In Exodus 15:6, we read “Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power.”(NRSV)
1. The Hand of God
God’s hand is not only ‘glorious in power’ but as we read in another version His hand is also ‘Majestic in power’. The question that may arise in one’s mind as we read this verse is that, ‘If the hand of the Lord that is glorious and majestic or in other words strong and powerful rests on us, why then do we have to face so many trials, struggles and difficulties in our lives?’ If we delve deeper into God’s word, we will be able to analyze our lives in the light of God and His word, and understand what needs to be set right in our lives, so we can live the way God intended for us to live and also experience His mighty hand at work in every situation.
2. The Hand of the Enemy
In the same chapter we also read about another hand that is at work in Exodus 15:9 “The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.” (NRSV)
The hand of the enemy has only one intention, and that is to destroy us. Sometimes when faced with sickness, debt or other humiliating situations we despair that these problems will overcome us, and the reason for this is only because we do not realize that when the powerful hand of God rests on us, nothing that the enemy does can devastate us.
In Exodus 15:6, (2nd part) we read, “Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.” (NRSV)
The aim and purpose of Satan is to destroy God’s people. However, the assurance we have from the Lord is that His powerful right hand alone can shatter or destroy the enemy completely. Often when in some difficult or challenging situation we wonder why things are so complicated for us. If we were to evaluate ourselves, we might realize that the problem often lies entirely with us. Only when learn to submit to the Lord, and choose to do what He wants us to do, will we experience God’s mighty hand at work in ways far beyond our understanding. He will most certainly intervene, and thwart every plan of the enemy in our lives.
3. Man’s hand
In Exodus 3:10, God told Moses, “So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." (NRSV)
Moses was tending his Father-in-law’s sheep in the wilderness for forty long years. God’s purpose for Moses was not to just keep watch over sheep. The Lord had chosen Moses to be the man whom He would use to deliver the people of Israel with His own mighty hands, from the cruel hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. God’s plan and purpose for Moses was far greater than he had ever imagined. Moses was content with his life of tending sheep, but God had chosen him to be the deliverer for God’s people.
If we find ourselves caught up with the mundane, ourselves, our families and our work all the time, it’s a clear sign that we are leading a selfish and self-centered life. We have forgotten that the Lord has a purpose for us which He wishes to accomplish through us. God’s ultimate purpose is for everyone to be saved and be set free from the clutches of Satan. Each one of us, have a part to play to fulfill this divine plan and purpose of God.
None of us should be satisfied with the fact that, we are saved from sin and are now members of the church. The purpose God chose us is that we should go out, and share the gospel with others who are lost, and bring them also into His fold. When Jesus called the twelve disciples, he called them to leave their professions not simply to follow Him, but to go out and lead others into God’s Kingdom. When Jesus spoke about His impending death on the cross, the disciples were unwilling to let go of Him. However, Jesus encouraged them that it was only in His going away that they would receive the Holy Spirit, who would empower them to be His mighty witnesses. Later, the disciples took the great commission of Jesus seriously, and went out into all the world and preached the gospel. The Apostles also were scattered, and wherever they went they shared the Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was only because every one of them obeyed the word of God, that we have had an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, and have been saved.
Let us never forget that the primary reason God has chosen us to be His children is so we can go out, and deliver those who are in darkness and bondage, and bring them in to be part of God’s family.
We read in Exodus 4:1, “Then Moses said to God, "But the Israelites will not believe me when I tell them that you sent me. They will say, 'The LORD did not appear to you.'" (ERV)
When God called Moses to go to Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites, Moses cited several reasons why he could not obey God’s call. One of his speculations was, that the people of Israel would not believe that God had indeed sent him to deliver them.
When the Lord calls us to do something, we can be assured that He considers us capable of fulfilling the task that He commissions us to do. The Lord will never expect something from us that is beyond our strength and potential. We may have numerous excuses why we don’t do many things for the Lord. Instead of rationalizing, we must decide to do all that God wants us to accomplish through us. Let’s choose to be in constant fellowship and prayer with other believers and overcome all those hindrances that prevent us from achieving all of God’s plans and purposes for our lives.
What was in Moses’ Hand?
In Exodus 4:2, we read, “And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? ..... (KJV)
When Moses made the excuse that the People of Israel would not believe that it was the Lord who sent him, God asked Moses, ‘What is in your hand?’ All that Moses had at that point in the wilderness, was his Shepherd’s staff.
What was in their hands?
• David had a sling (1 Samuel 17) in his hand with which he slayed a mighty giant.
• Samson had a raw jaw bone of a donkey (Judges 15) with which he defeated the Philistines.
• The poor widow (Luke 21) had two coins in her hands all of which she gave away. The Lord took note of the sacrifice she made by giving it all to the Lord.
• Mary (in John 12) broke the alabaster jar of expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet, it was probably all the inheritance she had in her hand. When Mary did so, she had the greatest revelation that she was indeed preparing the Lord Jesus for his death and burial something that even His disciples failed to understand and comprehend.
