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THE CALLING OF MOSES

Chapters 3 and 4

Having begun his life as a prince in the royal palace of the daughter of the Pharaoh of Egypt, at forty years old Moses went to Midian, where he spent another 40 years tending the flock of Jethro, one of whose daughters he married.

While in Egypt he was rich and powerful, and had many servants to serve him, in Midian he was of little account, and as shepherd had to do everything by himself: it was a despised occupation in Egypt (Genesis 43: 32; 46: 32-34), and he was a foreigner. He had been very humiliated, but God was preparing him for a mission of supreme importance, where he would be the leader of a nation of millions of people.

Horeb is another name for the mountain of God, Sinai, where later on God gave his law to Moses to be observed by the Israelites. There the Angel of the LORD appeared unto Moses out of an unexpected place: a bush that was burning in flames without being consumed! Fire is a symbol of the resplendent holiness of God.

Seeing the bush, Moses went over to investigate the phenomenon. God told Moses to take the sandals off his feet, a sign of humility, reverence and worship (Joshua 5:15) and when God identified himself, Moses covered his face, fearing to look upon God. His reverence in the presence of God is an example for us!

The place of the Canaanites, etc. to which God would lead His people was what is now understood as being Israel and Jordan.

God invited Moses to go back to the Pharaoh of Egypt as His envoy to deliver Hs people out of the hand of the Egyptians. But Moses opposed a series of objections:

1. he wasn't worthy of such a responsibility: God immediately assured Moses that He would be with him, giving as a sign the fact that Moses would serve God on that mountain after having taken the people out of Egypt.

2. neither he, nor the people, knew the name of God:  How would people know that he was sent by the true God? In Egypt there were many gods, each with a name to identify it. God said “I AM WHAT I AM” (the God who does not change, eternal, self-existent), the LORD, the God of his forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and God of Jacob (the old testament scribes represented His name with the letters YHWH, but never spoke it, replacing him with Adonai meaning LORD). The immortality of the Patriarchs is implied in this expression (Luke 20:37). To Pharaoh, Moses would say that the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, had sent him. The people would hear it, but Pharaoh would only let them go after experiencing the strong hand of God; they would plunder the Egyptians when they finally came out.

3. the people would not believe in what he said - God then gave him power to produce three signs as evidence that God was with him: to turn his rod into a serpent, making his hand leprous (both were reversed), and to turn water from the river into blood.

4. he was not eloquent -Although he had the highest education, Moses feared not having enough oratorical skill to defend the cause of the Israelites before Pharaoh's court - from what he said, he may have stammered. The LORD rebuked him for his lack of faith in the omnipotence of God.

5. He wished that God would send any other but him -in his humility, Moses could not believe that he could do what God wanted. God was angry with that but had compassion on him, and agreed to use his brother Aaron, who spoke fluently, as spokesman.

God commanded Moses to take his rod (stick) with him to Egypt to do the signs. The rod (now called the rod of God) would be for him a reminder of the presence and power of God.

His father-in-law, Jethro, did not object to his going back to Egypt when Moses asked for his permission saying he wanted to see his family. It seems that Moses did not reveal to him what had happened.

For greater relief of Moses, the LORD revealed to him that all those who had wanted to kill him, in Egypt, had already died.

The LORD also warned Moses that although he would do all the miracles that He had put into his hand before Pharaoh, "I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go”. Later we will see that Pharaoh hardened his own heart ten times (Chapter 7:13,14,22; 8:15,19,32; 9:7,34,35; 13:15) and God also hardened Pharaoh's heart ten times (Chapter 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1,20,27; 11:10; 14:4,8,17). This is an example of compliance with the sovereign will of God (Romans 9:17 -18). The Pharaoh had already hardened his heart seven times before God did so for the first time, but God had already planned this before Moses left Midian.

The LORD made it clear that He would himself do the last sign (without the participation of Moses), when He would kill Pharaoh's firstborn, because he refused to allow the release of Israel, the “firstborn of God” (the nation, not the person).

Moses prepared his wife and children to go to Egypt, but before serving God it was necessary for him to obey God’s commandment to Abraham, whereby their male children must take a sign on their flesh for all their  life: circumcision (Genesis 17:12 -14).

Moses had not fulfilled this commandment, delaying this operation for being away from his people and probably at the insistence of his wife, Zipporah. It was necessary to learn that to disobey God, drawing His wrath upon himself, was more serious than anything Pharaoh could do.

The text says that, on the way, at an encampment, the LORD met him and sought to kill him: we don't know the details, but it reminds us how the Angel of the LORD fought with Jacob (Genesis 32: 24-30). Moses probably became immobilized, and upon learning of the reason, his wife Zipporah had to circumcise their son herself, to save the life of Moses. Her comment, calling Moses a husband of blood, indicates that she did not approve of the practice.

It seems that she then left Moses and returned home with her son (chapter 18: 2-3).

The LORD also appeared to Aaron (in Egypt), and told him to go to the wilderness to meet Moses. He found him on the mountain of God (Sinai) and kissed him, a friendly greeting at that time.

Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had said,  his mission and the signs that He had commanded him. Aaron seems to have accepted all with good will, and accompanied Moses back to Egypt, where they had a conference with all the elders of the children of Israel (elders were leaders made prominent by their character and experience, who gathered to decide on issues of interest of the people).

Aaron, fulfilling his function, passed on to them what Moses had said to him, and did the signs in the sight of the people. The fears Moses had concerning his acceptance by the people were overcome because the people believed, and worshipped the LORD because He had turned His attention to their affliction.

 

R David Jones

1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
3 Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn."
4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."
6 Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the LORD said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.
9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.
10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
12 So He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this 13 Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"
14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'
16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, "I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt;
17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey." '
18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, 'The LORD God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.'
19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand.
20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.
21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.
22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians."

1 Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.' "
2 So the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod."
3 And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),
5 "that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."
6 Furthermore the LORD said to him, "Now put your hand in your bosom." And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.
7 And He said, "Put your hand in your bosom again." So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.
8 "Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.
9 And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land."
10 Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
11 So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."
13 But he said, "O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send."
14 So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and He said: "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.
15 Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you
16. So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God.
17 And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."
18 So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, "Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."
19 Now the LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead."
20 Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21 And the LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD: "Israel is My son, My firstborn.
23 So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn." ' "
24 And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.
25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, "Surely you are a husband of blood to me!"
26 So He let him go. Then she said, "You are a husband of blood!"—because of the circumcision.
27 And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
28 So Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.
29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.
30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.
31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

Exodus chapters 3 and 4