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.'" The Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A staff." 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. 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— "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." 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. 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. "If they will not believe you," God said, "or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 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." But Moses said to the Lord , "Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue." Then the Lord said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord ? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." But he said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else." Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, "Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs." - Exodus 4:1‭-‬17 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

God calls Moses and then immediately sends Moses. This is mirrored in Jesus' ministry. He calls the disciples and then says he will make them fishers of men. So it is with us. But instead of joy and excitement, God's people often react with reluctance. Here's three themes in this passage. Be

The fear of man

Moses is called to go to the nation of Israel. God says that the nation will listen to him, but Moses is still doubtful. Before the 40 years of herding animals in the desert, Moses had tried to lead this people and they had rejected him. They didn't respect him. The miracle of the snake staff was a symbol of Egypt. Egypt had a Cobra as it's symbol, but God is trying to say that He is more powerful than man. God controls not only Pharaoh, but even the nation of Egypt. God is bigger and stronger than any man.

Fear of our own shortcomings

Cockiness and brashness has no place in the service of God. We must know of own weakness in our own power. But we should not end there, we must remember the power of God. We can't focus so much on our weakness to forget of the power of God. The disciples were poor, uneducated fisherman. Moses had a stutter. Paul/Saul was a murderer of believers. Talk about the wrong skillset or irredeemable problems. But God uses these very ordinary people to further his kingdom. The staff of Moses was nothing special, but God uses it to do the miracle of the snake. God doesn't just use weak ordinary people, he seems to seek them out for his service.

Just unwilling

Moses finally comes down to the last bit of reluctance. He asks God to send someone else. Moses doesn't want to go. So it is with us. We don't want to go where God calls us. We don't want to minister to those people. We don't want to fully surrender. But God doesn't stop, God sends a helper with Moses... His brother, Aaron. God won't leave Moses to where he was.