Title: Staff and God
Contents
staff and god
Thomas Carlyle once said this. “When a stone appears along the way, the weak call it a stumbling block, and the strong call it a stepping stone.” When walking along the path of life, when they encounter a difficult task, the weak will stumble over it and experience great setbacks in life, but the strong will use it as a stepping stone to make a big leap in life.
What is the difference between the weak and the strong? It is the difference between thinking of the difficult things you encounter in life as a stumbling block and thinking of them as stepping stones. The weak face the same difficulties and think that it is a stumbling block in their life, whereas the strong consider it a stepping stone in their life.
The difference between the weak and the strong is in how you deal with the fear that floods you through life's difficult moments.
When we face difficulties in life, we must carefully examine what God is saying.
Joshua succeeded Moses in an important mission. Joshua was terrified. Then God said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.” You told me not to be afraid. And he never said, “You can do it!” This is what God said. “I will be with you”
Faith is this. It is to see God with us in the difficult moments of our lives.
to depend on him. It is this faith that enables us to overcome our fears.
It is this faith that allows us to overcome our fears and make life's difficulties a stepping-stone rather than a stumbling block.
Today's text is the story of Moses, a man of God. As we know, Moses was unexpectedly called by God at the age of 80. He was carrying a heavy burden that he could not bear.
Moses could feel the fear rushing through his body.
So he told God he couldn't do it. I declined to find someone else.
If you look closely at the Bible, you have rejected God four times. Because Moses did not yet have faith.
God is patient and builds faith in Moses. He strengthens our weak faith.
This is the first thing he said to Moses. “I will be with you, the spirit” (Exodus 3:12).
God didn't tell Moses you could do it.
Moses agreed when he said he couldn't.
And it's not what you do, I'm with you and I say I do it.
Next, God gave evidence that He was with Moses. That is the staff of God.
Only after Moses took up the staff of God could he firmly believe that God was with him.
I was able to overcome all my fears. I was able to obey and go to Egypt.
God's Staff
In verse 20 of today's text, it is written, "Moses was returning to Egypt with his wife and sons on a donkey, and he took the staff of God in his hand." Now, this is a verse that explains the appearance of Moses and his companions who are leaving for Egypt to cause the great history of the Exodus.
There is only one difference from other trips. That is, Moses held the staff of God.
Then, what is the staff of God that Moses held here? If you look at the very beginning of the text, it says in 4:17, “You shall take this staff in your hand, and with it you shall perform miracles.” God had told Moses to go to Egypt with the staff he always carried with him when he was tending the sheep. So Moses took the staff he always carried and went to Egypt again. In today's text, the staff is called the staff of God.
So Moses' staff was changed into the staff of God. Of course, the material has not changed.
It is a staff that can be easily found anywhere in the wilderness. Also, the functionality has not changed.
No new features have been added, such as finding a way by itself like a robot, or illuminating a dark path with light.
But one thing has changed. It is the promise of God. The promise that God is with you The promise was placed on this staff. Now, as long as Moses holds the staff, God will not leave Moses. That is why it is called the staff of God, although it is the same staff.
There is no apparent change to us as Moses lifted up the staff he had heard before. There is only one thing, because of the promise that God will be with Moses, just as Moses' staff became God's staff, the promise that God will be with him was added.
That's right. If God promises to be with you, what I am doing now and the things I am holding on to become God's staff. So the important thing is not what I am doing now, but who I am with now. No matter how great and great you are, when you do it with people or by yourself, it is still just the staff of Moses.
However, even if it is insignificant, if God is with us, it becomes God's staff.
To hold the staff of God
Moses experienced the wonderful grace that his staff became the staff of God.
Sometimes, for fun, you see magic. Magicians are tricks, after all, and it's really surprising that they have no idea what's going on. Magicians sometimes cast strange spells. I also apply mucus oil. I also put in a match. Of course, it's all deception.
