I AM Has Sent Me

Notice also that they were going to say, “Let us go on a three-day trip into the wilderness so that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God” (3:18). Again, you see how God’s people were enslaved spiritually and wanted to be freed to worship (7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3). It is unclear why they only asked for three days. It may be an ancient Near East expression to mean a long journey of an indefinite period of time. What is important about the trip is the purpose: worship. Even though the elders would listen, God reminded Moses that Pharaoh would not—at least, not initially. God told Moses that in response to Pharaoh’s refusal, He would have to intervene with His “strong hand” performing wonders (3:19-20). After God performed these wonders, the Egyptians would allow the Israelites to plunder them (vv. 21-22). What is going on here? God said, “Before you go out of Egypt, I want you to take the women shopping!” God was setting another pattern: the idea of conquering and taking the 28spoils. Paul later said that after Jesus Christ conquered our greatest enemies of sin and death, “He took prisoners into captivity; He gave gifts to people” (Eph 4:8). What is amazing is that the Israelites are simply told to ask for it. God is fighting the battle for them, which is another pattern. Also noteworthy is that these precious metals will be used to construct the tabernacle (Exod 35:4-9, 20-29).

So, what do we tell people as God’s missionaries? We tell them who God is, and we tell them what God has said. This includes what He has done in the past, what He is doing in the present, and what He will do in the future.

Even though God just told Moses that the elders will believe him, Moses lacked trust and confidence. Moses asked, “What if they won’t believe me?” (v. 1). Moses was struggling to understand that God makes converts. His responsibility was to trust God and deliver the message.

In 4:2-9, God responded in His grace by providing Moses with three signs of God’s power: over creation, over people, and over elements in nature. Moses would take his staff and throw it to the ground. When he did so, it would become a serpent, and when he picked it up, it would return to being a staff. Why did God accommodate Moses in this way? “[S]o they will believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (v. 5).

We might be able to discern a few lessons from this scene. First, notice God’s authority. He told him to “grab it by the tail.” You do not pick snakes up by the tail (or at least I do not!). Many believe that the snake was a cobra. While this is uncertain, we know that as a general rule, you do not mess with snakes. The vicious cobra represented the national god in lower Egypt. I think what God was showing Moses here was God’s great authority over evil, and indeed, over the evil one. At the cross, Jesus crushed Satan’s head. And throughout the Bible there is a running rivalry between God’s people and the enemy. What symbol was on Pharaoh’s head? A snake. All over Egypt, there were pictures of cobras—on walls, helmets, and monuments. Moses was learning something about divine authority here.

We can also learn a lesson of humility. Moses learned about the nature of his leadership with this staff. Moses did not have a scepter. He had a staff. That is leadership in the kingdom of God. He has authority29 over the evil one, but He does not rule like a dictator, but as One who sacrifices for His people, like a shepherd.

Notice also that the staff served as a sign of God’s presence. This staff would also go on to be a visible sign that God was with Moses.

Not only would Moses use the staff, but he would also put his own hand in his cloak. When he pulled it out, it would be covered in leprosy; then, when he put it back in and pulled it out again, it would be healed—this was the second sign (vv. 6-7). It was a sign of God’s power over sickness and death of people.

The third sign was this: Moses would take water from the Nile and pour it on the ground. When he did, it would become blood on the dry ground (v. 9). This sign was a pointer to the plagues to come.

What sign do we have? Our sign is an empty tomb! (Matt 12:39-40). The empty tomb is the sign that Christianity is true, and so is God’s Word. Our God is not dead; He is alive!

This excuse was about Moses’ inability to speak well (v. 10). What exactly was Moses’ speaking problem? We do not know. People speculate it could have been psychological. Maybe Moses was shy and scared to death to speak in public, like some of my students in “Sermon Delivery” class (or as John Piper used to be in college). A student once told me that he was excited but “scared to death.” He asked, “Can I go first?” Whenever someone delivers their first sermon, they often say something like “I am a nervous wreck.” That is good in a sense. Our fear should not paralyze us, but we should feel desperate for God’s help. Our confidence should not be in ourselves; it must be in God (2 Cor 3:5).

Others speculate that it was an educational issue. Maybe Moses failed rhetoric! Perhaps he thought he was not smart enough to persuade the ruler. Maybe he thought he was too old. Or it could be the flip side for some of you, like Jeremiah, who thought he was too young. Others have speculated with other possibilities. Maybe there was a vocal problem—he had a speech impediment of some type. Others claim it was a verbal problem. Perhaps he was referring to the language of Egypt that he lost after being in the wilderness for 40 years. Finally, some say that it might have been exaggerated humility. Is he saying something like Paul: “I am the worst of [sinners]” (1 Tim 1:15), or I am “the least of all the saints” (Eph 3:8). There probably was an element of this in Moses.

30What is clear is that Moses did not think of himself as the best of orators. He felt insufficient to perform such a task by himself. The Corinthians did not think Paul was much of a speaker either (2 Cor 10:10; 11:6), yet he was the most effective preacher-missionary in history! How? He said,

Paul said that he came in weakness, depending on God’s power. Moses had to learn to do the same—and so do we.

In response, God basically told Moses two things: “That is irreverent” and “That is irrelevant.” Concerning irreverence, God said, “Who made the human mouth?” (Exod 4:11). God was telling Moses that He formed him for a purpose. God is saying, “Do you think I do not know about your perceived weaknesses? It is precisely because of those weaknesses that I want to use you so that I may get the glory.”

