Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

Exodus 4

• About the title
  • Wholly means “To the full or entire extent: completely”
  • The World’s Appetite, beginning with Eve’s apple (fruit)

Miraculous Signs for Pharaoh

Exodus 4:¹ Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) has not appeared to you.’ ”

Exodus 4:² So the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to him, “What is that in your hand?”

He said, “A rod.”

Exodus 4:³ And He (the Lord) said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.

Exodus 4:⁴ Then the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),

Exodus 4:⁵ “that they may believe that the Lord God (Yᵊhōvâ ‘ĕlōhîm) of their fathers, the God (‘ĕlōhîm) of Abraham, the God (‘ĕlōhîm) of Isaac, and the God (‘ĕlōhîm) of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

Exodus 4:⁶ Furthermore the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to him, “Now put your hand in your bosom.” And he put his hand in his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, like snow.

Exodus 4:⁷ And He said, “Put your hand in your bosom again.” So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh.

Exodus 4:⁸ “Then it will be, if they do not believe you, nor heed the message of the first sign, that they may believe the message of the latter sign.

Exodus 4:⁹ And it shall be, if they do not believe even these two signs, or listen to your voice, that you shall take water from the river and pour it on the dry land. The water which you take from the river will become blood on the dry land.”

Exodus 4:¹⁰ Then Moses said to the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ), “O my Lord (‘ăḏōnāy), I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

Exodus 4:¹¹ So the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ)?

Exodus 4:¹² Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”

Exodus 4:¹³ But he said, “O my Lord (‘ăḏōnāy), please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.”

Exodus 4:¹⁴ So the anger of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) was kindled against Moses, and He said: “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And look, he is also coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

Exodus 4:¹⁵ Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.

Exodus 4:¹⁶ So he shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God (‘ĕlōhîm).

• Moses is in the place of God for Aaron.

Exodus 4:¹⁷ And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.”

Moses Goes to Egypt

Exodus 4:¹⁸ So Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, “Please let me go and return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see whether they are still alive.”

And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

Exodus 4:¹⁹ Now the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to Moses in Midian, “Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.”

Exodus 4:²⁰ Then Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God (‘ĕlōhîm) in his hand.

• Mose’s wife: Zipporah
• Moses’ two sons: Gershom (means a stranger in a strange land Ex 2:22) and Eliezer (means “God is my help” Ex 18:4).

Exodus 4:²¹ And the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

Exodus 4:²² Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ): “Israel is My son, My firstborn.

Exodus 4:²³ So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.” ’ ”

• Israel (the nation) has become a metaphor for Jesus. As Israel – also Jesus.
  
  • The day Pharoah’s firstborn was killed was Passover (Jewish month of Nisan 14), the same day God’s only (firstborn) Son was killed. Pharoah’s first born was killed in 1446 BC. Jesus was killed in 31 AD. Both died on a Wednesday, in the middle of the week.
    
• Moses led the Hebrews out of captivity (3 days: Exodus 3:18,5:3,8:27) in Egypt, even as Jesus led captivity captive, opening Sheol for their release to the Father in heaven.
• These 3 days were the same 3 days Jesus was in Sheol in the heart of the earth (grave). The same days of the week and the same days of the month. The Exodus occurred in 1446 BC and The Crucifixion in 31 AD.
• Three days between Passover and First Fruits for both events.
• In Exodus 4:23 God says “Let My Son Go” where God’s Son refers to the Hebrews in 1446 BC, but to Jesus in 31 AD. Pharoah’s firstborn son died on the same day God’s firstborn Son died: Passover.

• God chose Israel to be the head over all nations in the same way that, in the history of “tribes” the firstborn was the head over his brothers and over his brothers families. He was left almost all the resources from his father’s inheritance.
  
• When Israel chose to fill their spiritual appetites with idols and immorality, it was the same as when Esau, who was the firstborn, filled his worldly appetite with a bowl of stew in exchange for his birthright. It is akin to selling one’s soul and salvation.

• God calls on Moses (standing in as God) to lead His firstborn out of Egypt (symbolic of the world and worldliness.

Exodus 4:²⁴ And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) met him (Moses) and sought (determined) to kill him.

1. Moses had been ignoring God concerning circumcision.

• Circumcision is the act of cutting off of the flesh (the flesh is the world and its worldliness) as a covenant of blood with God. Those who were circumcised were known as God’s people, the Jews.

• In the act of making a covenant, something alive is killed and the covenant makers pass between the pieces making a pact (a promise) one with another.

• In circumcision, the sacrifice is the foreskin of flesh. It is a promise to future generations. As the seed of man passes through the blood it confirms God’s pact with the Jews that they will have a promised land forever.

• In the New Testament this covenant changes to a circumcision of the heart illustrating what the circumcision was about in the first place.
  
  • I Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
  • Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
  • Galatians 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.
  • Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,
  • Colossians 2:11 [Not Legalism but Christ] In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
    Romans 2:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
    
• Without a circumcision, the cutting away of our fleshly appetites from this world, God will kill the sinful man who neglects the Word of God.
  
• Why does circumcision take place on the 8^th day?
  
  It is of significant medical importance that male circumcision be carried out on the eighth day after birth since the level of vitamin K is highest on this day and vitamin K plays a pivotal role in the regulation and control of the important clotting factors in the coagulation pathway that helps in stopping bleeding.
  
  • Leviticus 12:3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
    
• Another interesting fact: The symbolic meaning of the number eight in scripture is “A New Beginning”

Exodus 4:²⁵ Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son (probably the firstborn) and cast it at Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a husband of blood to me!”

• Who circumcised Moses? Appears to be Zipporah.
• Moses and Zipporah took two sons. What about the other son? I assume both were circumcised. OR was just the first born circumcised?
• Circumcision is the cutting away (separation) of the appetite/pleasure of this world.
• When Zipporah cast the foreskin of Moses to the ground), it was like when Moses cast his staff to the ground and it became a serpent, (like Satan, the “god” of this world – and its worldliness).

Exodus 4:²⁶ So He (God) let (allowed) him (Moses to) go. Then she (Zipporah) said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.

Exodus 4:²⁷ And the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God (‘ĕlōhîm) (Mt. Sinai), and kissed him.

Exodus 4:²⁸ So Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) who had sent him, and all the signs which He had commanded him.

• Did Moses mention the circumcision?

Exodus 4:²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel.

Exodus 4:³⁰ And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people.

Exodus 4:³¹ So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.

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Humor:

• Moses used his “staff” to make the Egyptians and Hebrews believe him.
• Dont give up. Moses was once a basket case.
• Moses de-parted.

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Queries:

1. Why was it time for Moses to return to Egypt?
2. What were the three signs God gave Moses?
3. What did God say would happen if Pharaoh did not let the Hebrews go?
4. What animal did Moses take with him and his family?