Daily Devotions
Exodus
"You shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak." Jeremiah 1:7
Text: Exodus 4 : 4-5
STRENGTHENING THE FAITH OF THE SERVANT OF GOD
God knew exactly what He was doing when He commissioned Moses to do a special work! He knew the human weaknesses that Moses felt! However, the most important thing that He wanted Moses to learn was that faith in an Almighty God was what he needed to have most! If he had that faith in Him, great things could be achieved! To this end, God first sought to strengthen the faith of His servant Moses!
When Moses saw that his rod had become a serpent, instinctively he fled from it! As a shepherd who was out in the field so much, he would have learned that certain snakes were deadly. He must have recognized that the serpent before him was indeed a deadly one! He fled from it!
God called him back and then asked Moses to do something that no one who has any understanding of snake-handling would attempt.
“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)…”
EXODUS 4:4
One does not ever attempt to catch a snake by its tail – for obvious reasons! Yet, God specifically told Moses that he was to grasp the serpent by its tail! Great faith in God would have to be present to obey this command!
Moses took a big step of faith that day! He reached out his hand and grabbed the snake in obedience to the Lord’s word! To his great surprise, the serpent had become his faithful old shepherd’s rod again! What a great boost to the faith that experience was!
TRUSTING GOD TO DO HIS PART
Moses needed to learn a deep and important lesson. He may be chosen to be the one who would lead Israel out of Egypt, but the real Power behind him was none other than the Lord Himself. He would not have to convince the children of Israel all by himself. Of course, he would fail in that attempt! But there was the Lord Himself who would be with him! The Lord’s Presence and Power will make all the difference!
“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.”
EXODUS 4:5
God knew what Moses needed! His knowledge of the Lord was at best theoretical at this stage of his life. He must strengthen his knowledge and faith in the God of his forefathers first!
The children of Israel would of course struggle with accepting Moses as God’s spokesman initially. However, if Moses were to speak to them in the name of the Lord, and if he were to perform special signs and wonders, as from the Lord, the doubts of the people would dissipate along the way! Moses must exercise faith in the Lord!