Throughout history, when God has chosen to speak to the world through men, he has sometimes chosen to send signs and wonders to authenticate the message. Moses was a part of this pattern; not only did Moses receive a powerful call to the Ministry through the Burning Bush, but he was given powerful signs as well.
Despite the powerful signs God gave Moses to perform, he still shows extreme reluctance to return to Egypt. In this passage, we see God provide Moses with those signs, and also with a spokesman to speak for him. We see God’s mercy and provision despite Moses’ disobedience to his calling.
In Exodus 4:5-7 God said to Moses, “Reach out and grab it by the tail.” He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. “That’s so they will trust that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
God then said, “Put your hand inside your shirt.” He slipped his hand under his shirt, then took it out. His hand had turned leprous, like snow. He said, “Put your hand back under your shirt.” He did it, then took it back out—as healthy as before.
The signs given to Moses were for his sake, to prove that God was with him. Often signs or miracles are given to prove God is on the scene on behalf of His people.
Just as Moses went to Egypt with powerful signs that demonstrated God’s presence with him, so too Jesus’ ministry was accompanied by powerful signs. When John the Baptist’s disciples came to see if Jesus was the Messiah, he replied: “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (Matthew 11:4-5). God’s powerful signs demonstrated Jesus was the promised Messiah, come to rescue us from slavery to our sins.
Thankfully Christ did not try to run away from his calling. At Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed, Jesus prayed to God for strength and humbly submitted to God’s will, even though he wished there might be another way. Where Moses disobeyed God, Jesus was humble and obedient all his days, all the way to the Cross. It is through Christ’s righteousness and his sacrifice we are rescued from slavery to sin.
We rely on God’s strength to win our battle against sin. Like Moses and Aaron, we have no power of our own but God’s words given to us in Scripture, and the powerful signs performed by God through Jesus. His strength, not ours.
In Luke 5, Peter’s first response to a simple request was, “We’ve tried that, didn’t work.” Yet he obeyed simply because Jesus had asked. Just as Peter stepped over his resistance and lowered his nets to experience a boatload of fish, we too can see the supernatural work of God. But we must be willing to try.
Will you step over your resistance to experience the joy of being used by God?
Prayer: Dear Father, I want to obey your Spirit’s prompting and direction. I have questions and doubts. Give me the strength to step over them and simply say as Peter did, “But because you say so, I will…” I know you have a good plan and would never ask me to do anything that would not fit into your will and purpose. Thank you for your work in me and through me! Amen.
~Bits and Pieces of thelife.com Reluctant-Obedience
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