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Awesome Hands – part 44

“ They will not believe me”

In Exodus chapter 3, we looked at Moses being confronted with a burning bush which was not consumed.

An angel of the Lord spoke out of the flames and told Moses that Moses was going to be a deliverer of God’s people. Moses is told what to tell God’s people and is also given a covenant of how to recognize that God means what He says and says what He means.

As Moses learns what to tell the Israelites the Lord’s name is, we looked into how this admonishes us today about those who dwell in the fire of God’s Word and bring His true name to those who are placed in our paths.

As we ended the chapter we also saw that Moses is told that the Pharaoh will not let the Israelites go by a mighty hand but that God will make sure that when His own hand is placed in mix, then Pharaoh will let the children of Israel go.

This is all a shadow and type of what the Lord is doing with us today and as we look at chapter 4 of Exodus, we will see a continuation of the Lord explaining to us what He is sending us to do and how it will be accomplished.

“What is that in thine hand?”

 As we start of this chapter, we are going to start off with seeing Moses doubt the Lord and what he has been told. There were a lot of verses dedicated to the Lord stating to Moses what He was going to do through Moses, yet throughout this chapter Moses doubts what the Lord says.

This is exactly how we all start our spiritual walk with the Lord, with a lack of faith, because it has not been given of the Lord yet. In fact, the Lord tells Moses in chapter 3 that He will bring Moses back to this same mount as a token/ mark of what He is working with Moses.

Exo 3:12  And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token (H226) unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

Num 14:21  But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

Num 14:22  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles (H226), which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

Deu 11:1  Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway.

Deu 11:2  And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the LORD your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm,

Deu 11:3  And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land;

Deu 11:4  And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day;

Here is how we initially all answer the Lord when He starts working with us and tells us to count the cost.

Exo 4:1  And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.

Exo 4:2  And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.

Just has been illustrated from the start of Genesis, all that happens is under God’s complete control for He works all things out after the counsel of His own will.

As for Moses, Moses was and is brought to this circumstance because the Lord has caused it, yet even after Moses sees the miracle of the burning bush which is not consumed, he doubts what he is told.

The Lord is testifying to Moses that He will deliver the children of Israel and therefore will also deliver Moses; yet, a bullheaded and stiff- necked Moses doesn’t want to believe what the Lord tells him.

This is of course what we all must go through, and it foreshadows what the children of Israel do, showing us that we are all lumped together in this same pattern. Yet, the Lord will take what we have in our hand and work with it to bring about His will.

“And the Lord said to him, what is that in your hand?” A rod!

Just where did Moses even get the idea to pick up a rod at all so as to be prepared for what the Lord would be sending him to do?

Now, pay close attention to what transpires next as this is a direct telling of what we will do with the power of the Lord!

Exo 4:3  And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

Exo 4:4  And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:

Exo 4:5  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

First, the Lord tells us to take what is in our hand and cast it on the ground. It is when we do this that we realize that what has been in our hand all along has been a serpent and we flee from it!

In other spiritual words, the rod that represents the power of the Lord also represents all that the Lord has placed in our hands INCLUDES the serpent!

At our first realization of this, we flee from the devil. As you’ll notice though, the Lord tells us plainly to take the serpent by the tail.

So, what does this mean for us spiritually since unlike Moses we don’t have a physical serpent to take a hold of?

Psa 110:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Psa 110:2  The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

Isa 11:1  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:Isa 11:2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Isa 11:3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

Isa 11:4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

Isa 10:15  Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

If you are given sight to see and ears to hear it, hear what the Lord is speaking to you, “Moses in spirit!”

Before the Lord will send us to be delviers of His people, He first will deliver us from him that has the power of death and the FEAR it causes us to flee from.

Why else do we flee from a serpent? It is because it can strike us and kill us with its VENOM, the venom that comes from its MOUTH.

Notice, the Rod of thy strength is sent out of Zion in Psa 110:1-2. This is where Moses is right now in this story. This rod gives Moses the ability to RULE while in the middle of his enemies, which happen to be the Egyptians in this story.

Next in Isa 11 we see they that hold the Rod of the stem of Jesse, have the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, but what this all produces is JUDGMENT!

Where then is JUDGMENT to be?

1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Exo 4:3 says to “cast it on the ground.”

