Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 4:6-7

6 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

God had tested Moses’s faith by asking him to grab the tail of a poisonous viper, and then miraculously turned it back into a rod. Next, the Lord caused Moses’s hand to turn leprous and then made it whole again. In the first test God had caused Moses to face a danger outside of his body, but in this second test it was a danger inside of his body. The message to Moses—and to all of us—is clear: God has complete control over life, both to destroy it and to save it. Moses had been hesitant to go to the Israelites because he was afraid they wouldn’t believe his message, and God was making a point to Moses of how his fear was misplaced. Moses needed to fear God, not man, and Moses also needed to trust God, not man. God was wrenching Moses off of his dependence on the mortal world, calling him to surrender to the Almighty.

Many of us proclaim that God is all-powerful, but we don’t often live like that is true. We have our faith, but we also have our uncertainty. People that believed in God’s presence and omnipotence all the way to their core would live a life that is totally fearless and focused. All hesitation and all distraction would fall away because they would know that none of that other stuff really matters.

It is also worth noting that these two miracles show a certain sequence. Each began with something that was whole and right, a shepherd’s staff and a healthy hand, then the whole and right thing was corrupted, becoming a snake and turning leprous, and finally the corruption was overcome and returned to its original, whole state. These are allegories for Moses’s pure attempt to help the Israelites, his failure and departure to Midian, and this new call from the Lord to try again. These are also allegories for the Israelite people living freely and abundantly under Joseph, then being enslaved and oppressed by the Egyptians, and their eventual deliverance to freedom. And these are also allegories for mankind existing pure and perfect in the garden of Eden, then falling from grace and entering a fallen world, and then being redeemed by the atonement of Jesus Christ. These isolated miracles were types and shadows of the man, the nation, and the world!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 4:2-5

2 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

4 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth 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, hath appeared unto thee.

Moses had just expressed doubt in the God’s plan, arguing that the Israelites would not believe that Moses was actually sent by the Lord. God immediately illustrated how easily He could and would provide evidence to overcome any skepticism, and thus invalidated Moses’s argument. The people would be convinced, there was no need to worry about that.

Of course, Moses’s hesitancy before and after these verses suggest that his real concern had very little to do with what the other Israelites would think. The longer this conversation goes on, the more apparent it becomes that the person he actually has doubt in is his own self. Thus, God’s little exercise with the staff and the snake was very shrewd, accomplishing multiple things at the same time. First, God provided a solution to Moses’s stated concern. Second, by dismantling Moses’s arguments, He was pushing Moses to be honest about what his real fears were. Third, He was testing Moses in a way that would shore up Moses’s real fears.

How did God test Moses? Well, we know that He turned the rod into a snake that Moses was deathly afraid of because Moses fled from it, and then He commanded Moses to grab hold of it! In fact, God specifically instructed Moses to grab it by the tail, which would leave the snake enough flexibility to turn and bite him! Thus, God made Moses face his fears by having him do something that could go very badly unless God came through for him. Moses did exercise his faith, and God did exercise His power, and the crisis was averted. This likely reinforced Moses’s hope and faith that together they could succeed.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 4:1

1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee.

God had just given explicit detail for how Moses would succeed in his calling and lead the Israelites to their freedom. Even temporary snags, like Pharaoh’s initial refusal to release the people were foretold of and accounted for.

And yet, Moses still doubted. In spite of what God had proclaimed would happen, Moses was frozen by what could happen. Notice the certainty that Moses spoke with. He didn’t say that the Israelites “might not” hearken to his voice, he said that they “will not.” Here we see an example of how fear is the opposite of faith. Whereas faith is confidence in an unrealized good thing, fear is anticipation of an unrealized bad thing. And while we “hope” in faith, all too often we are “certain” of our fears.

Moses was cynical and pessimistic. Perhaps this was because he had already tried to help the Israelites and it had ended in failure, or perhaps God’s promises were simply too lofty for him to accept. In either case, he tried to smother the miracle before it even happened, unwilling or unable to believe in God’s assurances. Fortunately for Moses—and for the Israelites!—God wasn’t going to give up on him that easily.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Answers Take Preparation

God often has to prepare the answers to our prayers. Outside of our view people are being moved, opportunities are being orchestrated, hearts are being readied, and all of this takes time and effort. We only recognize the work when God presents the gift to us, finished and whole.

Just because you haven’t received your desire yet does not mean that you have been forgotten, or that God has answered with a “no.” Like the Israelites in Egypt, God might very well be working out your deliverance over time.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Thought for the Day: Inevitable Disappointment

An argument that is made for giving in to our hedonistic desires is that it is cruel to perpetually deny and disappoint ourselves. But really, disappointment is a given. For on the one hand we want one thing, but on the other hand we want its opposite.

