Exodus 4:6 Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.
Yesterday I pondered whether Moses asking all these questions, which I’ve always read as his fear, could be serving some other purpose and if so, how would that change things. God is asking Moses to lead 600,000 Jewish slaves–who are very comfortable in their lives–out of slavery. And not only that, audaciously, Moses and the Israelites will do this with the Pharaoh’s blessing and with the Egyptians’ possessions in tow.
Exodus 4:7 “Now put it back into your cloak,” he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
That’s a big ask. Huge. Moses would be a fool to just jump in without any thought to “What ifs.” Are these questions, is this dialogue, a way for God to help Moses work through his fear? Does it help Moses to process the monumental task before him? Is this where and how fear turns to faith? Is this the process?
Exodus 4:8 Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second.
Lord, I want cut and dried answers and a clear path forward, but life is seldom like that. Thank You for the reminder that You can use all people in all ways for our good and Your glory *if* we allow. Help me, like Moses, to work through my fear so that I can do what You are calling me to do. Amen.
Exodus 4:9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”
Have a blessed day.