Title: Moses' Disobedience and God's Rebuke/Exodus 4
In Exodus 3, after receiving the call, Moses humbly confessed his incompetence and responded that he wanted to know God deeply. To this, God responded kindly and satisfactorily. He promised to be with Moses and showed that God exists.
1. Moses' disobedience and God's rebuke (1-17) Words to meditate on (2,12)
Nevertheless, Moses fell into disbelief and disobedience, reluctant to follow God's call again. He repeated this excuse and that excuse three more times (all five times). The first ground of disobedience was, "They will not believe me, nor will they listen to me." It was afraid of people. The second ground of disobedience was, "I am not good at speaking by nature." It was overconfidence in one's own abilities. The third ground of disobedience was, "Send someone who can send." It was blatantly that he didn't want to go. The same goes for us believers.
God's response to Moses' disobedience was to be patient and to awaken Moses. And in the end, he rebuked him with anger.
The first enlightenment was given by the demonstration of three miracles. 1) Even a humble staff in Moses' hand could turn into a serpent that the Egyptians considered most sacred when obeying God's word, or it could turn into a meager staff when held in Moses' hand. . And by showing such miracles, they believed. 2) When Moses' hand moved according to God's word, it could be seen that it was a hand with leprosy, and when it moved again, it could be healed cleanly. 3) When Moses obeyed God's word, the water of the Nile, which the Egyptians considered sacred, could be turned into a river of curses.
The second enlightenment was given by saying that God is the One who forms the mouth and makes the mute, the deaf, and the blind, and that He will be with Moses' mouth.
The third enlightenment was given by sending Aaron, Moses' brother, who spoke in anger and spoke well. "He will replace your mouth, and you will be like God to him." Although God is angry, He is a good God who continues to teach and assign people in need.
2. Moses' obedience and prosperity (18-31) Words to meditate on (20,31)
Eventually, Moses heard the rebuke of God's wrath and decided to obey. So he went to his father-in-law Jethro and politely asked for permission to take his family to Egypt, and Jethro immediately agreed. Then God appeared again and informed that Pharaoh of Egypt, who was trying to kill Moses, was dead. When Moses obeyed, his path went smoothly. And Moses went to Egypt and taught him what to do and what to say. When we obey, God's guidance follows.
However, there was one thing that Moses had not yet obeyed God's word. He had not performed the circumcision ceremony on his own son (probably the second son Eliezer, Exodus 18:4). God required thorough obedience and devotion here. When Moses died suddenly and fell, Zipporah, the wife of faith, circumcised his son, so Moses got up again. After thorough obedience, I met Aaron, my co-worker, and the people who rebelled against Moses believed Moses' words and worshiped God.