July 2, 2026
Thursday, July 2
Our excuses reveal so much about the true level of our faith. That was certainly the case with Moses. In Exodus 3, when called by God to confront Pharaoh, he first questions his own qualifications. Then he questions God’s abilities. As we move into Exodus 4, Moses is still trying to wriggle out of God’s call.
Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”
Moses’ Third Objection: What if they don’t believe me? I have to say, of all the excuses in this story, this is one sounds the most reasonable to me. After all, the Israelites have been slaves for four hundred years. As far as we know, God has not appeared to any man in all that time. Moses himself has been gone from Egypt for forty years, and it’s doubtful any of the Israelites remember him. I’m sure he wonders why anyone should believe some random old man who shows up saying, “God spoke to me in a burning bush. Follow me to freedom!”
God responds by empowering Moses to perform three confirming miracles. Many scholars see a great symbolic significance in these signs:
Pharaoh wore a golden snake on his headdress. Satan took the form of a snake in the Garden of Eden. So this first miracle showed God’s power over Israel’s physical enemy and their spiritual enemy.
Skin diseases were feared in that time more than any disease is today. By healing Moses of leprosy, God was in effect showing that He had power to afflict and to heal of even the worst illnesses.
Turning the water into blood is a preview of the first plague that will hit Egypt. Notice that God doesn’t say, “get water,” but “water from the Nile.” For the Egyptians, the Nile was the source of life. This huge river made them drought-proof. Even more, it powered their economy. Every winter, heavy rains in Ethiopia would flow down the Nile and produce a flood that would deposit silt on the farmlands of Egypt, making Egyptian farms some of the most fertile in the world. When God turned the water of the Nile into blood, He was taking away the Egyptians’ economic security. The destruction of the Nile was far worse than destroying the oil and gas industry in Texas.
One more thing: Remember that Pharaoh had decreed that male infants of the Jews be cast into the Nile. That river had run red with the innocent blood of God’s people. Now the river would run red again, and this time, it would be God’s punishment for their cruelty. God sees. He knows. Justice is certain.
“Lord, this is an evil world, and it’s tempting to believe we’re on our own, and must make our own justice. It even seems sometimes that people who are powerful enough can get away with anything. But I trust that you will make all things right. Help me trust you even more when I feel unjustly treated. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
