Exodus 4 – Signs, Resistance, and the Power of Obedience
In Exodus 4, God equips Moses with signs to confront Pharaoh, addresses his fears, and sends him with Aaron. It’s a powerful chapter about divine empowerment, reluctant obedience, and spiritual authority.
The God Who Equips the Called
Moses questions, resists, and pleads for another way—but God answers with power, patience, and provision. Through signs and assurance, the Lord shows that He enables those He sends. This chapter moves Moses from hesitation to action, with divine support at every step.
✔ God gives Moses miraculous signs.
✔ Moses resists, but God remains patient.
✔ Aaron is appointed as a helper.
✔ God’s command must be obeyed fully.
📖 Key Verse: “Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth.” – Exodus 4:12
🔎 God’s calling includes divine enablement, not just instruction.
Exodus Chapter 4 Overview
Exodus 4:1-9 – The Signs of God’s Power
📖 Exodus 4:1 – “But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice…”
🔎 Moses expresses fear of rejection, but God doesn’t shame him—instead, He equips him. This verse sets the tone for a God who meets our fears with power.
📖 Exodus 4:2-3 – “What is that in thine hand?… a rod… cast it on the ground… became a serpent.”
🔎 This is not just a trick—it’s a message:
🔹 The Rod = Moses’ identity as a shepherd; his past and his perceived limitations.
🔹 The Serpent = Egypt’s symbol of power (the Uraeus on Pharaoh’s crown).
🔹 The Act of Casting It Down = Surrendering personal control.
🔹 God Transforms It – From an ordinary rod to a symbol of spiritual authority.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: When we lay down what’s in our hand, God can transform it into a weapon of divine authority.
📖 Exodus 4:4 – “Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail…”
🔎 Bold instruction: Never grab a serpent by the tail! It’s dangerous—but God’s command reveals:
🔹 Obedience over fear
🔹 Faith over logic
🔹 Victory over symbols of evil and power
➡️ Symbolic Act: Moses, by faith, takes control of Egypt’s symbol of power under God’s authority.
📖 Exodus 4:5 – “That they may believe that the LORD God… hath appeared unto thee.”
🔎 The signs aren’t for show—they validate Moses’ divine commission and message. God isn’t just backing Moses—He’s revealing Himself through these acts.
📖 Exodus 4:6-7 – “Put now thine hand into thy bosom… leprous as snow… turned again.”
🔎 Another powerful visual miracle, rich with layers:
🔹 Leprosy = Uncleanness, judgment, sin
🔹 Bosom = Symbolic of the heart and inner self
🔹 Instant Healing = God alone can restore purity
➡️ Prophetic Layer: God shows He has the power to both judge and heal—not just outwardly, but internally. It also foreshadows Christ’s healing ministry and spiritual cleansing (Luke 5:12-13).
📖 Exodus 4:8 – “If they will not believe thee… they will believe the voice of the latter sign.”
🔎 God is patient with the doubting—layering proof to ensure His word is heard. Each sign increases in intensity, like the future ten plagues.
📖 Exodus 4:9 – “Take of the water… it shall become blood…”
🔎 This previews what’s to come in Egypt (Exodus 7:17)—a sign of coming judgment. But it also contains meaning:
🔹 Water = Life, purity, Nile fertility (Egypt’s pride)
🔹 Blood = Death, judgment, accountability
➡️ Prophetic Foreshadowing: Egypt’s source of life will be turned to death. False systems (like Egypt’s gods and economy) will be exposed and judged.
Extra Symbolism & Prophetic Layers
🔮 Three Signs = A Pattern
God uses three progressive signs, reflecting a divine communication model:
Authority over the enemy (Rod/Serpent)
Power to heal internal brokenness (Leprous Hand)
Warning of judgment (Water to Blood)
This is mirrored later by:
Three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11)
Three denials of Peter, followed by restoration
Threefold messages of Revelation 14 (Final call to the world)
Exodus 4:10-17 – Resistance, Anger, and Provision
📖 Exodus 4:10 – “I am not eloquent… I am slow of speech.”
🔎 Moses highlights his weakness—but God looks for willingness, not perfection.
📖 Exodus 4:12 – “I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.”
🔎 God promises His presence in our weakness.
📖 Exodus 4:14-16 – “Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother?… he shall be thy spokesman.”
🔎 Though God grows angry, He graciously provides help. Obedience will still proceed.
Exodus 4:18-31 – Obedience in Action and Consecration
📖 Exodus 4:20 – “Moses took his wife and his sons… and he returned to the land of Egypt.”
🔎 Moses finally obeys. The journey of faith begins with a step forward.
📖 Exodus 4:22-23 – “Israel is my son, even my firstborn… let my son go.”
🔎 God identifies with His people as a Father to a beloved son. This will shape the conflict with Pharaoh.
📖 Exodus 4:24-26 – “The LORD met him, and sought to kill him… So he let him go.”
🔎 A mysterious but vital moment: God requires full obedience, including covenant circumcision. Zipporah’s action averts judgment.
Exodus Chapter 4 - Deeper Study
Overview: The Reluctant Servant Sent with Power
🔹 Timeframe: Midian to Egypt, following Moses’ divine encounter at the bush.
🔹 Setting: The wilderness journey begins.
🔹 Theme: God enables the called, but obedience must be total.
Key Takeaways
🔑 God equips those He sends with power.
🔑 Excuses don’t cancel calling—obedience is still expected.
🔑 Divine anger is real, but God is merciful.
🔑 Faith often begins with a trembling yes.
🔑 God requires consecration before commission.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Blood from water – Foreshadows coming plagues and judgment (Revelation 16:4).
🔮 Spokesman beside the leader – Moses and Aaron prefigure Christ and the Holy Spirit working in unity.
🔮 Firstborn son motif – Echoes forward to Christ, God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Speech and authority – In ancient Egypt, eloquence was associated with power; Moses’ lack of it would seem disqualifying—yet God reverses expectations.
📜 Circumcision – The mark of God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17); failure to obey endangered Moses’ mission.
📜 Divine messengers – Angelic and divine visitations were feared, often seen as signs of judgment or commissioning.
💡 Final Reflection: Are You Making Excuses—or Moving in Faith?
God can use anyone—but He won’t bless disobedience. The rod in Moses’ hand was enough when paired with faith.
📌 What’s in your hand that God can use?
📌 Are you waiting for perfection—or trusting His presence?
📌 Will you step forward even when afraid?
🚀 When God calls, go—even if you’re trembling. He equips the willing.
Moses Given Powerful Signs
Exo 4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
Exo 4:2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
Exo 4:3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
Exo 4:4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
Exo 4:5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
Exo 4:6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
Exo 4:7 And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
Exo 4:8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
Exo 4:9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
Exo 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
Exo 4:12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
Exo 4:13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
Exo 4:14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
Exo 4:15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
Exo 4:16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
Exo 4:17 And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
Moses Returns to Egypt
Exo 4:18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.
Exo 4:19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
Exo 4:20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Exo 4:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
Exo 4:22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:
Exo 4:23 And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.
Exo 4:24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
Exo 4:25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Exo 4:26 So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.
Exo 4:27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.
Exo 4:28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.
Exo 4:29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
Exo 4:30 And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
Exo 4:31 And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
31