We want to get away with telling lies, but we also want to be understood as we truly are. We want to lust, but we also want to have mastery over self. We want to treat ourselves as the center of the universe, but we also want to be part of something that bigger than ourselves. We want to be lazy, but we also want to be there when others need us.

Disappointment, frustration, self-denial…one way or another all of these are inevitable. And so long as one side of us has to be disappointed, why not make it be the carnal, selfish, and dishonest side?

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:16-22

16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.

19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

God expanded dramatically on His instructions to Moses. He reiterated that Moses must go to the elders of Israel and deliver a message from the Lord. Moses was to explain to them God’s awareness of the people’s suffering, and to promise them that they would soon be freed. Moses was to tell the people that God would bring them to the land of Canaan, fulfilling a promise that had been made many years ago to Abraham. God also reassured to Moses that the people would believe him: “they shall hearken to thy voice.”

God then informed Moses of the next step, which was to approach the Pharaoh and lay down the Lord’s demands. God even forewarned Moses that Pharaoh would not agree to this, but God would work wonders until eventually Pharaoh would relent. Then, God assured Moses, all the Israelites would leave, and they would go with treasure and spoil taken from the Egyptians.

In short, God related everything to Moses exactly as it would occur before it even happened. Many times God only illuminates the very next step of our personal journeys, but here he laid down the entire dance. Every setback and every surmounting was detailed so that Moses would know that he followed a predetermined path which God had already seen, and nothing would catch them by surprise. This is an incredibly reassuring gift of knowledge from the Lord, but as we will see in the next chapter, even after all this Moses still had his doubts.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:15

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

God had already identified Himself as “I AM THAT I AM,” and now He provides a second identification. He tells Moses to say that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These two definitions seem to be God going from who He is broadly (one who is self-defined), to who He is specifically to this world (the God who has established His covenant with the patriarchs).

He says that this description of Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be His name forever. I don’t often hear God spoken of this way in today’s society, though. We know that Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses and prepare the gospel for all the non-Israelite gentiles, now it is available to all people, even those who are not direct descendants of Abraham. So why would God’s connection to the patriarchs still be a quintessential identifier even today?

For an answer I would refer to Galatians 3 and 4, where it is explained that all those who come into Christ are made part of God’s covenant by being adopted into the Abrahamic family. The significance of the patriarchs truly never was rescinded, not even with the spreading of the gospel to the gentiles. God still is the God of the chosen people, the only thing that changed is that all of us can be adopted into that family now. Thus it is accurate and appropriate for us to still identify God as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to identify ourselves as being part of their descendancy.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:13-14

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

I’m not sure why Moses assumed that the Israelites would ask him what the Lord’s name was, perhaps he was referencing some societal norm that is lost on me today. In any case, Moses’s request hits at one of the most fundamental questions in all of humanity. Namely, what is the identity of God? Who is He, really? What is His name, His definition, His origin? What is it that makes Him God?

God’s response is as profound as it is simple. “I AM THAT I AM,” is one interpretation of the Hebrew phrase that God used, other valid translations would be “I will be what I will be” and “I will become whatsoever I may become.” I think looking at all three interpretations we start to see the real meaning behind them: God is one who emerges from, belongs to, and is directed by His own self. What makes Him God, and not us, is that He is entirely self-sustaining and self-directing. Whatever He says He will do or be, He will do or be. There is no other entity that can override or prevent God’s proclamation from happening.

Let us contrast this to the identity of us a mere mortal like me. I am an employee only if I am hired, I am a citizen only if I am not exiled, I am alive only if I am not killed, I am a father only if my wife gives birth to a child. All of my definitions depend on another, and many of them can be revoked, but God’s definitions only depend upon himself. I say “I am that I am allowed to be,” but God says “I am that I am.”

Posted on by Abe Austin

True Wisdom

True strength is being able to fight for what is right

True humility is being able to patiently endure wrongs

True wisdom is being able to know which it is time for

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 3:11-12

11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12 And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Moses had just been called by God to do a wonderful thing, but his response shows great hesitancy. This is interesting, because previously Moses had sprung into action on a whim to save a slave being beaten. Now he shows caution and doubt. Perhaps Moses was only able to be brave when caught in the spirit of the moment, or perhaps the years and disappointments had tempered his fire. In either case, he suggests to God that he should not be the one used to save the people of Israel. He has no faith in himself.

God, however, doubles down on the calling. In fact, He goes further, giving a vision of Moses’s future success. God assures Moses that one day he and all the Israelites will stand together in this very mountain, free from the Egyptians and serving the Lord together. This seems an impossible feat, or at least one that would occur slowly, over the passing of many generations, but God says that Moses will see it with his own eyes.

This promise is terrific, and as we will see in the next verse, it seems to give Moses a moment of courage.