Moses Given Powerful Signs (Exodus 4:1-9)

1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” [Moses continues his protest.] 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” [Moses seems delighted in this sign as he quickly obeys the commands of God, even though he feared the snake. This is the beginning of the concept that the staff of Moses represents the power of God. By the way, nothing in the text suggests the snake was poisonous or related to the serpent in the Garden. Most people run from snakes in fear. This is a sign that people can trust in Moses and what he has to say. It alleviates their fears.] 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. [In effect this miracle says, “Look what God can do with disease. Can any god you’ve been worshipping do this?”] 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” [This sign anticipates the first plague. This sign would demonstrate God’s power over Egypt. The Nile was the primary physical source of all life in Egypt and the vast majority of the population lived near it. The Egyptians understood the Nile as a god.]