old excuse; we all have used it at one time or another, I’m sure. They won’t listen to me, we’ve all thought that I’m sure, I know I have many times thought there is no sense talking to that person because their cleaveer than me, or an atheist, or a humanist or a scientist, or politically different to me, there not going to listen to me anyway.
Now in the case of Moses, there may have been some good reasons for saying that, for example you’ll recall he was in Egypt, and he murdered a guy and he fled. Moses probably thought If I go back to Egypt and says, the Lord has spoken to me to the people, they’re gonna say, you’re kidding me, God doesn’t speak to murderers. You could get a more dramatic example than that, it’s not just a case of you didn’t go to bible college, but it is you should be in jail. Furthermore, as I’ve mentioned as we’ve gone through exodus the Lord had not appeared to anybody in over 400 years, so for hundreds of years the Lord hasn’t spoken to anybody and last they knew he had spoken to Abraham, Isaac Jacob and appeared to Joseph and that was hundreds of years ago.
So, the Lord’s been silent for all these years and now Moses is going to stand up, and they all know that he’d committed murder and he’s going to say the Lord told me to come tell you this. However, in spite of all that, the Lord answers this objection in verse two, and his first answer goes all the way through verse 9. Here is what he says verse two.
2 So the Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.” 3 And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So, he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 5 “that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Furthermore the Lord said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow. 7 And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So, he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh. 8 “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign. 9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”
(Exodus 4: 2-9)
This rod and snake thing is a lot more significant than it appears on the surface. In Egypt the pharaoh wore a headpiece that was a snake carried around the head, so that snake clearly represented Pharaoh
So, the Lord says to him this time reach out your hand take it by the tail. Now if you were going to pick up a snake you would usually be recommended to pick it up by the head. The last thing you would do is it pick up by its tail, because the snake could turn around and bite you.
But that’s what the Lord told him to do, so he reached out with his hand and caught it and picked it up, and the snake became a rod in his hand, and God says the reason I want you to do this is that they may believe that he is the Lord God of the nation of Israel.
There’s a couple of things going on at once here. One is for Moses to reach down and pick up that snake by the tail, that was an act of faith. But what is going on beyond that is the Lord is demonstrating his power. He’s already been identified as the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and that’s just loaded with meaning, so this is not only the creator God of the universe talking here, but he’s the God who made a covenant promise with Abraham Isaac Jacob and his descendants.
What this is really saying is, I have power over pharaoh, and this is a symbolic way of saying it. Moses said, in effect, I’m afraid to go speak the pharaoh, and God gives a a demonstration that He has power over pharaoh. But the Lord didn’t stop there, he does this thing with the appearing and disappearing Leprosy. This is an interesting little miracle, so what’s the significance of that? Well clearly leprosy was an incurable disease, when you had leprosy in those days there was no known cure, in fact there was no know effective treatment or cure for Leprosy until the late 20th century. So, for the Lord to say put your hand in on your chest and then take it in and out and demonstrate that he could give you leprosy and that he could take it away is demonstrating he can do the impossible. God says, I want you to go to Egypt and I want you to tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel leave Egypt, everything about that is impossible. So, the Lord has have power to do the impossible. He doesn’t stop there matter of fact the Lord goes on he says put your hand in your heart again, verse seven, and he drew it out again, then in verse 8 he says do it again and restores him, by doing this God is saying, if they do not believe you or don’t listen to the message after the first sign, there will be a second.
Meaning if they won’t believe one miracle, they should believe two, like in the principle that out of the mouth of two witnesses shall everything be established. However, the Lord doesn’t even stop there, he says that if they do not believe even after two miraculous things then take water from the river, that is clearly a reference to the Nile River. You should take water from the river and pour it on the dry ground and the water which you have taken from the river shall become blood on the dry ground. There’s symbolic significance again here. The fact is that the Nile River was seen as the source of all life in Egypt, then as today it did not rain a lot it in Egypt, so the they depended on growing their crops adjacent to the Nile river, which they used for irrigating their crops by cutting channels from the Nile into the land so the river was their source of all life. So, God is saying I want you to take some water out of the Nile and pour it on dry ground and it’s going to become blood, which of course symbolically represents death. When blood is shed people die. God says, I’m going to take their source of life and I have power to make it death.
I think there’s something here even beyond that, as we shall see when we get deeper into the book, because the Egyptians worshipped all kinds of gods one of which was the Nile itself. By telling Moses to use this miracle God is demonstrating to Moses that he has power over the Egyptian gods.