How did Moses' staff turn into God's staff? Of course, God did it. What did Moses do in the process? This will give us an important lesson as we long to hold on to the staff of God today.
1. He threw his staff.
Exodus 4:2-3 says this. “And the LORD said to him, What is in your hand? He said, A staff. "Throw it to the ground," said the LORD. If Moses had held on to when God said to throw the staff to the ground, the staff would still be Moses' staff.
When thrown in obedience, the staff could become the staff of God.
God asked Moses. “What is in your hand?” It refers to the staff that Moses was holding. That staff is the reason for Moses' existence. The reason he has lived with that stick for the past 40 years and is still living day by day is to hold on to that stick. The staff is the reward and joy of life for Moses.
Because he holds that staff, he is recognized by people and receives fruit and enjoys joy.
Now God said to throw it to the ground. It means giving up and letting go. Do not think that you are living now because of that staff. Don't think that the staff makes you feel rewarding and happy.
God is asking us today too. “What do you have in your hand?” He asks what I think, the things that I think exist because of it, and the things that make me feel worthwhile and happy because of it.
God also commands us today. “Throw it to the ground” is to let go of the thought that you exist because of it, and that you are rewarded and happy because of it.
Then God transforms it into the staff of God. He does amazing things through it.
2. Caught the snake's tail.
When Moses threw his staff to the ground, it became a serpent. In 4:3 Moses escaped the serpent.
that was terrifying. But God commanded Moses to reach out and grab the serpent's tail.
Moses obeyed and became a staff again.
The snake here symbolizes Pharaoh at that time. A cobra snake stood in the middle of Pharaoh's crown. It symbolizes the absolute power of the king of Egypt. Going one step further, after Genesis 3:15, this serpent symbolizes Satan.
It symbolizes the power of Satan to trouble God's people. God told us not to flee because we were afraid, but to catch it.
One more thing to think about is that you are commanded to hold the tail. Common sense is that when catching a snake, you should hold the head and neck. That way you can't turn around and ask. For example, if you catch a cobra's tail, it will turn around and attack.
You can't avoid it and you're bound to suffer. God commanded us not to be afraid and to hold on to the tail.
Moses believed that God was with him and did what he could not do. He stood boldly in front of something he couldn't even dare to deal with. You are betting head-on with Satan. And he held his tail proudly.
Then the snake became a staff again. Now the staff is no longer the rod of Moses of the past.
The staff of power with God has become the staff of God.
God speaks to us today. He says, “Do not be afraid of the snake that is approaching you.” And he goes one step further and says, “Catch the snake by its tail.” When we believe that God is with us and stand boldly in the face of the enemy, we can win when we fight against Satan head-on. At that time, you will be able to hold on to the staff of God.
3. They went to Egypt.
Moses now cast aside all his fears and decided to obey God's Word.
He turns away from what he had endured with the excuse that he couldn't do it, and proceeds towards Egypt.
Today's text calls the staff only at this time as the staff of God.
If he had turned back at this time and went to Midian's own house, he would not have called that staff the staff of God.
If he had taken up the staff again at this time and had done shepherding, the staff would not have been called the staff of God.
That's right. The staff of God becomes the staff of God only when used for missions.
If you use it for your own self-interest, the staff of God will no longer show power.
It will not reveal the glory and majesty of God. Here's something we need to watch out for.
God's staff given to us is to be used only for the glory of God.
When Moses stood before Pharaoh in Egypt, he stood holding the staff.
When Moses struck the ground with his staff, the dust became lice, and when he lifted his staff toward the sky, thunder and hail struck.
When Moses led the Israelites and stood before the Red Sea, he held out his staff and stretched out his hand over the sea.
The Red Sea parted. When Moses went up on Mount Rephidim, he stood on the mountain with the staff of God in his hand.
He was able to defeat Amalek when he raised his hands and prayed.
If we want to live a powerful life on this earth today, we must hold on to God's staff like Moses.
Dear all! Like Moses, hold on to God's staff and live a victorious life.