Signs For Moses (an added bonus this week)

God wanted Moses to perform 3 signs (AKA miracles) for the people if they didn’t believe him or listen to him when he went to him per God’s request (doubt 3 remember the lack of authority fear we discussed last week). Why signs? They were proof that a person was sent from God or by God a sort of commission that this person was legit and not a false teacher (this will be important for later on in the New Testament).

Sign 1:
v. 3-6 “The Lord said, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it (smart man I would not only run but scream). The Lord said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold o the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. “This,“ said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has appeared to you.”

Why does the staff turn into a snake you ask? Good question, some believe it is to show the power of God over Satan. The first time I read that I was like interesting I don’t see it, but interesting none the less. I think I didn’t see it mainly because I was thinking “Lord you turn anything of mine into a snake I’m never going to use it again let alone go near it to touch it for it turn back into whatever it was before. And even if it did turn back into whatever it was before I’m not going to be okay just walking around with it what if it just randomly turned into a snake. Pass.” But, I am not Moses and this is not my story. So after getting pass the whole he turned my staff into a snake bit I thought on it more and remembered this was a time of faith. A time of hope and miracles, a time of a group of people crying and moaning out to God to rescue them. Wanting help a time when people wanted to believe in God and wanted proof that Not only does God exist, but that he was going to help them. And that he had power over the very real enemy that they saw every day in their lives. This right here would have been proof they needed for that very real situation. A powerful reminder to them that yes God did have power over the enemy and he was going to set them free.

Sign 2
v. 6-7 “Then the Lord said, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” So Moses put his hand into his cloak and when he took it out the skin was leprous – it had become as white as snow. “Now put it back into your cloak.” He said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.

Leprous = various diseases of the skin. Something we are very blessed in America to not have to deal much with nor worry about. However, in 3^rd world countries it is still very much alive and a disease many do face. People with this are considered scum, evil, poor, outcast who are treated poorly and unfairly. Which is when Jesus shows up on the scene and treats them with love and compassion and shows them a smile not fear and hate it was a new radical concept. Then he healed them without demanding anything SHOCKING I know…

But, I digress back to Moses we will eventually get to the wondrous man called Jesus I swear. Moses puts his hand in his cloak without hesitating when God asked him (I personally would be like there’s not going to be a snake in there right Lord we’re pass this snake trick correct? Again that’s just me) and poof he is sick then he puts it back in and poof he is well. I had to read that a few times and meditate on it. Read a few different articles before I grasp the roots of this sign. But, don’t you think this one is a lot like sin.

I mean let’s look at it closer. When one commits sin let’s say anger or gossip image if we did our sin instantly turned into a disfiguration of the sin (like the picture of Dorian Gray) so that everyone could see our sin it would look in a way leprous. The sin would be filthy it would cause us to feel shameful. We would hide and separate ourselves from God or others not wanting them to see or know us for what we were or are or had done. Scared that the disease would spread (as it tends to do when we are angry or gossip try it some time when you are angry see how fast others get angry too. Or take a rumor and watch it spread like a wild fire). Until we cried out to God and repented of that sin with our hearts asking him to forgive and truly meaning it and the “POOF” white as snow we come out clean. Brand new like never happened, completely healed our hearts and bodies able to go out and interact again learning the lesson of how that feels.

Now I am in no way saying people with skin disorders or sickness is caused by sin.
This sign however shows me what sin must look like for God. He sees us sick and mutilated by the sin until we cry out to him to heal us and fix us then we are clean and poof we are well.

Sign 3
v. 8-9 “Then the Lord said, “If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground.”

Blood is the third sign. “Washed in the blood of the lamb” is my hint (you have to envision me singing at the top of my lungs in order to truly get it though) for you on this one. The moment I read it that old hymn popped into my head. “Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the lamb.” Well you get it. This was a sign of being redeemed through the blood and what was about to come. Praise the Lord. I love foreshadowing people because it shows me how clever, truly clever, God is!

Are you washed in the blood by Alan Jackson just b/c

So clever that Moses doesn’t get it. To be fair though when I am in these situation when God and I are having a Moses and Him talk I don’t get the foreshadowing either. I am never like oh I see you’re foreshadowing. Nope usually I am like you’re not going to turn that into a snake are you? It’s not until I look back like 10 years later or *cough35years* later that I’m like I see what you did there now it makes sense. Unless God is gracious and gives me a neon sign that reads “Hey Sara right here beloved focus” I am probably going to miss something important and then 9 times out of 10 I am really going to also need angels singing in order to really get it, but God knows that about this special child of his so he prepares accordingly. So don’t feel bad if you are like Sara and Moses and miss the foreshadowing happens all the time. Just pray for signs and angels.

So now my questions to you what did you think of the signs? Does God ever give you signs along your journey (maybe not to preform) but to help guide you in the right direction?