Lenten devotions: Exodus 4
(please read the chapter before reading this devotion)
In the
previous chapter God revealed Himself as a the One who doesn’t need an
“external” identity – I am who I am (Exodus 3:14). “I can not be identified by
parental last name, marital status, job description, ownership of a share of a
corporation etc.” He is the beginning of everything: time, space/matter,
relationship. Therefore, as the beginning of everything He initiates the
process of a call, call of Moses. By the end of the chapter, He tells Moses to
return to Egypt, gather the elders of Israel, and tell them that they are
better to ready for the Exodus (Exodus 3:16-22).
How did
Moses respond? He came up with a solid excuse – what if they will not believe.
A reasonable doubt – Moses already experience rejection by his brothers, and
when he left there was not much faith among the Jews overall. To deal with this
God gave him three special signs – staff turning into a serpent, a leprous hand
placed next to heart being healed, and a reminder of the blood of babies being
thrown into the Nile when water taken from the river will turn into blood on
the ground (Exodus 4:1-9).
Then Moses
raises less reasonable concern: I am not eloquent. Literally, he said I’m not a
man of words. It was less reasonable – for the fact that Moses was taught in
all the wisdom of Egypt (Acts. 7:22). But the LORD reminded Moses Who makes
man’s mouth (Exodus 4:10-11).
Finally,
Moses tries to play his last trump cart – or what he thought was a trump card –
please send someone else? Now the anger of the LORD kindled…
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