What Does Your Chapter Say?*

In Exodus chapters 3-4 (in the Bible) the Lord is talking to Moses and wanting him to help rescue people from Pharaoh who are in Egypt.  

"The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.  So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land...And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”  Exodus 3:7-10

Moses ends up arguing with the Lord that he is not good enough to speak to Pharaoh to lead the people out of Egypt.

"Moses said to the Lord, 'Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.' The Lord said to him, 'Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.'   But Moses said, 'Pardon your servant, Lord. 

Please send someone else.'
 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well...You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.  He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.  But take this staff in your hand so you can perform the signs with it.” 
Exodus 4:10-17

So everything is set. Even though God wanted Moses to be the main leader and work on his own without the help of anyone else, except God, he provides a way to help Moses out. The Lord provides Aaron, Moses' brother to be his voice, since Moses doesn't feel he is adequate enough. So basically Moses and Aaron will lead the people out of Egypt.

^"And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, 'Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.' So Moses took his wife and his sons...and went back to the land of Egypt..." Exodus 4:19-20



God gives Moses the okay to go back to Egypt since the people who were going to kill him are all dead. That's a sigh of relief...whew!!!  I believe they were wanting to kill him because he killed an Egyptian earlier.  Moses also gets an okay from God that Aaron can help him lead the people out of Egypt.  So Moses has probably stopped trembling in his bones...Well, he is still probably nervous, but not as much, since his brother will be doing the talking. And now Moses is taking his family on a trip back to Egypt. So everything seems to be back on track.


"The Lord said to Moses, 'When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go." Exodus 4:21

I would have said: "Um, excuse me God...You want me to perform all these signs and wonders before Pharaoh, and you are going to HARDEN HIS HEART. Why? I already told you that I can't speak well in front of people, and now you are going to make it even more harder. Why are you going to do that?"  

Moses argues with God about everything...Yet I noticed he didn't even question why God would harden Pharaoh's heart. To me, I would have asked God about this: "God, isn't this a waste of time? Why are you going to harden Pharaoh's heart? Isn't is hardened enough?"

It gets even better.

^"At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him."Exodus 4:24




I have read that story many times in my life, and I don't even recall this one sentence...Why was the Lord God going to kill Moses?  He already gave into Moses' excuses about why he felt he couldn't lead the people out of Egypt.  He even said "the People" who were going to kill you, are no 
longer alive; so it was safe for Moses to return to Egypt. 

Why didn't God just come out and say, "Moses, the people that were going to kill you are all dead. So you don't need to worry about them...But Moses... I am going to kill you. So watch out..."

Why was the Lord wanting to kill Moses.  If the Lord God killed Moses, who would have led the people out of Egypt?  Would Aaron do it alone? Why did God want to kill him?  Was it because he argued with God? Was it because he didn't follow the covenant of God exactly the way he was supposed to?

I am a sinner, too; saved by God's grace. I wonder would God ever want to kill me?  Am I stubborn enough to anger God?  I know I tend to argue my point, and then give in most of the time, but am I making God angry? I never have really thought about God being angry with me before. 

If I was in the Bible, what would it say about me? Would it say that I angered God? or would it say that I didn't do what he wanted me to do so he provided other ways to help me accomplish his tasks?...Would it say that God was going to kill me?...I so hope not...It makes me think of things that I need to change in myself. Some might say that Moses didn't do all that God wanted him to do so that's why he was going to kill him.  Do we always do all that God wants us to do? Are we any different than Moses?




If a chapter in the Bible was written about you, What would it say?

All scripture is from the NIV (New International version) Bible from www.biblegateway.com


All photos are from photobucket.com