“But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, “Reach out and grab its tail.” So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd’s staff in his hand. “Perform this sign,” the Lord told him. “Then they will believe that the Lord, the God of their ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—really has appeared to you.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out again, his hand was white as snow with a severe skin disease. “Now put your hand back into your cloak,” the Lord said. So Moses put his hand back in, and when he took it out again, it was as healthy as the rest of his body. The Lord said to Moses, “If they do not believe you and are not convinced by the first miraculous sign, they will be convinced by the second sign. And if they don’t believe you or listen to you even after these two signs, then take some water from the Nile River and pour it out on the dry ground. When you do, the water from the Nile will turn to blood on the ground.” But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.” Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do. Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, and you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say. And take your shepherd’s staff with you, and use it to perform the miraculous signs I have shown you.” So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied. Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.” So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and headed back to the land of Egypt. In his hand he carried the staff of God. And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go. Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’””
Exodus 4:1-11, 13-23 NLT
God was ready to use Moses but Moses wasn’t ready to be used by God. Not only had God prepared the necessary elements for Moses to be a good leader but he did so unbeknownst to Moses. He called Aaron to the desert. He waited until all who wished Moses dead, were themselves dead. Moses would only need to worry about the task at hand. And Moses was eager to trust in God, but he was not eager to trust himself. This is a common, and often times disastrous flaw in a Christian’s tactical life. It is one that made God angry. Moses erroneously believed that he needed to have a trust in self to accomplish God’s task. He erroneously believed that he was too much of a poor thing for God to use. This showed his ignorance. God chooses to use who he wants. In his omnipotence, he doesn’t need us to be anything, not even alive, to be a part of his will. Beyond this, it shows a lack of understanding of God’s character. God often chooses the seemingly most difficult things for his will, as a matter of spectacle. He enjoys being clever in this way. A mature believer should never be surprised to learn that God used the most unlikely person to accomplish his will. Moses rejecting of the whole call, would be consequential for Israel’s future.
God’s Preparation for Moses: God prepared Moses to be a leader, including removing obstacles and calling Aaron to assist.
Moses’s Lack of Self-Trust: Moses doubted his own abilities and believed he needed self-trust to accomplish God’s task.
God’s Sovereignty in Choosing Leaders: God chooses leaders based on His will, not on their abilities, and often uses unlikely individuals for His purposes.
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