"Throw it on the ground," said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it. “Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD.This command from God to Moses occurs during their encounter at the burning bush on Mount Horeb. The act of throwing the staff on the ground is a demonstration of God's power and authority. In ancient Near Eastern culture, a staff was a symbol of leadership and authority, often carried by shepherds and leaders. By instructing Moses to throw it down, God is showing that He can transform ordinary objects to fulfill His divine purposes. This act foreshadows the miracles Moses will perform in Egypt, emphasizing that God is the source of power behind these signs. So Moses threw it on the ground,
Moses' obedience in following God's command is significant. Despite his initial hesitations and feelings of inadequacy, Moses acts in faith. This moment marks the beginning of Moses' transformation from a shepherd to the leader of the Israelites. The act of throwing the staff is symbolic of Moses casting aside his old life and accepting the mission God has for him. It also serves as a test of faith, as Moses must trust in God's instructions without knowing the outcome. and it became a snake,
The transformation of the staff into a snake is a miraculous sign. In Egyptian culture, snakes were symbols of power and were associated with the Pharaoh, who wore a serpent on his crown. This miracle is a direct challenge to the authority of Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt, demonstrating that the God of Israel is supreme. The snake is also a reminder of the serpent in the Garden of Eden, symbolizing sin and deception. This transformation can be seen as a type of Christ, who would later take on the form of sinful flesh to conquer sin and death. and he ran from it.
Moses' reaction of fear and retreat is a natural human response to the unexpected and the supernatural. It highlights Moses' humanity and his initial reluctance to embrace his role as God's chosen leader. This moment of fear contrasts with the courage Moses will later display as he confronts Pharaoh and leads the Israelites out of Egypt. It serves as a reminder that God often calls imperfect and fearful individuals to accomplish His purposes, equipping them with the strength and courage they need. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesA Hebrew prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. At this point in the account, Moses is at the burning bush, receiving his commission from God. 2. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant name of God, who is revealing Himself to Moses and demonstrating His power through signs. 3. The SnakeThe rod turning into a snake is a miraculous sign from God, symbolizing His power and authority. The Hebrew word for snake here is (nachash), which can also mean serpent. 4. The Rod/StaffA common tool for shepherds, representing Moses' identity and authority. It becomes a symbol of God's power when transformed into a snake. 5. The Burning BushThe location where God appears to Moses, a significant event marking the beginning of Moses' mission to free the Israelites. Teaching Points God's Authority Over NatureThe transformation of the rod into a snake demonstrates God's supreme power over creation. Believers can trust in God's sovereignty over all aspects of life. Fear and FaithMoses' initial reaction of fear is natural, yet God calls him to trust and obey. In our lives, we may face situations that cause fear, but faith requires us to trust in God's power and plan. Signs and WondersGod uses signs to confirm His word and mission. While we may not always see miraculous signs, we are called to recognize God's work in our lives and respond in faith. Obedience to God's CallMoses' obedience in throwing down the rod is a step of faith. We are called to obey God's instructions, even when they seem daunting or unclear. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the transformation of the rod into a snake teach us about God's power and authority? 2. How can Moses' initial fear and subsequent obedience encourage us in our own walk of faith? 3. In what ways does the snake in Exodus 4 differ from the serpent in Genesis 3, and what does this tell us about God's purposes? 4. How can we discern and respond to the "signs" God places in our lives today? 5. Reflect on a time when you felt called to do something challenging. How did you respond, and what can you learn from Moses' example? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 3The serpent in the Garden of Eden, representing temptation and sin, contrasts with the snake in Exodus 4, which is a demonstration of God's power and authority. Numbers 21The bronze serpent lifted by Moses in the wilderness, which provided healing to the Israelites, prefigures the power of God to save and deliver. Mark 16:18Jesus mentions that believers will handle snakes without harm, symbolizing divine protection and authority over evil. People Aaron, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jethro, Moses, Pharaoh, ZipporahPlaces Egypt, Horeb, Midian, Nile RiverTopics Becometh, Cast, Casteth, Fled, Fleeth, Ground, Presence, Ran, Running, Serpent, Snake, Threw, ThrowDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 4:3 4687 snake Exodus 4:1-3 5968 timidity Exodus 4:1-9 1449 signs, purposes Exodus 4:1-13 7758 preachers, call Exodus 4:2-5 4512 staff Library January 13. "Thou Shalt be to Him Instead of God" (Ex. Iv. 16).
