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Bible History of the Old Testament |
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No. 34 The Call of Moses - Part 2
(To read Part 1 of this text and about the Birth and Training of Moses in Egypt, go to the Home Page above and then to the Bible History Archives.)
There was a huge difference between the Moses of 40 years ago and the Moses at this time who begged and pleaded with God that there was no way that he could accomplish what He had told him to do. His self-confidence had been very strong 40 years ago, but now it was a much different picture. Now he questioned God as to why He would choose him to go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Israel to freedom. God had finally gotten Moses to the point to where he could use him now that he didn't think he could handle everything in his own wisdom. God told Moses: "When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." Evidently, this appealed to the faith that had been ingrained into him, where a person that was not of the household of faith would not have understood it. God may have seen in the heart of Moses an underlying faith that he felt he could now call forth. All of the faith that Moses had in himself in deliverer, had now given way to a faith that only God could do it. Now that Moses had finally said that He would do what God told him to do, he had to get an answer to the question of what he would say when the people asked him who had told him these things. He needed to know what he would tell them to soothe their doubts and fears that he had really been called by God to deliver them. In scripture, a name was regarded as the manifestation of the character or deepest purpose of a person. A new name was generally give after some decisive event, and it would forever after stamp its character upon a person or place. God told Moses to tell the people that "I am" had sent him to them. These were words that were a token of God's unchangeable nature and faithfulness. The "I am" had sent Moses, and as if to remove all doubt, he was to add: "the God of your fathers, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." God told Moses that this would be His name forever, and would be a memorial to every generation after that. In other words, God would always prove Himself to every generation down through the ages. Each person would always be able to depend on God's Word as truth, because He was and is now "I am". It was also now that the covenant that had been given to the forefathers of Moses, which included all nations in its blessing, was now repeated to him. This was just God wanting to confirm to Moses again all the blessings that were in store for His people if they would just worship Him. God now directed Moses that when he arrived in Egypt, he should gather all the elders of Israel together and announce to them that the promised time had come. God wanted them to know that He had heard their prayers and they were about to be delivered. God told Moses that he was to go to Pharaoh and negotiate for the release of Israel, but He also told him that He would harden Pharaoh's heart. Israel would not leave the land of Egypt as fugitives just on a three-day mission, but would leave as conquerors laden down with the spoil of their enemies. Basically, God forewarned Moses that it would be a long and severe process for the Israelites before Pharaoh's stubborn will would be broken. Israel must have the faith to endure under such a trial. This led to the next question of Moses: "But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee" (Exodus 4:1). God now furnished a threefold reply, not only to silence the ones who might object, but also to encourage Moses himself. God told Moses that he would bestow upon him power to perform miracles. This is the first time in Old Testament history that we read that God did this for a human. These miracles were intended to be like a confirmation from heaven that bore direct testimony to the truth of Moses' commission as leader of the Israelites. In Exodus 4:8, we read of Israel believing that Moses was to be their deliverer because of these very signs. Each of the three signs had its own special reference: the first to Pharaoh, the second to Israel, and the third to the might of Egypt.
In the first sign Moses was told to look at the rod in his hand, which was just an ordinary shepherd's staff. God told him to cast it on the ground, and it was changed into a serpent. Moses fled from the serpent in terror, but God commanded him to go back to it and pick it up by the tail. When he did so, it once more became just a shepherd's staff again. The meaning of this was that the calling that he had for the previous 40 years would be changed. He would have to meet "the serpent" - not only the old enemy, but the might of Pharaoh. The serpent was a very public and well-known emblem of the Egyptians. It was the symbol of royal and divine power of every Pharaoh; it was also the emblem of the land, of its religion, and government. When Moses obeyed the command of God, the ordinary shepherd's staff turned into a supernatural one that would lead the flock of Israel instead of just ordinary sheep. That supernatural staff would also through Divine Strength, lead Israel to overcome all the might of Egypt.
The second sign that was shown to Moses bore direct reference to Israel. The hand which Moses was directed to put in his bosom became covered with leprosy, but then that same hand was made whole again when it was thrust back into his bosom. The miraculous power of inflicting and removing a plague was universally admitted to come from God. This would show that Moses could inflict and remove even the most severe judgments of God. Moses had asked God in Numbers 11:12 if he would have to "carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?" This was to be represented by the leprous hand. It was also to be a sure sign to Israel, though, that just as God had healed the hand of Moses of leprosy, so He would bring them forth from the misery and desolateness of their state in Egypt and restore them to their own land.
The third sign given to Moses was when the water from the Nile when poured upon the ground was to become blood. This not only represented conviction to Israel, but bore special reference to the land of Egypt. The Egyptians worshipped the Nile as divine, and also their livelihood depended upon it. The river would be turned to blood, and Egypt and its gods would be brought low before the absolute power which God would manifest before them.
Even though God had given to Moses three miraculous signs which he understood the meaning of, he still hesitated. By this point man would have been wondering if indeed God had picked the right person to carry on this monstrous task. God told him that He would be with him and make him strong, wise, and give him everything that he would need to carry on this important work. Even at all this, Moses asked God to please send someone else. Moses was only looking at all his shortcomings instead of all the wonderful things that God promised that He would do if Moses would just trust in Him. Then it was that "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses." Even in His anger, though, God pitied and helped Moses in his weak faith. He announced to him that Aaron was on his way to meet him even as they were speaking. God also told him that Aaron would take on the part of the work for which Moses felt himself unfit to do. He would be like a companion to Moses to help him pick up the slack. Aaron would be to Moses like the prophets of old were to God. The prophets delivered the message that they received from God, and so Aaron was to be as a prophet for Moses. He would deliver the Divine message that God would give to Moses. After his talk with God, Moses went immediately and talked to his father-in-law about returning to Egypt. For more information from this book, go to the Archives Page at my site www.cathydeaton.com There are other articles of interest there also. This text is taken from the book Bible History Old Testament written by Alfred Edersheim. This book has been used by permission.
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