Passage: Exodus 4:18-31
The Big Idea
Moses leaves the burning bush and starts down the long road of obedience. God meets his fears with grace and truth, sends him with the staff of God in his hand, and previews the hard road ahead. But on the way, a strange and sobering moment exposes a neglected responsibility at home. Then Aaron meets him, the people hear that God has seen their misery, and they bow and worship. Real joy is found only in God’s redemption.
Hearers or Doers? (Exodus 4:18)
Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said, “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt to see if they’re still alive.” Jethro said, “Go in peace.”
- Moses left the burning bush with a choice: obey or not.
- James tells us to be doers of the word, not hearers only, deceiving ourselves (James 1:22).
- Many people have had “burning bush” moments and never did anything with them.
There’s an old story about the training of Arabian horses. The final test was severe: the horses were kept from water for days, then released near a stream. Just as they reached the water, the trainer blew his whistle. Only the horses that had learned complete obedience would stop, turn and come back, trembling with thirst, to wait for the trainer’s signal to drink. It sounds harsh, but if your life depends on a horse in a trackless desert, you want one that listens.
Moses started down the road of obedience. It would be long and difficult, but he was committed now.
And notice how he left. He talked with Jethro: his father-in-law, his employer, his landlord. He asked permission. He could have just disappeared, but he honored his commitments. He’d been caring for Jethro’s flock, and it wouldn’t be right to leave the sheep unattended. That’s a good shepherd’s heart.
God Speaks to Our Fears (Exodus 4:19)
The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”
- God encouraged Moses’ obedience the way only He can: He spoke directly to what Moses feared.
- God knows what you fear. He also knows there’s no real reason to be afraid. Scripture tells us over and over not to fear.
- But He’s kind and patient with our struggles. He addresses our fears with love, with grace and truth.
The Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth, and from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace (John 1:14, 16).
God reveals our sin and weakness, and then He washes away our guilt and transforms us by His grace. Grace upon grace: grace to forgive, and grace to transform. Forgiveness is wonderful, but it’s only the first taste of grace.
Family and the Staff (Exodus 4:20)
Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and headed back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
- Moses brought his family along in God’s call. Good. Don’t leave them behind.
- This introduces a theme for this section: your spiritual responsibilities at home matter to God’s work.
- And Moses took the staff of God: a reminder of God’s grace. “Lean on Me and My promises.” Moses was doing it, with humility and faith.
Stick to the Plan (Exodus 4:21-23)
The Lord said, “When you return to Egypt, make sure you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I’ve put in your power. But I will harden his heart so he won’t let the people go. Then tell Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is My son, My firstborn. Let My son go so he may serve Me. If you refuse, I will kill your firstborn son.'”
- Don’t deviate from the plan. When you see the situation, don’t decide you have a better idea.
- That’s why we study God’s Word before hard times come. Our flesh doesn’t do well when it’s put on the spot without a plan.
- God gave Moses a preview of how hard Pharaoh’s heart would be. So hard that he’d rather stay rebellious than save his own firstborn.
- Some say God is harsh here. But why nine plagues first? They show God’s patience and mercy. He didn’t have to give warning after warning. He showed the whole world that He is gracious, and that a heart that stays hard will finally be judged.
A Sobering Stop (Exodus 4:24-26)
On the way, at a lodging place, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it, saying, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So the Lord let him alone. She said “bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision.
This is one of the strangest passages in Exodus. Here’s what seems to be going on:
- Centuries before, God promised Abraham a great nation through whom He would bless all peoples, ultimately through Jesus. God gave circumcision as the sign of that covenant, to be done on the eighth day (Genesis 17:10-12). It marked a family as partners in God’s promise.
- Moses hadn’t done it for his son. He was neglecting his spiritual responsibility at home, and apparently wasn’t too concerned about it.
- But God was. If Moses was going to lead God’s covenant people, he couldn’t be compromising on the covenant sign in his own house.
Husbands, lead your families with servant love, like Jesus. Don’t get so caught up in the greatness of your calling that you neglect them. They’re your first ministry.
Zipporah seems upset and bitter. We don’t know all that was behind it. Perhaps she’d resisted it; perhaps she felt neglected. Either way, it never should have come to this.
Lesson: just obey the Lord. So many painful situations grow out of simple disobedience. God can and does heal as we turn back and live by faith, but there are consequences we never needed to experience.
The People Believe and Worship (Exodus 4:27-31)
The Lord told Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” He met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had said and all the signs. Then Moses and Aaron gathered all the elders of Israel. Aaron spoke all the Lord’s words, and performed the signs in front of the people. And the people believed. When they heard that the LORD had visited Israel and seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
- This was the first time in centuries the people had heard a fresh word from God, and it was a message of deliverance, salvation and redemption.
- Imagine the relief and joy.
Where Joy Is Found
God’s redemption is the only place real joy is found.
An old sermon illustration lists famous people who reached the top of what the world offers and still came up empty: a celebrated skeptic who wished he’d never been born, a poet who lived for pleasure and wrote of grief and decay, a tycoon who called himself miserable on his deathbed, a statesman who summed up life as a mistake, a struggle and a regret, and a conqueror who wept that there were no more worlds to conquer.
- Not in unbelief.
- Not in pleasure.
- Not in money.
- Not in position or fame.
- Not in conquest.
Real joy is found in Christ alone.
Jesus hears our cries. He comes down to save us. He washes us clean and lifts the crushing weight of guilt and shame. He begins transforming us into His image as we abide in Him and His Word. And He lets us serve Him, and even rewards us when we do.
So here’s a question: if Jesus is the only source of real joy, why do we invest so much in other things we think will make us happy?
Paul counted everything as loss compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord, considering it all rubbish so he could gain Christ (Philippians 3:8). And Hebrews tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily entangles, and run looking to Jesus, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2).
- Jesus rejoices over you.
- That’s what you gain when you leave everything behind to follow Him: a God who loves you, likes you and is glad to be with you.
- Not a distant God, but One who has only your best interests at heart and works all things together for your good (Romans 8:28).
Grace Takeaway
God meets our fears with grace and truth, puts the staff of His grace in our hand, and sends us down the road of obedience. He cares about our homes as much as our ministries, and He’s serious about both because He loves us. And when His people hear that He has seen their misery and come to rescue them, the only fitting response is to bow and worship. Joy isn’t found anywhere else.
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