Exodus 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.
19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
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.
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.
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
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.
24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
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.
26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
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.
28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.
29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
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.
The Bible teaches us that there is no shortcut in serving the Lord. It must be His way and only His way. Often times, men try to find another way, but only God’s way brings His blessings. Moses was to the place now where he was ready to take the next step in God’s plan. He did not need to flee from his father-in-law. He needed to let his father-in-law know what the next step was.
God granted Moses favour with his father-in-law. Jethro blessed Moses as he prepared to leave. God kept giving Moses all the assurances he needed along the way. We read that Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on asses and he returned to Egypt. This was the place that Moses had to flee from. However, the Pharaoh that sought to kill him was dead. The new Pharaoh was just as ignorant of history as the last one had been.
God reminded Moses that he needed to remember to obey the LORD as he went to meet with Pharaoh. God also warned Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart. God had a lesson for this Pharaoh and for the nation. They had their opportunity to know the true God and they chose to reject Him. Now they would witness His wrath.
Moses was commanded to speak to Pharaoh. Notice that his message needed to be to remind Pharaoh that the LORD was in charge and that Israel was God’s son, even His firstborn. The firstborn received a double blessing in the land of Israel. The firstborn was also given more responsibility.
In verse 24 we read there was another matter that Moses needed to attend to. He had been raised in Pharaoh’s court and he had neglected an important command that God had given to Abraham for him and his male descendants. Moses was in trouble with the LORD for neglecting the law of circumcision. Zipporah, Moses’ wife obviously knew about this law and in verse 25 we read that she took a sharp stone and circumcised her son. She did not like what God required, but she knew she needed to obey His command. She threw the foreskin of her son at Moses’ feet and accused him of being a bloody husband. The law of circumcision was not Moses’ law. It was God’s law for the Hebrews. We see the importance of the wife being obedient to the law of God as well as the husband. She did not like it, but it was not an option for her to disobey what the LORD had commanded.
God saw the obedience here even if it came from a less than grateful heart. He let Moses go because His command was honoured. Zipporah protested again but submission was required and practiced. Submission to God’s law is an imperative for God’s child. As we see, there may not always be full agreement with God’s law, but obedience is an important step in agreement. As a true child of God submits to God’s law, he will gain a greater understanding and appreciation for God’s law.
In verse 27 we see that God followed through on His instructions to Moses. He now brought Aaron into the picture. God does not have any idle words. He told Moses that Aaron would be his mouth piece, and now it was time for Aaron to go and meet Moses.
In verse 28 Moses told Aaron all that the LORD had told him. He told him of the call of God upon his life.
When Moses and Aaron arrived in Goshen, they gathered together the elders of Israel. Aaron obediently spoke all the words that the LORD had given to Moses. They did all the signs that God had given to Moses as well.
It is important to remind people who is in charge. Moses was not acting on a whim. He was not acting on emotions. He was acting upon very clear commands from God. The elders needed to understand Who was in charge. They needed to be prepared to submit to the will of the LORD as well.
We read in verse 31 that the people believed. The key here was that they heard that the LORD had visited His people. They were the children of Israel. In God’s sight, those who know Him are His children. They took comfort in the fact that the LORD had looked upon their affliction. They did not realize that He was well aware of all that had been happening. He did not all of a sudden wake up to this reality.
For the moment the people bowed their heads and worshipped. We know the fickle nature of the people. Even though the Hebrews were God’s chosen people, they would soon complain about His actions. The elders would not even be in agreement with what the LORD was doing. It was important for Moses to be fully convinced that the LORD was in charge and that He would work things to the place where the Hebrews would be able to leave Egypt with riches, while the Egyptians would be grieving the loss of their firstborn and their prosperity.
The cost of rebellion is high. It is much higher than man assumes. The losses that the Egyptians would suffer were not an accident. They were well earned by the people. Yes, the Pharaoh was in charge, but the people also had minds. They could have chosen differently, but it was more convenient for them to just submit to a wicked king, or so they assumed.
We find that citizens cannot hide behind a wicked ruler. Rulers are held accountable. Citizens are also held accountable. We need to learn that in Canada as well. It is important for those who are truly born again to submit to the will of God. We have no reason to give in to the wicked ideas of ungodly governments. We know what God requires of us. We need to know Him and trust Him to guide us. We can be a help to others when we submit to His will.
Pastor Bartel
