Title: Moses Story 4 (Ex 04:18-31)
Description Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "I will return to my brethren in Egypt to see if they survived, so let me go. This is the part that shows Moses' humanity. Although Jethro is a patriarch, he was a former prince of Egypt and now he is the one whom God has called. We should be more humble when we are assigned by God. As a missionary, you must be humble.
Jethro told him to go in peace.
The LORD said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all those who sought your life are dead. Repeated words... He repeats these words until they are put into action. The fact that there are four Gospels, and the reaffirmation of the law in the last book of Deuteronomy... If you look at the entire Bible, you can see that God's word is repeated over and over again.
Moses put his wife and sons on a donkey and went back to Egypt, and he took the staff of God in his hand. According to the historical evidence shown in the movie The Ten Commandments, the current king is not Moses' father in the past, but a brother of Moses. Moses' feelings for returning to the place where he was trying to capture and kill him must have been fearful. Also, in the past, I was alone, but now I am with my wife and children, so the responsibility to protect them must have been heavy. They are not going to a place of peace, but to free the people of Israel from the king who is making them slaves. Toward the absolute monarchy, one peasant is going to a challenging negotiation. It can be said that it is the shadow of Jesus who goes to the cross to free mankind from the chains of Satan.
But he said he was holding the staff of God in his hand. As a young man he had the kingship as a prince of Egypt, but that could not free God's people. He had a sword and was useless enough to kill an Egyptian soldier, but that was not enough to free God's people. Now he is ready to fight by the power of God. God's power is insignificant to the world, like a dry stick. But Moses experienced the manifestation of God's power through the staff. It must have been more reassuring than the sword he had when he was a prince in Egypt. God commanded us to do all things by relying on this staff. Look at verse 21
The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, do all the miracles that I have put into your hands before Pharaoh." When I say to perform all the miracles that I have given to you right in front of you, it means to do as I have shown you. God's servants must do what God allows. Jesus said, if you are in me and my words are in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. In 1 John 5:14, 15, it is said that if you ask anything according to his will, it will be done for you. God's workers are not to do according to my own will, but to work according to God's will in everything.
But I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. This is not to indicate that God controlled Pharaoh's free will or that God was responsible for making Pharaoh evil. It is to be interpreted that he has allowed his heart to be used harshly and wickedly. This is what Jesus allowed, even though he knew Judas Iscariot's evil plan, as he said, 'Do whatever you want.'
The meaning of this verse is shown in the next verse. That is, you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my son, my firstborn, and I say to you, Release my son to serve me, but you refuse to let him go, so I will kill your son and your firstborn. Pharaoh is rejecting God's command to let them serve me. He did not serve God. He was a worshiper of the sun god. Behind all idol gods, they are under the influence of Satan, who is trying to hold God's people captive as slaves to sin.
God gave freedom to humans so that they can choose to live as they please, good or bad, but Satan is making humans lose the image of God by binding their freedom. Therefore, the children of God must deny all power and force to bind our liberties for their own selfish ends.
God has given us freedom so that we can live in fellowship with God, but to bind our freedom to serve humans is to take away the glory of God and destroy the happiness of humans that are created to be happy only in God. It is Satan's tactic.
The Lord met Moses at the lodging house on the road and was about to kill him, so we may face a test when we are called by God or try to live more faithfully to God's word. But we must know that it is not really intended to kill us, but rather God's plan to help us. The reason why God wanted to kill Moses is implicitly shown below.
Zipporah took the marble, cut the sheepskin of her son, and threw it at Moses' feet, saying, "You are truly a husband of blood to me." The LORD released Moses. He was trying to solve a family problem. Zipporah, the wife of Moses, a Gentile, did not listen to Moses that his sons should be circumcised. So this was reluctantly stuck in the corner of Moses' heart as he went down to become the leader of Israel. Because of that, the Hebrews might reject Moses' guidance, saying that you are not qualified to be a leader. So God used an extraordinary method.
After this incident, Zipporah seems to have returned to her parents' home. Exodus 18:5,6 says, "Jetero the father-in-law of Moses, with his sons and his wife, went into the wilderness and came to Moses, where he was encamped on the mountain of God. has come to you with your wife and your two sons with him.” Zipporah returned to her home immediately after this circumcision and met again after the Exodus.
And the LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses." So he went and met Moses on the mountain of God and kissed him, and Moses told Aaron all the words the LORD had sent for him, and all these enemies the LORD had commanded him. So Moses and Aaron went and gathered all the elders of the children of Israel, and Aaron delivered all the words the LORD had commanded Moses, and performed miracles before the people. he bowed down and worshiped