Daily Bread for Jan 19, Ex 4-6

Today's readings are Ex 4-6.

In Ex 4, Moses continues to argue with God! The constant excuses and gripes seem to be Moses trying to give God all the details so He can change His mind. Moses mistakenly believes that he knows more than God! So, he tries to convince God He’s made an unwise decision.

God will not be denied! He gives Moses a staff through which He will work signs and wonders. The staff is a mark of God, showing those people Moses encounters that He is a messenger of God. To his credit. Regardless of his protestations, Moses trusts God when he picks up the snake by the tail (Ex 4:4). Even though Moses has a healthy fear of serpents, at God’s command, he picks it up in the most dangerous manner! The other sign Moses is given is that of turning water into blood, a faint echo of what will one day occur at the wedding in Cana (Jn 2:1-11) where Jesus turns water into wine. Later at the Last Supper, Jesus will hold up a cup of wine and say, “This is my blood.”

Moses has been chosen, signs have been given. He has been told in great detail how Pharaoh will resist. But even though He is God’s chosen servant, Moses has to obey God’s commandments. There are no exceptions.

The need for Moses to be obedient is exhibited in Ex 4:24-26. God seeks to kill Moses. Why? Moses has not yet circumcised his son, according to the covenant God established with Abraham in Gen 17. Moses is about to represent God to His children and to Pharaoh, and he is blatantly disregarding the one command (so far) that sets God's people apart from all other peoples. Zipporah steps in and does the circumcision. Though this sobering little scenario, God makes it evident He will be neither misrepresented nor taken casually. There is only one way to be one of His children. God dictates what that way will be. Those who do not conform to God’s directives cannot be His representatives.

Pharaoh's stubbornness shows up in Ex 5, as God told Moses it would. One reality of the Scriptures some struggle with appears when we see that God will harden Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh readily admits he does not know God in Ex 5:2. Yet, God will use Pharaoh’s stubbornness to teach the Hebrews a valuable lesson. They will find out there is a worldly price to pay for their relationship with God. God's people are set apart, and the world does not like it! Meanwhile, we will watch as Pharaoh has multiple opportunities to repent yet refuses to do so. Pharaoh’s heart is already turned against God. God gives him the chance to turn toward Him. Soon, Pharaoh’s options will run out and God will no longer allow the opportunity to repent. In this manner, God will “harden Pharaoh’s heart,” by bringing eternal judgment to one who rejects Him. Pharaoh is not a helpless victim of God’s sovereign authority. Rather, he is a victim of his own evil heart.

God reiterates His promise of redemption in Ex 6. He brought them to Egypt, ostensibly for food, but the overarching theme was to get them away from the evil influence of the culture in Canaan where they had begun to intermarry (Ex 6:14-25). Now He is going to take them back to Canaan. They will have struggled under the weight of oppression but will be stronger and more numerous than ever before. God is good on His promise, but the deeper, more precious lessons are not easy to come by!

BTW, Mount Horeb, where God calls Aaron to meet Moses, is the place where Moses encountered the burning bush and was told, by God, that His people would return and worship Him there (Ex 3:12). Mount Horeb and Mount Sinai seem to be interchangeable. It is thought that Horeb may represent the mountainous area in which Sinai is located.

Watch how events on this "Mountain of God" play out. God is always drawing His people there. You'll never see an instance in which someone goes "searching" for God and finds Him on Horeb. People arrive at Horeb because God brings them there. God’s calling and choosing those who follow Him is another attribute that will be more fully revealed when Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..." (John 6:44).