Chapter 4
Exodus 4-5
“Last night I was telling you,” said Mother, “that God told Moses to go back to Egypt and tell the children of Israel He was going to deliver them.”
“And did Moses go at once to tell them, Mother?” questioned Sophy.
“No, he didn’t, dear. He thought that they would not believe him nor listen to him. God, who was very patient with Moses, said that He would give him two signs to show to them that they might believe that the Lord God of their fathers had really appeared to him. The Lord told Moses to cast the rod which he had in his hand on the ground. He obeyed, and the rod became a serpent. This frightened Moses causing him to flee from it. Then the Lord told Moses to put out his hand and catch the serpent by its tail. This Moses did and the serpent became a rod again. Moses called it the rod of God. This was a sign to show the people that God had power over Satan.
“Then He said to Moses, ‘Put now thine hand into thy bosom.’ Moses obeyed and when he pulled his hand out it was covered with leprosy, which is a very dreadful disease. Then He told him to put it in again. This time when he took it out again it was healed.”
“Mamma, what did that sign mean?” inquired Sophy.
“Well, leprosy is often spoken of in God’s Word as something which is like sin in our hearts. God thinks of sin as a, dreadful disease which nothing but His own power can put away. He wanted to teach the people that He would forgive all their iniquities and heal all their diseases. God told Moses that if the people would not believe him for the first sign, they would believe when they saw the second sign. However, if they did not believe either sign then he should pour some of the water from the river upon the land. It would become blood.
“Moses was still afraid, however, because you see he was thinking of himself instead of God. He said, ‘O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue.’ But the Lord said, ‘Who maketh the dumb or deaf, or the seeing or the blind? have not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.’ Moses answered, ‘O my Lord, send I pray Thee by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.’
“The Lord became angry with Moses because it showed that he did not believe the Lord would do all that He was so kindly and patiently teaching him. He said to Moses, ‘Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth, and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.’”
“Mother,” interrupted Arthur, “Moses was not so brave now, like he was when he killed the Egyptian, was he?”
“No, my boy; Moses had found out that his ways were not like God’s ways nor his thoughts like God’s thoughts. He had not faith enough to leave everything to God nor to trust Him to teach him how to speak and what to say. But we shall soon see how God taught Moses to trust Him, just as He teaches little people and great people to trust Him now.
“When the Lord had finished speaking Moses went back to Jethro and asked him to let him go to see his brethren in Egypt. So he took his wife and their sons and set them upon an ass to go to Egypt. He took the rod of God in his hand. As he stopped at an inn by the way, the Lord met him and was going to kill him because he had not circumcised his son. Perhaps you remember what God said to Abraham about that. It was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham’s children that all the sons should have God’s mark on them.
“Well, and when Moses circumcised his son, the Lord let him go on. Aaron met him in the mountain of God and kissed him. After Moses told Aaron all that the Lord had said, they went into Egypt and called the oldest and wisest of the children of Israel together. They told them all the Lord had said, and did the signs before the people. The people believed and bowed their heads and worshiped for they knew that the Lord had visited them and had looked upon their afflictions.
“Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh to ask him to let them go. When they told him all that the Lord had said, he answered, ‘Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’
“They answered, ‘The God of the Hebrews hath met with us; let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.’
“The king of Egypt was very angry with Moses and Aaron, and accused them of hindering the people of Israel in their work. He said that now the people would have to go and gather the straw for themselves in the fields and that they would have to make just as many bricks each day as they did when the straw was given them. When the Egyptians beat them to make them work harder they cried to Pharaoh, but he told them they were idle and said that was why they wanted to go away to worship God.
“Now the people complained to Moses and Aaron and blamed them for the treatment they received of the Egyptians. Moses became very sorrowful and prayed to the Lord to deliver His people as He said He would.
“Tomorrow night perhaps, I shall tell you how God answered Moses, but that must be all for this time.... Goodnight, my dears,” said Mother as her two little ones slipped off to bed./