GOD HAS A PLAN, PART 1--EXCUSES ANGER GOD
In this chapter we have God’s first appearance to him in the bush and the conference between God and Moses in that vision. Here is,
I. God was pleased to show his glory to Moses at the bush, and to which Moses was forbidden to approach too near Exo 3:1 And Moses kept the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back side of the desert. And he came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
Sometimes God has to get our attention by using a burning bush. It is not unusual for bushes to combust on Mount Horeb since they produce an oil with a low flash point.
II. A general declaration of God’s grace and good-will to his people, who were beloved for their fathers’ sakes (Exo_3:6).
III. A particular notification of God’s purpose concerning the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt.
1. He assures Moses it should now be done (Exo_3:7-9).
2. He gives him a commission to act in it as his ambassador both to Pharaoh (Exo_3:10) and to Israel (Exo_3:16).
3. He answers the objection Moses made of his own unworthiness (Exo_3:11, Exo_3:12).
4. He gives him full instructions what to say both to Pharaoh and to Israel (Exo_3:13-18).
5. He tells him beforehand what the issue would be (Exo_3:19, etc.).
Exodus Chapter 4:This chapter,
I. Continues and concludes God’s discussion with Moses at the bush concerning bringing Israel out of Egypt.
1. Moses objects to the people’s unbelief (Exo_4:1) And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me nor listen to my voice. For they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to you. , and God answers that objection by giving him a power to work miracles,
(1.) To turn his rod into a serpent, and then into a rod again (Exo_4:2- 5)And Jehovah said to him, What is this in your hand? And he said, A staff. 3 And He said, Throw it on the ground. And he threw it on the ground. And it became a serpent. And Moses ran from it. This was probably a cobra which was one of the gods of the pharoah. 4 And Jehovah said to Moses, Put forth your hand and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand, -- 5 so that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.
(2.) To make his hand leprous, and then whole again (Exo_4:6-8)And Jehovah said to him again, Now put your hand in your bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was as leprous as snow. To be a leper was to be chedel--the living dead. He would have to give up all he had including family and become chadel--one of the rejected ones.7 And He said, Put your hand into your bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again. And he brought it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again like his other flesh. 8 And it will be, if they will not believe you, neither listen to the voice of the first sign, then they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
(3.) To turn the water into blood (Exo_4:9)And also it will be, if they will not believe these two signs, neither listen to your voice, then you shall take from the water of the river and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which you take out of the river shall become blood on the dry land. Blood was considered to be one of the most impure of all unclean things. Blood was considered to contain life and therefore could not be touched. Since the water became blood, they would shortly die of thirst.
2. Moses objects his own slowness of speech (Exo_4:10), and begs to be excused (Exo_4:13); but God answers this objection,
(1.) By promising him his presence (Exo_4:11, Exo_4:12)And Jehovah said to him, Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, Jehovah? 12 And now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.
(2.) By joining Aaron in commission with him (Exo_4:14-16).
(3.) By putting an honour upon the very staff in his hand (Exo_4:17).
II. It begins Moses’s execution of his commission.
1. He obtains leave of his father-in-law to return into Egypt (Exo_4:18).
2. He receives further instructions and encouragements from God (Exo_4:19, Exo_4:21-23).
3. He hastens his departure, and takes his family with him (Exo_4:20).
4. He meets with some difficulty in the way about the circumcising of his son (Exo_4:24-26).
5. He has the satisfaction of meeting his brother Aaron (Exo_4:27, Exo_4:28).
6. He produces his commission before the elders of Israel, to their great joy (Exo_4:29-31).
And so the wheels were set toward that great deliverance.
NUMBERS CHAPTER 12: In this we have his patience tried by his own relations. Once we have truly begun to do God’s work--no thing or person can hinder or stop us without the retribution of God stepping in.
I. Miriam and Aaron, his own brother and sister, railed against him. (Num_12:1-3)And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had taken. For he had taken a Cushite woman. 2 And they said, Has Jehovah indeed spoken only by Moses? Has He not also spoken by us? And Jehovah heard. 3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men on the face of the earth.) .
II. God called them to an account for it (Num_12:4-9)And Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam, You three come out to the tabernacle of the congregation. And the three came out. 5 And Jehovah came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both came forth. 6 And He said, Hear now My words. If there is a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make Myself known to him in a vision, and will speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so, My servant Moses. He is faithful in all My house. 8 I will speak with him mouth to mouth, even clearly, and not in dark speeches. And he shall behold the likeness of Jehovah. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? 9 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them, and He moved.
III. Miriam was smitten with a leprosy for it (Num_12:10)And the cloud moved from the tabernacle. And behold! Miriam became leprous, as snow. And Aaron looked on Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.
IV. Aaron submits, and Moses meekly intercedes for Miriam (Num_12:11-13)And Aaron said to Moses, Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not lay upon us the sin in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned. 12 Let her not be like one dead, of whom the flesh is half gone when he comes out of his mother’s womb. 13 And Moses cried to Jehovah saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech You.
V. She is healed, but put to shame for seven days (Num_12:14-16)And Jehovah said to Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received. 15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days. And the people did not pull up stakes until Miriam was brought in. 16 And afterward the people moved from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.
And this is recorded to show that the best persons and families have both their follies and their crosses. All of us have loved ones we ask prayer for weekly or daily. We need to stop making excuses and allow God to perform His miracles through us as He desires to do!
