Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Exodus. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses you through this material.
Stacey
Take a few minutes to savor Exodus Chapter 4. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations…
4:1 – Moses objects to God’s assignment based on the Israelites not believing him.
How often do you turn down an assignment from God because you fear you will be rejected? Take heart. Those who reject you aren’t rejecting you at all, but God.
4:2-9 – The Lord gave Moses three signs to persuade the Israelites to believe: the staff becoming a snake, the leprous hand and the water turning to blood.
4:3-4 – Remember that Pharaoh’s royal headdress has a snake on it symbolizing his “deity.” In this passage, Moses is effectively grabbing a symbolic Pharaoh by the tail.
4:10 – Moses objects to God’s assignment saying, “I am not eloquent.”
4:13-17 – God is capable of being angry with our behavior, yet He still loves us and wants to use us in His plan.
4:13 – Moses objects a final time, begging God to send someone else.
4:14-17 – God agreed to send Moses’ brother, Aaron, to speak. But Moses did not get out of God’s calling. He still had to go to Pharaoh.
4:18 – Moses asked Jethro’s permission to go to Egypt. He honored the authority God placed over him.
4:19-23 – God teaches us how to do His will.
4:20 – Both of Moses’ sons were born. How old were they? Zipporah and both boys were able to travel on the same donkey, so they must have been small.
4:24-26 – God expects obedience.
Why would God want to kill Moses for not circumcising his son? Because Moses was disobedient.
How old was this boy? Was he older than eight days? Why didn’t Moses circumcise him? Did Moses just have too much on his mind? Some scholars believe that Zipporah didn’t want Moses to circumcise the boy.
This passage seems to be misplaced. But it speaks to several things. Some feel that this is the moment that Moses sent Zipporah and the boys back to Jethro as mentioned in chapter 18. Zipporah’s words aren’t happy. She probably wouldn’t be a supportive “deliverer’s wife.”
Are you siding with the opinion of a loved one over the command of God?
Is there something that you should have done that you’ve allowed someone else to do for you?
4:27-30 – Aaron is quite a man! What can you tell about him from these verses? He heard the Lord speak to him. He obeyed the Lord. He trusted God and Moses. He was teachable. He was available and willing to serve God and be used by Him.
4:29-30 – Moses still accompanied Aaron when speaking to the elders. Remember that, even though Aaron did the work of presenting the message to the people, this was still Moses’ calling.
What attributes of God have you observed in your study today? How will this change your relationship with Him?
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