Heb 2:13  And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Psa 2:6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Psa 2:8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Psa 2:9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Psa 2:10  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Psa 2:11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Psa 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Rev 2:23  And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Rev 2:24  But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

Rev 2:25  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.

Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

It is when we are going through this process of judgment and death of the old man, that others wills see it and will KNOW and believe that the Lord is working with US!

Exo 4:5  That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

This will be a terrible and awesome sight to those who behold this work of the Lord in His chosen people in this age.

“But I am slow of speech”

 Continuing in verse 6 we see the next miracle given to Moses so that he could present it to the elders of Israel.

Exo 4:6  And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.

Exo 4:7  And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.

Exo 4:8  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

There are two specific things mentioned here that are intricately connected together. Moses’ hand turns leprous instantly and this is due to it being place into his bosom.

Your heart is where your treasure is, so what we are being told about this leprous hand has to do with the things that are important to our flesh. With leprosy, the leprosy itself meant certain death in those days.

Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Luk 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.

Luk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Luk 12:35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

Luk 12:36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

Luk 12:37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

So, when you connect the idea that Moses is told to take the shoes off his feet, and now we have a change of heart from flesh to death and death to flesh, then we can start to see what pattern in being brought forth in this type and shadow.

If you don’t think these two ideas are connected, remember that the power given to Moses is ALSO to reach forth and grab the serpent by the tail.

When you stop a serpent by its tail, you are taking away its ability to move forward. You are literally stopping it in its tracks.

The reason these signs are given to Moses is to take it to the elders of Israel for signs so that they will believe that the Lord has indeed met with Moses.

However, there will always be some that will not care that the Lord has worked it into your life, that is, worked it into your hands to take hold on death so that it has no power over you and you’re not in bondage to it any longer.

Some will not care nor believe that the Lord has taken your sure leprous death and converted your heart of stone to that of a fleshy heart, so the Lord sends another witness to this proves in your life with the very witness of the blood of Christ!

The reason they don’t respond is no different than how we don’t initially respond favorably to the Lord. We always have excuses why we think what the Lord tells us to do just won’t work out.

Exo 4:9  And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

Exo 4:10  And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

Exo 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Exo 4:12  Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.

Exo 4:13  And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.

Moses, as we all do, actually protests to the Lord to send another instead of Moses! Oh how we want to give up so easily!

Exo 4:13(ESV)  But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”

Exo 4:14  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.

Exo 4:15  And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.

Exo 4:16  And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.

Exo 4:17  And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

“I will harden his heart”

 At this point in our walk, the Lord sends us to his people and ot the Pharaoh sitting on the throne of their hearts and minds and God tells us that He will harden Pharaohs heart.

I am here to tell you that this all foreshadows what the Lord does with all of His people. For most, the king of Egypt/ Babylon sits on the throne and will not give up his ruler- ship because God Himself has caused this to be the case.

For others, the Lord will eventually unharden their hearts so that the Son of God, the Word of God, will take His rightful seat on that same throne. Even for these few, they MUST see the many signs in wonders, the plagues for which will befall Egypt!

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Rom 12:3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Exo 4:18  And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

Exo 4:19  And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

Exo 4:20  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

Exo 4:21  And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

For all who will have the Son of God placed on His throne, the Lord WILL NOT have fleshy carnally minded- ness remain. Your mind MUST be supplanted with the mind of Christ, by the renewing of the SAME!

This is all given to us in type and shadow of what Moses has to do with even his own son and household because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God!

Exo 4:22  And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

Exo 4:23  And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

Exo 4:24  And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

Exo 4:25  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

Exo 4:26  So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

The same judgment that God passes on Pharaoh and his house is the same judgment that befalls our own house. The Lord will seek an occasion to get rid of the flesh and our HEART must be circumcised to serve the Lord alone or we aren’t serving Him.

The same process happens to all of God’s people, and we have been sent to our OWN HOUSE, our OWN PEOPLE, to deliver them by the workings of the awesome hands of our Lord as He works in our lives.

Exo 4:27  And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

Exo 4:28  And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

Exo 4:29  And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

Exo 4:30  And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

Exo 4:31  And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

For those whom the Lord is working this in and to, they will be given Faith by all these signs, and by the SAME WORDS of God of which we are given to speak, some will have a heart which is hardened the more as each plague/ miracle is presented to them.

Such is the predestination of all of God’s chosen elect and Faithful.