Ex. 4: Moses' Cool Snake Disease Hand Nile Blood Trick

Moses thinks his countrymen will not believe him if he tells them God met with him. I wouldn't either, probably. It would take some kind of sign, or I'd tell him to take a flying funk at a rolling donut. So God gives him some signs. The first is that his staff would turn into a snake if he threw it on the ground. The second would be that Moses would get some nasty disease all over his hand if he put it in his cloak and removed it. And if the Israelites really didn't get it, Moses could take some water from the Nile, pour it on the ground, and it would become blood.

So why would God use these types of signs? The staff, a symbol of strength and aid, becomes a deadly and poisonous serpent. Used as a weapon or crutch to help, it becomes lethal. The leprosy on the hand...a disease that was probably incurable at that time on one of the most important parts of the body. Water turning to blood...Water, a symbol of life, turning to blood, which is spilled at death. So in all three, we have symbols of strength and vitality turning to destruction. Is this a way of God telling the people they do need to rely on someone else to escape from their suffering?

So far, he's brought up his own lack of position (Ex. 3:11), the Israelites' wondering which God he be reppin' (Ex. 3:13), and that they may not believe him (Ex. 4:1). Moses raises yet another objection or misgiving. This even after God told him to go to the elders in Ex. 3:16. Moses admits to God that he is not the most word-pertyin' talkmaker there ever wuz. God finally gives Moses a less gentle response, reminding Moses just who it was who gave man his mouth, made a man deaf or mute, or gives sight or blindness to a man. And this is a reminder to me. In my shortcomings, in your shortcomings, they come from the LORD God. I don't know why God would make somebody blind, but its not for His lack of knowing or purpose. This is a lesson right here in Exodus 4. God says, "Go, I will help you speak, and teach you what to say." If I only I could embrace that in my own teaching. God Himself was offering to empower Moses with strength and effusiveness.

This was not enough for Moses, as in verse 13, he whines, "Can't someone else do it?" God is like, "FINE. What about your brother Aaron. He is well-spoken, and is on his way to meet you. You will put the words in his mouth, and I will help you both." Essentially, what's going on here, is that there would be some sort of mystical spiritual connection from God > Moses > Aaron > the people and/or Pharaoh.

And it makes me wonder just how often I have refused an invitation or an opportunity from God because I looked at the possibility of it ever being accomplished in my own power. May I never refuse God again.

So Moses bids adieu to Jethro, and with his blessing, goes back to Egypt with the staff of God. Meaning his stick. But when I read "staff of God," I imagined in my hotwired mind a bunch of personal assistants on cell phones, making copies, and asking God to sign stuff. Anyway, apparently everyone who wanted him dead back there was dead themselves, so fiddle-de-dee. God goes over a prescreen rundown of what Moses is going to do...show the wonders of the power of God. But then God will harden Pharaoh's heart, so he won't let you go. And I always marveled at this. Why would God harden someone's heart on purpose so that this person would face God's wrath if his heart was hardened? Would this person at God's signs and wonders basically believe on sight? Maybe he wouldn't. To my feeble brain, this is a paradox. I'll have to chew on this a little more. Just so that God could empower Moses to do these tricks? To lead Pharaoh by a ring his nose to see that Pharaoh couldn't challenge the power of God?

God tells Moses to say to Pharaoh that Israel is God's firstborn son, that he should let him go, so he can worship Him. But because of Pharaoh's refusal to release God's firstborn son, God will kill his firstborn son. So now the Egyptians lose firstborn sons over this. Let's not mess with God.

So on the way to Egypt, we find out that God was about to kill Moses. This is pretty shocking, in that in the previous verse, God was just telling Moses that he was going to do great things for him. Then I see the footnote says "Moses son." Not Moses, per se. Well, why not make it say his son? Were they one and the same? Did something mean the same in the ancient language? Anyway, to stave off this death, Zipporah cuts off the foreskin of her son. Which had to be painful. Thanks, mom. She touches Moses feet with this foreskin. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she says. And then the LORD let him alone. Well, what's that all about? The bridegroom of blood refers to the circumcision in verse 26. Zipporah, as we know is a Midianite. Maybe she wasn't well versed in the laws and customs of Israel. Perhaps Moses didn't circumcise his sons at all, thus negating or flouting the covenant God made with Abraham back in Genesis 17:9-14. The "bridegroom of blood" comment by Zipporah doesn't seem to be made with a happy heart. I'm guessing she was rather upset by the whole deal. Moses knew what he had to do, but didn't, and didn't inform Zippy of the consequences. So her sons were brought into the covenant by the blood.

As divinely ordered by God, Aaron meets Moses in the desert, and they exchange kisses. (Brothers don't shake hands. Brothers gotta...kiss.) So everything comes to pass as God said. His words came true. Moses and Aaron went before the elders, told them what God said, then they told the Israelites, performed the signs. Do you think he had to go through all three? Including the Nile water blood? Probably. When the Israelites heard that God was concerned for their suffering, there was much rejoicing. And worshiping.