Then God addressed the irrelevance of the objection. God said, “I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say” (v. 12, cf. Jer 1:4-10). God is looking for reporters, not orators. We do not have to make fine speeches; we just give the news.

Moses’ problem was that he was thinking too much about himself. Notice “I,” “I,” “I.” God was saying, “It is not about you!” It is about I AM. It is about making God’s word known. We should seek to glorify God with our abilities as well as with our disabilities. This reminds me of the last stanza of Cowper’s There Is a Fountain (emphasis added):

31Moses was to use his “poor, stamm’ring tongue” and declare God’s word as a faithful prophet.

This final excuse was not so much an excuse as it was Moses’ desperate plea to pass the responsibility to someone else. He was out of excuses. Every one of his questions had been answered in stunning ways. Now he basically said, “Here I am, send someone else.”

God responded with anger (v. 14a), but He was gracious here as well. He gave Moses some help by sending Aaron (vv. 14b-16). God said, “He will be your spokesman.” They were cospeakers, so to speak. Aaron was an encourager as well. Moses eventually did the vast majority of the speaking. And then God reminded Moses about the signs He would perform to validate the message (v. 17).

Exodus 4:18-31

Before Moses left for Egypt, he asked Jethro to let him go see if his people the Hebrews were still alive. Why he did not mention his commissioning from God is unclear. After receiving Jethro’s blessing, he took his wife and his sons. He also took the staff of God with him to Egypt, signifying God’s presence.

In verse 21 we see an important phrase that will be mentioned in coming chapters: “I will harden [Pharaoh’s] heart so that he will not let the people go” (4:21; 7:13, 22; 8:15, 32; 9:12, 35; 10:1; 14:8). There is so much that can be said that we will address later with this idea. For now, just notice that God, in hardening Pharaoh’s heart, is able to fully showcase His power over the enemies of His people.

After God told Moses this, He instructed him to explain the sonship of Israel to Pharaoh (vv. 22-23). God wanted to free His son to worship Him. In fact, the firstborn is a theme that runs throughout the Scripture, from Adam to Abraham to David to Jesus to all the saints (Ps 89:26-27; Jer 31:9; Rom 8:29; Col 1:15, 18; Heb 1:6; 12:23; Rev 1:5). Of course, this appeal insulted Pharaoh. He believed that he alone was the “son of the gods.” Yet God told Moses that He would kill Pharaoh’s firstborn son if he did not let His firstborn son go (Exod 4:23).

As the story continues, we encounter some of the strangest verses in the Old Testament in verses 24-26. Out of nowhere, it seems, God32 “sought to put [Moses] to death” (v. 24)! It is apparently because his firstborn son was not circumcised (v. 24). Moses was to keep the requirement given to Abraham, namely circumcising his sons (Genesis 17). God was remembering His covenant and the sign of His covenant. Zipporah seems to have acted faithfully, overcoming her headstrong husband, and Moses’ life was saved by her act. She did the circumcision instead of Moses here (Exod 4:25). She was showing him that we are only right with God through blood and His covenant promises. Apart from the shedding of blood, Moses was no different from the Egyptians. (For a variety of interpretations on this passage, see Stuart, Exodus.) Likewise, as Christians we know that apart from blood and a new heart (circumcision of the heart), we are no different from unbelievers.

As the journey to Egypt continued, Aaron was now sent (v. 27). He was told to meet Moses, and he obeyed God’s call. Aaron and Moses went before the elders of Israel and told them of what God had done in their lives, thus fulfilling what the Lord had commanded them. And just as God promised, the elders believed (vv. 29-31). God was faithful. Moses worried about this meeting, but it proved an easy win since it was God’s plan.

The chapter ends with a doxology. Even before their freedom, they knew that God was worthy of worship and exaltation. They worshiped God because He “paid attention to” the people of Israel in their misery (4:31; cf. 3:16). What an awesome word in the Bible of redemption: “pay attention” (KJV says “visit”). In the Greek version of the Old Testament this is the word from which we get the idea of a “bishop” or “pastor.” It is the same word that is used in James 1:27, which tells us to “look after orphans and widows in their distress.” It means to get involved, to shepherd. Throughout redemptive history, God is the God who pays attention to His people; He looks after His people; He gets involved in the situation and rescues them (see Gen 21:1; 50:24; Ruth 1:6; Matt 25:36; Luke 1:68; 7:16). God’s gracious attention should lead to God-glorifying exaltation. Praise God, for He has paid attention to us in our affliction. He has come to us in our slavery and freed us, through Christ. And now, as His people, we are called to pay attention to those in affliction—those with physical and spiritual needs. Do you know this God? This God has come to us in Jesus, the One who said, “I am the door. I am the vine. I am the way, the truth, the life. I am the light of the world. I am the resurrection and the life.” Do you know Jesus Christ?

Not only must we know God through Christ, but we must also elevate our view of God. You will not attempt great things for God if you33 do not have a great vision of God. From these chapters we see that He is holy, self-sufficient, eternal, mysterious, glorious, and gracious.

In knowing God and elevating your view of God, realize that God accomplishes His purpose through weak vessels. Because of this, you can stop making excuses and start trusting His promises. This is one of most encouraging passages in Scripture. Look at who God uses! He can use you as well.