1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:08,360 Speaker 1: Life Audio The Bible Study Podcast, Episode nine sixty seven. Today, 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: The Bible Study Podcast continues the study of the Book 3 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: of Exodus with chapter four. Welcome to the Bible Study Podcast. 4 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,799 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We're going to continue on 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: with chapter four, Signs for Moses. This could easily be 6 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: called excuses from Moses and signs for Moses, but we'll 7 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,200 Speaker 1: see more of that afterward. From this sponsor, Chapter four, 8 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: Signs for Moses. Moses answered, what if they do not 9 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: believe me or listen to me and say the Lord 10 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: did not appear to you. Then the Lord said to him, 11 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: what is that in your hand? A staff? He replied, 12 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: The Lord said, throw it on the ground. Moses threw 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: it on the ground. It became a snake, and he 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: ran from it. Then the Lord said, reach out your 15 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: hand and take it by the tail. So Moses reached 16 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: out his hand and took hold of the snake and 17 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: had turned back into a staff in his hand. This 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: said the Lord, is so that they may believe that 19 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, 20 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has 21 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: appeared to you. Then the Lord said, put your hand 22 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,199 Speaker 1: inside your cloak. So Moses put his hand into his cloak, 23 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: and when he took it out, the skin was leprous. 24 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: It had become as white as snow. Now put it 25 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: back in your cloak, he said. So Moses put his 26 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, 27 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: it was restored, like the rest of his flesh. Then 28 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: the Lord said, if they do not believe you or 29 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 30 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: But if they do not believe these two signs or 31 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: listen to you, take some water from the nile and 32 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: pour it on the dry ground. The water you take 33 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: from the river will become blood on the ground. Moses 34 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: said to the Lord, pardon your servant, Lord, I have 35 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you 36 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech 37 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: and tongue. The Lord said, who gave human beings their 38 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,880 Speaker 1: mouths makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight 39 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: or makes them blind? Is it not I? The Lord? 40 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: Now go, I will help you speak and will teach 41 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: you what to say. But Moses said, pardon your servant, Lord, 42 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: Please send somebody else. Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses, 43 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: and he said, what about your brother Aaron the Levite? 44 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: I know he can speak well. He is already on 45 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: his way to meet you, and he will be glad 46 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: to see you. You shall speak to him and put 47 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: words in his mouth. I will help both of you 48 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: speak and will teach you what to do. He will 49 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: speak to the people for you. It will be as 50 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: if he were your mouth, and as if you were 51 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: God to him. But take this staff in your hand 52 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: so you can perform the signs with it. And you 53 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:46,559 Speaker 1: see why I say this could easily be Moses' excuses, 54 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: because Moses tries three times to say, I don't really 55 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: want to do this, And if he comes up with 56 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: excuses at first, it's like talking to your kids here 57 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,119 Speaker 1: a little bit. What if they don't believe me. I'm 58 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: not sure that this is going to work because they 59 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: may not believe me. Well, God gives him two signs 60 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 1: to show them and tells him a third one so 61 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: he can He's got this staff, and this would be 62 00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: the tool of a shepherd. Right, you use a crook 63 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: and a staff as a shepherd. A staff you use 64 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: against the wolf, and a crook you use to pull 65 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: the sheep back. It was so from the Lord is 66 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,280 Speaker 1: my shepherd, thy rod, and thy staff. This is the staff. 67 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: It's that it's that long stick that's a bit like 68 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: a club. So he's carrying this because it's what shepherds do. 69 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: And God uses what he has in a new way. 70 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: And we'll see when this staff is referred to in 71 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: the future, we won't necessarily hear it by the term 72 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: Moses staff, so keep an eye out for that. But 73 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: he says, throw it on the ground. It turns into 74 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: a snake, and Moses runs because he doesn't like snakes, 75 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: and it probably turned into something that was not a 76 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: pleasurable snake. And so God says, pick it up by 77 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: the tail. He picks it up, he turns back into 78 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: a staff. So that's one thing. And then he says, 79 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: put your hand in. Your cloak comes out leprous. Put 80 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: it back in. It comes out clean. Okay. So we've 81 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: got two signs to show people. And then says this 82 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: third one, pour water on the ground from the nile. 83 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: It will become blood. Okay. But that wasn't really the problem. 84 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: So Moses goes on and says, okay, Lord, I'm not 85 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: that good speaking neither in the past nor since you 86 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: have spoken to yourself. God just started speaking to Moses. 87 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: This is something that has happened minutes ago. So I 88 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: have not become a good speaker here in the last 89 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: few minutes, is what he's saying. I am slow of 90 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: speech in tongue. Well, he's been out with sheep a lot, 91 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: hasn't been spending as much time with people as someone 92 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:45,160 Speaker 1: might have who was in a different line of work. 93 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 1: And he hasn't been in the court as he was 94 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: as a kid. Now, maybe he was a good speaker 95 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,479 Speaker 1: at that point, but that's a long time ago. So 96 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: he says, I, really, I don't think I'd be very 97 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: good at this. Maybe you should just find somebody who 98 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: would be better at it. And then he says, well, 99 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: you know who gave people speech, who makes them talk, 100 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: who makes them dumb? Who makes them blind? Well, it 101 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: isn't it, ey, isn't that the Lord? I will help you. 102 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,080 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what