Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 3:16 - 4:9
Christians believe the Bible is the Word of God, God’s message to humanity, inerrant in the original writings, and the final authority on all matters upon which it offers guidance and instruction. Many people understandably ask for proof that the Bible is a message from our Creator.
When Moses was sent to deliver a message from Yahweh, he logically worried that his audience would not believe he was sent by God. The evidence God gave him to prove his legitimacy is instructive on how we in the 21st century can prove the Bible is the Word of God.
When Moses was pasturing a flock in the wilderness, he saw a bush burning, but the bush was not being consumed by the fire. He turned aside to investigate, and Yahweh began speaking to him. Yahweh told Moses to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery, but Moses resisted the order.
First, Moses claimed he was a nobody and not qualified to approach Pharaoh even though he had grown up as the grandson of Pharaoh. Yahweh assured Moses He would be with him.
Second, Moses asked what name he should use when the Israelites requested the name of the God who sent Moses. Yahweh told him to use the name “Yahweh”.
Ex. 3:16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I indeed care about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.
Ex. 3:17 So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’
The Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites were subsets of the Canaanites (see Gen. 10:15-18). The land of the Canaanites had been promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Gen. 17:8 and 35:12).
Ex. 3:18 And they will listen to your voice; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you all will say to him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh our God.’
Ex. 3:19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not give you permission to go, except by a strong hand.
Yahweh predicted that Pharaoh would not willingly allow the Israelites to leave
Ex. 3:20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wondrous deeds which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.
Yahweh promised to perform miracles in order to punish Egypt and force them to release Israel.
Ex. 3:21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty.
Ex. 3:22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and of the woman who lives in her house, for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Notice the word “plunder”. Yahweh said He would manipulate events so that the Israelites would leave Egypt with great wealth.
Ex. 4:1 ¶ Then Moses answered and said, “What if they will not believe me and will not listen to my voice? For they may say, ‘Yahweh has not appeared to you.’”
This is the third objection Moses used to try to get out of his assignment. Tomorrow, in chapter four verse 13, we will see that Moses flatly asked Yahweh to send someone else, so we know that Moses was trying to get out of his assignment; however, this objection had legitimacy. Anyone can go to anyone and say, “God sent me with this message.” That doesn’t mean they are telling the truth. Moses very understandably was concerned that the Israelites and Egyptians would not believe Moses’ claim about being a messenger from Yahweh.
Ex. 4:2 And Yahweh said to him, “What is this in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
Ex. 4:3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.
Over the years, I have heard people claim that if you hold a serpent in a certain way, it will be stiff and appear to be a staff. That may be true, but Moses knew that was not what happened in this case. Moses knew his staff was a piece of wood, because he had carried the staff for weeks or months, perhaps years. Moses knew Yahweh had just demonstrated the power to turn a piece of wood into a serpent.
Ex. 4:4 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and took hold of it, and it became a staff in his hand—
Ex. 4:5 “that they may believe that Yahweh, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
Yahweh told Moses to use miracles to prove that Yahweh was speaking through Moses.
The Bible records many miracles. The purpose of miracles was to prove that a prophet was truly speaking on behalf of our Creator.
Just as it would have been normal and understandable for the Egyptians and Israelites to ask for proof that Moses was sent by Yahweh, so too many people today want proof that the Bible is a message from God, not just something written by man. The Bible is a collection of accurate historical documents which record the fact that prophets performed miracles and proved they spoke and wrote under the direction of Yahweh, the Creator of the Universe.
Ex. 4:6 ¶ And Yahweh furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom; then he took it out, and behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
Ex. 4:7 Then He said, “Return your hand into your bosom.” So he returned his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it returned to being like the rest of his flesh.
Ex. 4:8 “And so it will be, if they will not believe you or listen to the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of this last sign.
Ex. 4:9 But if it will be that they will not believe even these two signs and that they will not listen to your voice, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry land; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry land.”
Just as it would have been normal and understandable for the Egyptians and Israelites to ask for proof that Moses was sent by Yahweh, so too many people today want proof that the Bible is a message from God, not just something written by man. The miracles recorded in the Bible are recorded in accurate historical documents; thus, the miracles prove that the Bible is a message from our Creator.
Why did miracles prove that Moses was speaking on behalf of God?
Why do the miracles recorded in the Bible prove that God is the author of the Bible?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”