Moses the Pest

Exodus 4

Then Moses said to God, “But the Israelites will not believe me when I tell them that you sent me. They will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”

Moses = Debby Downer.  Maybe God will just change the subject and work up to this assignment in a different way.

But the Lord said to Moses, “What is that you have in your hand?”  Moses answered, “It is my walking stick.”  Then God said, “Throw your walking stick on the ground.”

So far, it looks like a good alternate route.

So Moses threw his walking stick on the ground, and it became a snake. Moses ran from it, 

So - Moses is talking with the Living God of the Universe, AND runs from a snake.  Some trust issues, perhaps?

but the Lord said to him, “Reach out and grab the snake by its tail.”

In ancient and modern times, people who work with snakes ALWAYS grab it just behind the head.  If Moses really does grab it by the tail, the it's proof he's hearing and obeying.

When Moses reached out and caught the snake’s tail, the snake became a walking stick again. 

An atta-boy for Moses!  Of course, we all know that one "aw shit" cancels-out 100 atta-boys.

Then God said, “Use your stick in this way, and the people will believe that you saw the Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will give you another proof. Put your hand under your robe.”

So Moses opened his robe and put his hand inside. 

Another atta-boy!

Then he brought his hand out of the robe and it was changed. His hand was covered with spots that were white like snow.  Then God said, “Now put your hand into your robe again.” So Moses put his hand into his robe again. Then he brought his hand out, and his hand was changed. Now his hand was good again, as it was before.

This has got to be good for the third atta-boy.  It feels like God is finally making some progress with Moses and a change of attitude.

Then God said, “If the people don’t believe you when you use your walking stick, then they will believe you when you show them this sign. If they still refuse to believe after you show them both of these signs, then take some water from the Nile River. Pour the water on the ground, and as soon as it touches the ground, it will become blood.”

Then Moses said to the Lord, “But, Lord, I am telling you, I am not a good speaker. I have never been able to speak well. And that hasn't changed since you started talking to me. I am still not a good speaker. You know that I speak slowly and don’t use the best words.”

A clear miss on the fourth atta-boy.  It was going so well for a little while.

Then the Lord said to him, “Who made a person’s mouth? And who can make someone deaf or not able to speak? Who can make a person blind? Who can make a person able to see? I am the one. I am the Lord.  So go. I will be with you when you speak. I will give you the words to say.”

To my ears, that sounds like an offer that should not be refused.

But Moses said, “My Lord, I beg you to send someone else, not me.”

Aw, shit.

Then the Lord became angry with Moses and said, “All right! I’ll give you someone to help you. Aaron the Levite is your brother, isn't he? He is a good speaker. In fact, Aaron is already coming to meet you, and he will be happy to see you. 

At least one person on this mountain will be happy to see Moses.

I will tell you what to say. Then you will tell Aaron, and I will help him say it well. I will tell both of you what to do.  So Aaron will speak for you. Like God, you will speak to him, and he will tell the people what you say. 

Way to go, Moses.  That's not clumsy technique for clear and simple communication - at all.

So go and carry your walking stick with you. Use it and the other miracles to show the people that I am with you.”

Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law. Moses said to him, “Please let me go back to Egypt. I want to see if my people are still alive.”

That seems a little overly-dramatic.  If they were dead, why would God be giving Moses instructions on how to speak with them?

Jethro said to Moses, “Go in shalom.”

Then, while Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “It is safe for you to go back to Egypt now. The men who wanted to kill you are now dead.”

That sounds a little like a line from The Godfather movies.

So Moses put his wife and children on the donkey and returned to Egypt. He carried his walking stick with him—the walking stick with the power of God.

Catchy - WS wit da POG.

While Moses was traveling back to Egypt, the Lord spoke to him, “When you talk to Pharaoh 

Surprise Moses!  You won't be speaking only to your people.

remember to show him all the miracles that I have given you the power to do. But I will cause Pharaoh to be very stubborn. He will not let the people go. 

Here's a question: if God makes someone stubborn, do they have to be stubborn? A Presbyterian would answer yes.  A Baptist would probably answer no.

But if the answer is Yes - then this whole scenario about to unfold is on rails.  If there's no input or steering from any of the players, then why play at all?

I think Moses would answer No.  We've already seen how he rejected the Lord's will in being selected as a speaker for God. Why wouldn't he expect Pharaoh to be able to do the same?

Then you should say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. 

I assume God is speaking of the nation of Israel, not Jacob.

And I am telling you to let my son go and worship me. If you refuse to let Israel go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”

And, in a reflection, God is referring to Pharaoh's son - not the nation of Egypt.

On the way to Egypt, Moses stopped at a place to spend the night.

I wonder if this was anywhere near the places that Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord?

The Lord met him [Moses?] [Pharaoh's son?] at that place and tried to kill him.

Tried to?  

But Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. 

This sounds like emergency surgery in the midst of a fight to the death.  Usually a priest (a man) performs the circumcision - not a woman.  Especially not a Midianite woman.  I'm guessing Moses had to hold his (adolescent?) son down, which means Zipporah had to cut.

She took the skin and touched his feet. Then she said to Moses, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me.”  Zipporah said this because she had to circumcise her son. 

I can imagine that's a bloody, weird, and disgusting ritual from the perspective of a non-Israelite woman.

So he [God?] [Moses?] let him [Pharaoh's son?] [Moses's son?] go.

Okay, Weird.

The Lord had spoken to Aaron and told him, “Go out into the desert and meet Moses.” So Aaron went and met Moses at the Mountain of God. He saw Moses and kissed him. Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had commanded him to say and all the miracles he must do to prove that God had sent him.

This confuses me, too.  If Aaron met Moses at the mountain, why did they hang on the way to the inn?  If they're meeting in the desert/wilderness, why are there accommodations?

So Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the Israelites. Then Aaron spoke to the people and told them everything the Lord had told Moses. Then Moses did the miracles for all the people to see, and they believed what they had heard. Then the Israelites understood that the Lord had seen their troubles and had come to help them. So they bowed down and worshiped God.

A good start for the Israelites. An atta-boy to the crew.  Of course, we know it's not too long before they start building their "aw shit" list.

The part toward the end of the story - about God trying to kill (someone), and a circumcision, and (someone) letting (someone) go - is tangled and confusing.  It would be dangerous to try to draw spiritual insight from that bit, because the pronouns are not specific and they're sprinkled though the whole section without clear references.

If time permits, lets look at Exodus 4:22-26 in a few different translations.