• Tabitha a widow (Acts 9) only had a needle in her hand, with which she clothed so many poor and needy people. She was such a great blessing, that the Lord raised her up again from the dead to continue to serve the poor.
Whatever is in our hands, however insignificant it may seem, if we willingly give it to the Lord He can take it and use it mightily. Let us use all that God has entrusted to us for His glory. If we can lead one person to the Lord, the joy we will have is nothing compared to all the treasures this world offers. If it means sharing the word, we should share whatever we know and the Lord will multiply it. He will also help us understand and expound deeper truths from His word. All that the Lord has given us is only for the building up of His Kingdom. Whatever is done for the Lord, however small it may seem, never goes unnoticed by Him. Often the problem lies with us in that, we don’t fully comprehend all the Lord has entrusted into our hands.
In Exodus 4:2, we read, “And the LORD said unto him (Moses), “What is that in thine hand?” And he said, A rod. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground. When Moses threw it down, it turned into a snake, and he ran away from it.” (KJV)
When God met Moses in the wilderness all that He had in his hand was ‘A rod’. However that was more than enough for the Lord to use to demonstrate His power and might. God asked Moses to throw the staff down. He must have thrown his rod down many times earlier, but that day it was very different. When he obeyed the Lord’s command and threw his rod down, it became a snake.
When God asks us do something, it may seem mundane and ordinary, a thing that we have done in the past, but when we in obedience do what He says, we will see the mighty wonders and miracles that He can perform in and through us.
When Jesus told Peter to throw the net into the deep, he might have thought to himself ‘I am a seasoned fisherman who knows all about fish and fishing and Jesus is just a carpenter.’ However, he believed and obeyed Jesus, and what happened was unimaginable. They got such a great catch of fish that their nets almost broke. It was only the word of God and absolute obedience to His word that made a dramatic difference. When Joshua walked around the walls of Jericho, it was an ordinary act, but because it was done it obedience to God’s word there was a mighty victory.
When the Lord tells us to do something, we just obey and do it with implicit obedience. We do not know what will happen as a result. When Moses threw the staff down he did not know that the staff would become a snake, nor did Peter know that the nets would be full of fish, neither did Joshua know that the walls of Jericho would come crumbling down. They simply had to obey and the Lord did the miraculous that astounded everyone. All of God’s deeds are marvelous, but can be experienced only if we are willing to obey His word. God in His great wisdom often does not tell us beforehand what is going to happen when we obey His word.
God gave Gideon victory with just 300 men in his army. When Jesus and Peter had to pay tax, Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and when he did so, he was astonished to find the exact tax money in the mouth of the fish. When a blind man came to Jesus, Jesus made a mud paste, applied it on his eyes and told him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. As the blind went in obedience and washed in the pool, he received his sight.
Whatever we have with us when we are willing to give it to the Lord; our time, money, resources, talents etc., the Lord will take it, and use it for His great glory.
A dead rod becomes a live snake
In the latter part of Exodus 4:3, we read, “When Moses threw it down, it turned into a snake, and he ran away from it.” (KJV)
As Moses threw the staff down, he had no idea as to the outcome of his action. A dead rod became a live snake, and Moses fled from it in fear. Moses was brought up in Pharaoh’s palace, with all the pomp and might of Egypt. However, after he fled from Egypt, he spent forty years in the wilderness, just tending Sheep. It was only when the rod turned into a snake and power of God was manifested so mightily that Moses realized that God was serious about calling him to go back to Egypt to save the Israelites. As Moses saw the snake, all that he could probably picture was cruel Pharaoh, on whose head was the symbol of a snake. As a shepherd in the wilderness, Moses must have encountered lots of snakes, but this one was different, because it was the demonstration of God’s mighty power that filled Moses with fear.
Only God can give life to that which is dead, for no one else can turn a dead and dry rod into a living snake. So also for all those who are dead in their sins, Jesus alone is able to give a brand new life. In order to receive it we must be willing to throw away all that we hold dear, and come to the Lord believing that He alone is able to save us.
The live snake becomes a dead rod
In Exodus 4:4, we read, “And the LORD said to Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:” (Webster)
Generally no one ever catches a snake by the tail, as one could get stung by its venom. When God told Moses to take it up by the tail, he did so, and the living snake became a dead staff in the hands of Moses.
Let us remember that Satan is the defeated foe. When the head of a snake is crushed, only the tail wags. So also it is with Satan. He is a defeated foe whom Jesus has crushed by His death, burial and resurrection. In our fight against Satan we must remember that the Lord who is in us is far more powerful, and the enemy has no power over us. Instead of fearing Satan, we must resist him and he will flee from us. God will give us victory in all areas of our lives.
Let us be reminded then that the hand of the Lord is glorious and mighty. On the other hand the hand of the enemy only seeks to bring destruction. But for us to experience the powerful hand of God in our lives, we must in total obedience do what the Lord says, and willingly surrender everything in our hands, however small or insignificant into God’s Almighty hands, so He can take it all and use it for His great glory and the extension of His Kingdom.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