Thee first of these three miracles turning the rod into a snake, demonstrated that he had power over sickness, and the turning of the Nile water into blood he is demonstrating that he has power over the gods of Egypt. God Is saying I have the power to accomplish what it is I want you to do and he’s he’s done that in very dramatic fashion for Moses.
Therefore, to his first objection the Lord gives Moses three miracles all of which demonstrate his power to do the impossible and his power over the Pharaoh of Egypt and over the gods of Egypt. Later in the Mosaic law we are told that in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established so God has not just given him two miracles he’s given him three miracles so two or three miracles testify to the power of God who has appeared this day before Moses, the first time God has appeared in this way for hundreds of years.
Today God has given us his word, and he wants us to do things like go tell people about him give him the gospel and the point being that he records miracles to remind us of his power. One of the reasons we need to constantly be exposed to the scripture is to be constantly reminded that God has the power to do what he says he will do, and what he tells you to do. We get to to not only hear what God says but we today have got a record of the fact God does the impossible. When you think, I can’t do what God has asked me to do remember this story and remember that God can do it, because God is powerful and able to do what seems impossible in human terms. That’s the motivation for us telling people about the Lord, that the Lord is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or can imagine.
Alright that’s just the first objection, the second is in verse 10 and beyond and he says this.
10 Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
(Acts 4: 10)
His first objection was, they are not going to accept what I have to say, and the Lord said, I have the power to do what I said should be done.
So, what’s the second objection. He says, it me Lord, I’m just not eloquent enough, I’m slow of speech I can’t communicate effectively, I’m just not the guy for the job. There’s a couple of things wrong with this, not the least of which is Moses was probably eloquent he wasn’t in reality slow of speech. As a matter of in Acts Chapter 7 it definitively tells us
“Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds.”
(Acts 7: 22)
So, Moses was in fact learned and had taken on board all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deed. This quote is right in the middle of a sermon that Stephen preached, and Stephen says Moses was mighty in words as well as deeds. For Moses to say, I’m not eloquent, I’m slow of speech, probably wasn’t the whole truth. Now that might have been the image, he had of himself or it may have been excuse he’s using at the moment, but clearly it not an accurate view of him. The Lord answers this in verse 11.
11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
(Exodus 4:11-12)
God says the fact that you think you’re not eloquent has absolutely nothing to do with this, I am the creator, I just need for you to be available to do what I told you to do you go and speak. I will teach you what to say, I will teach you all you need to know so just go. As a matter of fact, the Lord when he was on the earth sent out the apostles and he told them this exact thing. Don’t worry about what you’re going to say. When I was working together through the Gospel of Matthew these last few months, it really struck me the Lord says I will tell you what to say and how to say it. I was really struck with that God can teach you what to say and how to say. It’s appropriate to ask God for help you know, pray, “Lord I need some help here”, that has happened to me hundreds perhaps thousands of times. It interesting to me that this is probably the prayer that in my experience God answers most, and why wouldn’t he. Do it before or at the time you are talking to someone, that way you are less likely have happen to you what sometimes happens to me that when I pray about it afterwards, he reveals to me what I should have said. At any rate the Lord has a way of equipping us and sometimes I’m talking to somebody, and someone comes out of my mouth, and I think where did that come from, never thought of that before, wow that was good, where did that come from.
Sometime that even happens as I speak or preach, and the answer is it came from the Lord, so just ask the Lord and he will help. That’s the kind of thing that the Lord is telling Moses here, don’t worry about them, and don’t worry about you being adequate because I have the power and I am going to make you you , that’s what’s going on here.
Alright let’s think about this if you are going to go talk to somebody else then there’s one of two problems you might face, either that person is not going to hear you or you’re not going to be able to communicate. So, both of those now have been dealt with, One, you’re not adequate, and two, they’re not going to accept what I you say. The Lord has answered both of those, I’m going to be with you, and I’m going to tell you what to say, so don’t worry about that don’t worry about being eloquent just speak and I have the power to convince them to believe you.
We could leave it right there right, but Moses managed to come up with another issue, one that we are all inclined to try and utilize. Listen to this.
13 But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”
14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 Now you shall speak to him and 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. 16 So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God. 17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”
(Exodus 4: 10-17)
Please get someone else to do it. I’ve got a solution, send somebody else. Isn’t that what we do, we think, I don’t want to do this, send somebody else. They do it in football, (soccer), it’s called a substitute, send a substitute.
