V1-7 – Moses continues to protest. He is still not yet full trusting that God will take of all the details. But the Lord is patient with Moses, even amidst the protests and the Lord continues to build up Moses’s faith and trust in Him.
Remember, it’s not that Moses does not know that this is God. The issue is that his heart has not yet fully trusted in God. But as He continues to talk to and experience God, his faith builds. In different ways from here forward, God reveals himself to Moses and Moses greatly grows in the knowledge of God. One of the ways that God reveals himself is by answering the man’s questions. The Lord does signs in front of Moses and shows Moses a small bit of his power.
The Lord is always patient with man and He teaches and reveals himself to us so that our faith and trust in Him will grow and come to maturity.
V8-9 – The Lord tells Moses to performs these signs to the people of Israel and they would believe. The use of signs is an important way that God reveals himself to man. And Jesus also told this to his Jewish opponents:
John 10:37-38 NIV – Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
The book of Acts also says this about the ministry of Paul and Barnabas at Iconium:
Acts 14:1-20 NIV – So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
From these passages that the signs or wonders are not an end to themselves, they are methods that God sometimes uses to confirm his message. The goal is to have the people believe in Him. Dear friend, remember, seek the Lord and believe in Him, do not seek signs and wonders.
V10-11 – Moses again pleads with God about his inadequacies but God continues to build Moses’ faith in Him by giving him his word. The Lord reminds Moses that He is the creator of all things and that He is the one who decides all things, including speaking ability. And the Lord assures Moses that He will be with Him and He will instruct him in what to say.
To recap, the Lord first told Moses his purposes (He wants to save Israel from Egypt) and then He tells Moses what to do, and He gives Moses signs to performs and lastly, He reassures Moses that He will instruct him in what to say. The Lord covers everything… the only thing that Moses should do now is to obey and go as he has been commanded.
It is the same way with us: the Lord consistently tells us what He wants us to do for us and He guides on what we are to do. The only thing left is to obey Him. But do we? Do we obey?
(Have Mercy on us oh Lord, have mercy. Help us to obey you because you are good and your thoughts toward us are good. You see our weakness and only you are able to help us by your Holy Spirit. Our hearts desire to be with you, Jesus. )
V13-14a – After getting all He really needs to fulfill this assignment, Moses still pleads with the Lord to send anyone else.
Moses’ Faith in God seems unable to overcome his inward looking. He stills sees himself as inadequate yet the Lord has told him that He will be with him. Having God is sufficient but still Moses does not want to go.
And this angered the Lord. Moses’ distrust in God is a sin.
(Teach me oh Lord to trust in you: in your saving power, in your enablement and not to look at my inadequacies because even though I am weak, I am strong in you because you are with me.)
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 TPT: But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.
V14-17 – But the Lord is still merciful to Moses and He still sends Him. Only this time, God appoints another person to help Moses speak. Aaron is appointed by God as spokesperson.
This shows me of God’s mercy. In his anger, the Lord still had mercy on Moses. He still chose him to be the leader of the people of Israel and He still chose him to be the guide to his people. In his anger, the Lord could have easily appointed another person but still, He was merciful to Moses.
And at last, Moses is now set to go.
Psalms 103:8-10 NIV – The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.