Understandably, Moses questions the people’s willingness to respond to such a grand announcement such as, “The Lord has sent me to you!” So, Moses asks the Lord about a hypothetical situation that could arise, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me when I claim to have been sent by the Lord, and I say ‘…who, by the way, also appeared to me!’” The last time the Lord is recorded as having appeared to a man is when he appeared to Jacob in Genesis 46:1-4 in Beersheba during a night vision. It has been 430 years since the Lord has appeared to a man in scripture.
The Lord did not give Moses an elaborate skill, a flamboyant miracle or magnificent equipment. The Lord, the one who is “I Am,” asked him, “What do you have, Moses?” And, what was in Moses hand is what God would be able to use. The great “I Am” did not need the sun, the animals, the pharaoh or the chariots of Egypt. He just needed someone and he could use whatever that someone was holding. The power will not be Moses. And, the power will not be material things. A man and a stick will be fine.
God gave Moses three signs to use as credentials when Moses made his announcement that Yahweh had sent him. Moses would turn his staff into a snake, his hand in to leprosy and water into blood. This was enough for the people of Israel and enough for Pharaoh to believe. Now the question was, “Would they obey?” |
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