"Thou shalt be to him instead of God" (Ex. iv. 16). Such was God's promise to Moses, and such the high character that Moses was to assume toward Aaron, his brother. May it not suggest a high and glorious place that each of us may occupy toward all whom we meet, instead of God? What a dignity and glory it would give our lives, could we uniformly realize this high calling! How it would lead us to act toward our fellow-men! God can always be depended upon. God is without variableness or shadow of turning. …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth May the Eleventh but -- --!
"And Moses answered and said, But----" --EXODUS iv. 1-9. We know that "but." God has heard it from our lips a thousand times. It is the response of unbelief to the divine call. It is the reply of fear to the divine command. It is the suggestion that the resources are inadequate. It is a hint that God may not have looked all round. He has overlooked something which our own eyes have seen. The human "buts" in the Scriptural stories make an appalling record. "Lord, I will follow Thee, but----" There …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year May the Twelfth Mouth and Matter
"Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth." --EXODUS iv. 10-17. And what a promise that is for anyone who is commissioned to proclaim the King's decrees. Here can teachers and preachers find their strength. God will be with their mouths. He will control their speech, and order their words like troops. He does not promise to make us eloquent, but to endow our words with the "demonstration of power." "And I will teach thee what thou shall say." The Lord will not only be with our mouths, …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year A Bundle of Myrrh is My Well-Beloved unto Me; He Shall Abide Between My Breasts.
When the Bride, or rather the lover (for she is not yet a bride), has found her Bridegroom, she is so transported with joy, that she is eager to be instantly united to Him. But the union of perpetual enjoyment is not yet arrived. He is mine, she says, I cannot doubt that He gives Himself to me this moment, since I feel it, but He is to me, as it were, a bundle of myrrh. He is not yet a Bridegroom whom I may embrace in the nuptial bed, but a bundle of crosses, pains and mortifications; a bloody husband …
Madame Guyon—Song of Songs of Solomon Preaching (I. ).
Earthen vessels, frail and slight, Yet the golden Lamp we bear; Master, break us, that the light So may fire the murky air; Skill and wisdom none we claim, Only seek to lift Thy Name. I have on purpose reserved the subject of Preaching for our closing pages. Preaching is, from many points of view, the goal and summing up of all other parts and works of the Ministry. What we have said already about the Clergyman's life and labour, in secret, in society, in the parish; what we have said about his …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren To the Saddest of the Sad
I often wonder what those preachers do who feel called to make up their message as they go on; for if they fail, their failure must be attributed in great measure to their want of ability to make up a moving tale. They have to spread their sails to the breeze of the age, and to pick up a gospel that comes floating down to them on the stream of time, altering every week in the year; and they must have an endless task to catch this new idea, or, as they put it, to keep abreast of the age. Unless, indeed, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888 The Sweet Uses of Adversity
Now, I propose to address myself to the two classes of persons who are making use of this question. First, I shall speak to the tried saint; and then I shall speak to the seeking sinner, who has been seeking peace and pardon through Christ, but who has not as yet found it, but, on the contrary, has been buffeted by the law, and driven away from the mercy-seat in despair. I. First, then, to THE CHILD OF GOD. I have--I know I have--in this great assembly, some who have come to Job's position. They …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859 "For if Ye Live after the Flesh, Ye Shall Die; but if Ye through the Spirit do Mortify the Deeds of the Body, Ye Shall Live.
Rom. viii. s 13, 14.--"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." The life and being of many things consists in union,--separate them, and they remain not the same, or they lose their virtue. It is much more thus in Christianity, the power and life of it consists in the union of these things that God hath conjoined, so that if any man pretend to …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture.
"He hath hardened their heart."-- John xii. 40. The Scripture teaches positively that the hardening and "darkening of their foolish heart" is a divine, intentional act. This is plainly evident from God's charge to Moses concerning the king of Egypt: "Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not harken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Flight into Egypt and Slaughter of the Bethlehem Children.
(Bethlehem and Road Thence to Egypt, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 13-18. ^a 13 Now when they were departed [The text favors the idea that the arrival and departure of the magi and the departure of Joseph for Egypt, all occurred in one night. If so, the people of Bethlehem knew nothing of these matters], behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise [this command calls for immediate departure] and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt [This land was ever the …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah A Canticle of Love
It is not only when He is about to send me some trial that Our Lord gives me warning and awakens my desire for it. For years I had cherished a longing which seemed impossible of realisation--to have a brother a Priest. I often used to think that if my little brothers had not gone to Heaven, I should have had the happiness of seeing them at the Altar. I greatly regretted being deprived of this joy. Yet God went beyond my dream; I only asked for one brother who would remember me each day at the Holy …
Therese Martin (of Lisieux)—The Story of a Soul Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 4:3 NIVExodus 4:3 NLTExodus 4:3 ESVExodus 4:3 NASBExodus 4:3 KJV
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