Something interesting happens at this point, it says the Lord got angry with Moses. I think that’s a rather startling statement myself, the Lord got angry. Does the Lord get angry with people. There’s a lot of ramifications to this question, does God get angry with us and on what occasion does he get angry with someone. God gets with Moses here, it’s in black and white. But note now He’s answered four objections in total, two in chapter three and two in chapter four, so he’s answered four objections and Moses is still coming up with excuses. I wonder is it possible that the Lord gets angry with people that are believers today, do you think that’s true? I do and one of the things I would say just very simply is he is a father who has children and fathers get angry with their children sometime, but only when by our actions we provoke him to righteous anger. The Lord gets angry sometimes and sometimes that proves him to action, note I do not say punishment, but rather action. In this case God says, alright Moses I’m going to go get somebody else to help you and it Aaron your and I will teach you what you shall do. He says he should be your spokesman to the people and he himself should be a mouthpiece for you and you should be to him as God now. What he means by that is, I God, I’m going to give you the message and you are going to give it to Aaron and so you’re going to be to him like I am to you, that’s the idea. He tells Moses to take a rod in his that a shepherd staff and go do what I told you to do. Get Aaron and go, I’m even asking you to speak I’m gonna let him do that he says. I just want you to be available, that’s all, just be available and I’ll sort the rest.
I think this last thing has to do with availability, the first objection has to do with acceptance, they’re not going to accept me. The second objection is, I’m not adequate, I’m not eloquent, and the third objection is, just get somebody else, and Lord says, no I want you. I want you to be available and that’s what’s going on. Moses has three objections that have to do with acceptance, adequacy, and availability. I’ve heard it said many times by Christian preachers the best ability is availability. That’s what the Lord wants, he just wants you to be available, and in fact that’s sometimes a whole lot better than people who have a lot of ability but don’t really want to make themselves available.
Billy Graham is of the opinion he’s been very vocal about this all his life in fact he said he should not have been the great evangelist that he was, because at that time there was another man who was highly successful and that man went to a seminary, where he lost his faith and Graham believes that he took that fella’s place because he stepped away from the path God had offered him.
If you don’t do what God tells you to do he’ll just use somebody else, you gut reaction today might be to say, that’s a relief, no it’s not going to be a relief because when you stand before the Lord he’s going to to say, I just asked you to be available.
Moses had 3 objections, and the Lord gave him 3 answers. He initially said, no Lord, because he lacked acceptance, adequacy, and ability and the Lord reminded him of his power his sovereignty and his help. The point is don’t look at you look at whether or not you can do it, look at what the Lord can do. And don’t be discouraged because the faltering word that you speak, that they reject may later bear fruit. As a matter of fact, as Moses is going to discover the first time he spoke to Pharaoh it didn’t work, he had to speak 10 times before he heard. The issue is not whether or not they believe you, or are accept you, the issue is not whether or not your eloquent. The issue is is it the word of God, that is where the power lies, not in your eloquence, as a matter of fact your eloquence can gets in the way. Maybe being eloquent is a disadvantage not an advantage and what you need to do is just go do what the Lord told you and be authentic. and leave the results to God.
I want to close by making two simple observations.
First, if you feel inadequate you are not alone, because others have felt that way too, no less than Moses here and as matter-of-fact Paul said the same thing. Moses felt that way and so did Gideon, look at Judges, chapter 6, when he said “Lord how can I save Israel when my clan is the weakest in , and I am least in my father’s house”. If we have time if we had the time, we could look at others like Samuel or David who went and hid in a cave. Isaiah and Jeremiah had similar kinds of responses, so if you think you are inadequate you are not alone join Moses, Gideon, Saul, Samson, Solomon, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Pretty good company. Others have felt the exact same way as you have.
I have a final second observation. The Lord is with you, so you’re not alone, both because others have been there before you and the Lord is there also. As a matter of fact the Lord delights in using inadequate weak humble vessels because then he gets the glory instead of us.
The Old Testament is full of stories of where the weak became strong, where the least became the greatest, and where the lowly became mighty and where the last became first, why because those individuals realized they were not alone, and that the Lord was with them, so God’s deliverance does not come from through men who are heroes or Sheroes, no matter who that man or woman may be but the power and the success and the deliverance comes from the Lord. So just go do what God has told you to do and trust the Lord to accomplish what he will, and his word said it would and his word will not return void. I’ll finish with a quote from someone has put it more eloquently than I ever could when he said, and I quote.
“Cherish the lowest thoughts you choose of yourself but united with the loftiest concepts of God’s all sufficiency”. End of quote.
(Octavius Winslow)
If you think of yourself as lowly, inadequate, ill equipped and alone, good, you’re in good company, but just remember that God is all sufficient.