Exodus 3:20
First Moses was told to go to the Pharaoh and ask him to allow them to go worship their God. Then God warned Moses the Egyptians would not let them go; God followed that up with “I will stretch out my hand and afflict Egypt with plagues.”
But before they were afflicted God and Moses must offer Pharaoh the option of freeing the slaves. Pharaoh could avoid afflicting his own people with the plagues if he just listened to God.
Take note. God always acts justly and for this reason He cannot afflict the Egyptians with plagues until Pharaoh had made them morally justified.
God’s plan that he shared with Moses was to incline the Egyptians to think favorably toward the Jews. He assured Moses that each woman should ask, or request of her neighbor, including any sojourner in her house to give her jewels of silver, and jewels of gold and clothing.
They could not just steal them or even demand them, even though they had earned them during their hundreds of years of slavery. No matter how these women had been treated in the past, they must now act with decency, even to their oppressors.Moses seemed to be getting nervous with these instructions.
He asked God, “What if they do not believe me”?
God questioned, “What if they don’t believe I appeared to you?
God always has a way of proving Himself and this is no exception. He asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?”
Moses answered immediately, “It is a rod”. God said, “Cast it unto the ground.”
When Moses followed God’s order the rod turned into a snake. Moses jumped back! Then God told Moses to grasp it by the tail. Now Moses really had to depend on his faith. We all know you grasp a snake by the neck so it doesn’t bite you. But low and behold he grasped it by the tail and it turned back into a rod in his hand. But Moses, being human, wasn’t quite convinced. This is when God told him to put his hand in his bosom, or as we would say ‘stick your hand in your shirt’. When Moses drew his hand out it was flakey like snow. In this age He would have been diagnosed with leprosy, if there were an accuser who saw it. Then God told him to repeat the process and when he did and he pulled his hand out it was completely normal without any flakes.
God then said, “If they do not believe you or pay heed to the first sign, they certainly will believe you with the second sign. And if they are not convinced take some water from the Nile, pour it on dry ground and it will turn to blood.”
Moses had to believe this one by faith. There was no object lesson here. After all, Moses was in the desert and not by the Nile. Moses came up with another explanation, ‘or excuse’ as to why he could not follow the instructions by going to the Pharaoh. He told God he was slow of speech and slow of tongue.
What a predicament, one of the most influential leaders in history didn’t speak well. We remember he didn’t speak when he helped the Midianite women at the well. He didn’t speak when he killed the Egyptian overseer who was beating the Hebrew slave. But when he tried to use words to stop the two quarreling Israelites, he ended up having to flee But God was not impressed with Moses’ reasoning.
He asked Moses, “Who do you think it is that gives man speech? Now Go!”
Not much sympathy there! But then God adds, “I will be with you when you speak and I will instruct you what to say!”
God has His plans and it is NOT up to man to change God’s mind!
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