Exodus 4:1-17 Notes: Moses' Miraculous Power

Section 7: Moses’ Miraculous Power– Exodus 4:1-17

Theme or topic of this section

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.. again!

Perform Miraculous Signs

Moses’ Miraculous Power

Saying No Is not Always the Answer

Rescue the Israelite Slaves (and the Prep behind the rescue)

God Gave Moses the Signs and Necessary Tools to Return to Egypt

God’s Plan for Moses to Implement

Moses’ Toolbox

Some interesting points

How does God respond to Moses’ objections?

- He pulls the “God card”

- God doesn’t take no for an answer.

- God keeps giving Moses commands.

- says Aaron will help you, but you’re still going to do it.

The Purpose of the signs

- to prove to the Israelites who God is, and that Moses has been sent by God.

- the signs require Moses to have trust – snakes, leprosy – are you kidding me?!

When God gets angry at Moses (vs 14)

- God gets angry but really, the first words out of God’s mouth are kind. 

- God was already planning a real-life answer to Moses’ objections.

- In verse 11 God sounds more angry than he does in verse 14.

- There will be 2 people (Moses and Aaron ) – a shared burden.

Are Moses’ objections justified?

- The Lord didn’t think so!

- We all like to let fellow humans off the hook.

- Yes, because Moses’ position and confidence have changed from when he was in Egypt.  He’s become used to talking to sheep.

- God is calling Moses to become  a shepherd of people.

The $64,000 question

Why would God harden the heart of Pharaoh? ! ? !

- so that the Israelites would see all the signs and know that God is fighting for them.

- if Pharaoh caved right away, leaving Egypt would be too easy for the Israelites.  With the signs, it makes leaving valuable to the Israelites.

- God wanted the Israelites to trust him fully.

What we learned about the nature of God from this passage

- God is extremely patient, but can be pushed.

- Long-suffering

- When God wants you to do something, God will be relentless.

- God is approachable and listens.

- God understands Moses’ shortcomings.

- God doesn’t require us to be perfect in order to use us.

- God will equip you for the job he calls you to do.

What we learned from this passage that we can apply to our lives

- I’m not a good speaker, so I can relate to Moses.  And God can use me anyway.

- When God wants you to do something, he will wear you down.

- How do I know when God is speaking to me?

- Sometimes God doesn’t have a big project for us, but he can still use us where we are.

Exodus 4:1-17 Study Questions - Moses’ Miraculous Power

Exodus Study, Section 7: Moses’ Miraculous Power– Exodus 4:1-17

Initial observation

1. Read Exodus 4:1-17 out loud in the group.

2. Underline or highlight frequently used words (or refer to your homework).

3. What words, phrases, or ideas make an impression on you?

4. Read and discuss the ‘newspaper reporter’ questions that the group wrote for homework.

In-depth Observation

5.  In the previous sections Moses had two objections.  What are his objections in this passage? (verse 1, verse 10, verse 13)

6.  How does God respond to Moses’ objections in this passage?

7.  What is the purpose of the feats of magic? (verses 2-9) 

8.  What does Moses say that causes the Lord to become angry? (verse 13)

9.  Do you think Moses’ objections are justified?

10.  Write down the theme or topic of this section.

Interpretation and Application:

A. What do you learn about the nature of God from this passage?

B.  What do you learn about the other characters from this passage?

- Moses

- Aaron

C.  What can we learn from this passage that applies to our own lives?

Vocabulary and notes

Verse 4:10 “slow of speech”.  Literally, “heavy of mouth,” i.e. not an orator.  Or he had a speech defect.  God knows his shortcoming but chooses him nonetheless.

Which wolf will we feed?

Words from the inaugural prayer service:

There is a story attributed to Cherokee wisdom:

One evening a grandfather was teaching his young grandson about the internal battle that each person faces.
"There are two wolves struggling inside each of us," the old man said. "One wolf is vengefulness, anger, resentment, self-pity, fear... The other wolf is compassion, faithfulness, hope, truth, love..."

The grandson sat, thinking, then asked: "Which wolf wins, Grandfather?"

His grandfather replied, "The one you feed."

There are crises banging on the door right now, pawing at us, trying to draw us off our ethical center - crises that tempt us to feed the wolf of vengefulness and fear.

We need you, Mr. President, to hold your ground. We need you, leaders of this nation, to stay centered on the values that have guided us in the past; values that empowered to move us through the perils of earlier times and can guide us now into a future of renewed promise.

We need you to feed the good wolf within you, to listen to the better angels of your nature, and by your example encourage us to do the same.

Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins
Sermon: Harmonies of Liberty
Isaiah 58:6-12, Mt 22:6-40
National Prayer Service; January 21, 2009

Links to the entire sermon:
In text:
http://www.disciples.org/OfficeoftheGeneralMinisterandPresident/NewsandUpdates/HarmoniesofLiberty/tabid/483/Default.aspx

For audio or video, try here:

http://www.nationalcathedral.org/presidents/service.html