Exodus 4 Footnotes

4:3-8 Could a stick actually become a serpent, or a hand suddenly become leprous and then instantly healthy again? Yes, if God transforms them. According to vv. 5 and 8, God made these things happen to convince doubters that he had really appeared to Moses. An “impossible” act—that is, one occurring outside of the natural order—would be more convincing than an ordinary action. As Creator of the universe, God is not limited to actions in accordance with the laws of nature; the occurrence of these miracles would convince all but the most determined doubters that God had come to his prophet.

4:21 The Bible teaches that human beings are free to make choices (Gn 2:19; 4:7; Ezk 18:2-32). God is good (Ps 25:8; 34:8; 100:5) and always acts consistently with his nature. Yet people can choose to rebel against God’s goodness, and consistent rebellion can lead to their hearts being “harden[ed].” As the saying goes, “The same sun that melts butter also hardens clay.” Egyptian pharaohs believed they were divine, and Pharaoh would never have been inclined to submit to the Israelites’ God. Each time God placed a demand on him, he became more determined to resist. Thus it was both God’s demands and Pharaoh’s own pride-motivated stubbornness (Ex 8:15,32; 9:34) that led to his hardened heart. God would use Pharaoh’s stubbornness for a good end, to demonstrate his power and extend his reputation (9:16).

4:24 Why did the Lord try to kill Moses? To answer this question, it is necessary to examine how Moses’s life was spared; the situation was reversed only when Moses’s wife circumcised his son. Since the days of Abraham God had required his people to circumcise their sons as a sign of their relationship with him (Gn 17:10-14). As a leader of God’s people, Moses was expected to set the proper example before the Israelites. When he failed to have his son circumcised before returning to Egypt, he incurred the Lord’s displeasure. Failure to meet God’s requirement had imperiled both his life and ministry.