to say. And then finally we 103 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: get to the real thing. Lord, send someone else, and 104 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: God gets a little mad at Moses and says, well, 105 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: Aaron's coming to Aaron's gonna help. You'll talk to Aaron 106 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: Aaron will talk to the people, but I don't want 107 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: to hear anything else. Basically, at this point, you're going. Now, 108 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: I wonder whether we sometimes sound like this to God. 109 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: If God wants us to do something, do we come 110 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: up with excuses like this I don't have I'm not 111 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: sure we'll work, I'm not sure I have the skills 112 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: to do it. And maybe this should just be somebody 113 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: else's mission. And clearly, in the case of Moses, those 114 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: excuses were not listened to by God. God had a 115 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: plan for his people, and that plan included Moses, even 116 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: if Moses thought it sounded like a bad idea. Now, 117 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: was Moses also afraid of going back where there was 118 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: a price on his head? Was he afraid if he 119 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: goes back to Egypt he gets killed? Maybe? Was he 120 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: just wondering what people would think of him as somebody 121 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: who was a fugitive? Possibly, But whatever excuses he came 122 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,920 Speaker 1: up with, God had a plan, and that plan included Moses. 123 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: And sometimes God is a plan and that plan includes you, 124 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: or that plan includes me, whatever excuses we may have, 125 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: Moses returns to Egypt. Then Moses went back to Jethro, 126 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: his father in law, and said to him, let me 127 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: return to my own people in Egypt and see if 128 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: any of them are still alive. Jethro said, go, and 129 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: I wish you well. Now. The Lord had said to 130 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: Moses Omitian, go back to Egypt, for all those who 131 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: want to kill you are dead. So Moses took his 132 00:06:57,800 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and started 133 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: back to Egypt, and he took the staff of God 134 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: in his hand. The Lord said to Moses, when you 135 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all 136 00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: the wonders that I have given you the powers the 137 00:07:11,760 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: power to do. But I will harden his heart so 138 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: that he will not let the people go. Then say 139 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 1: to Pharaoh, this is what the Lord says. Israel is 140 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: my firstborn son, and I told you let my son 141 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: go so that he may worship me. But you refuse 142 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: to let him go, So I will kill your firstborn son. 143 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:34,360 Speaker 1: At a logic place on the way, the Lord met 144 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: Moses and was about to kill him, but Zipporah took 145 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' 146 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 1: feet with it. Surely you are a bridegroom of blood 147 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: to me, she said, so the Lord let him live. 148 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: And at that time she said, bridegroom of blood, referring 149 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 1: to circumcision. The Lord said to Aaron, go into the 150 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: wilderness to meet Moses. So he met Moses at the 151 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,880 Speaker 1: Mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told erin 152 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also 153 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: about all the signs he had commanded him to perform. 154 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 155 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. 156 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. 157 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 1: And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about 158 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped. 159 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: So lots of stuff going on. He tells his father 160 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: in law, Jethro, I'm going to go back and see 161 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 1: people alive. He doesn't in this passage. It doesn't look 162 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: like He says, Oh, by the way, Jethro, I was out, 163 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: I saw a burning bush. God talk to me, and 164 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: I've got a mission to go. He makes up some 165 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: other reason. Not quite comfortable with that role yet, I guess, 166 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: and he goes back. God tells him all the people 167 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: want to kill your dead. That may have been a 168 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: concern on his mind, as I suspected, which might be 169 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 1: why God tells him. And so he and his wife 170 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: and sons go back by the way. When you see 171 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 1: Pharaoh tell him all these things. And also when he 172 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: tells you he won't let them go, we get some 173 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: subtle foreshadowing here, or not so subtle, that Israel is 174 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: my firstborn. Let my son go so that you may 175 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 1: worship Be, or I will kill your firstborn son. Well, 176 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: we will get there, but not for a little bit. 177 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: And then there's this odd story here that the Lord 178 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: met Moses was about to kill him. Now. I don't 179 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: know if this is related to things we will see 180 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,559 Speaker 1: later in the chapter that you can't look on God 181 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: and live, or what's going on here, but it is 182 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: circumcision that prevents this, and so from now on, circumcision 183 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: will be part of what it means to be an Israelite. 184 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: Lord says to Aaron. So Aarin is now sent to 185 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 1: meet Moses and they meet up. They haven't seen each 186 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: other for many years at this point, and Moses tells 187 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 1: him everything that's going on. He tells him about the 188 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: sheep business, but they get around at some point to 189 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 1: the burning Bush tells him all the signs shows them 190 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: to him, probably, and they go and they talk to 191 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: the elders, and the elders believe, they believe, and they worship. 192 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: So far, so good. It won't be that easy, but 193 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: we'll see that next time. With that, we're going to 194 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: end this episode of the Bible Study Podcast. If you 195 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: have any questions, send an email to Chris to xat 196 00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: gmail dot com, or better yet, leave a comment on 197 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: this episode at the Bible Study podcast dot com. And 198 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:49,439 Speaker 1: as always, thanks so much for listening. I want to 199 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:51,559 Speaker 1: take just a second to thank the team at Life 200 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,839 Speaker 1: Audio for their partnership with us on this podcast. If 201 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: you go to lifeaudio dot com, you'll find dozens of 202 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: other faith centered podcasts in their network. They've got shows 203 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: about prayer, Bible Study, parenting, and more.