Slices
Prepare
What are your strengths and weaknesses? Ask God to equip you for his service.
Bible passage
Signs for Moses
4 Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The Lord did not appear to you”?’
2 Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’
‘A staff,’ he replied.
3 The Lord said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’
Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. 4 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’ So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. 5 ‘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.’
6 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.
7 ‘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.
8 Then the Lord said, ‘If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first sign, they may believe the second. 9 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.’
10 Moses said to the Lord, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’
11 The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’
13 But Moses said, ‘Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.’
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, ‘What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do. 16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him. 17 But take this staff in your hand so that you can perform the signs with it.’
Explore
Moses faces huge challenges. He will have to confront Pharaoh and demand the release of all the Hebrew slaves, but first he must meet the Israelite elders and convince them that the God of their ancestors can rescue them (3:16–20). God will rescue his people, but they need to have faith. Notice how many times the word ‘believe’ occurs in these verses. Our salvation is wrought by God; our response is to believe. Sometimes we need to trust God to do the seemingly impossible.
Moses trusted in the Lord who appeared in the burning bush and who promised to be with him (3:12). Now God gives him three miraculous signs with which to convince others. When Moses is still reluctant, God reassures him that he will provide the words he needs (vs 10– 12). But he still asks to be excused from this mission (v 13).
God is not pleased, but agrees to send Aaron as a spokesman for Moses, as Moses is a spokesman for the Lord. What does this say about the way in which God works with us? Does the Almighty modify his strategies to accommodate our responses? Would the later story have been different if Aaron had not been Moses’ right-hand man (eg see Exodus 32)?
Respond
Is God calling you to take on a new challenge or responsibility? Talk to him about your feelings. Pray for those you know who are sharing God’s good news today.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 3,4; Proverbs 1,2
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for Sally Nash who has recently taken over as freelance editor of Daily Bread and is currently editing notes for the April–June 2025 issue. Pray that she will build good relationships with the writing team and that together they will help readers to grow in their faith.
