Every time we come to this moment, the preaching of the Word, we come needy, me as the preacher, you as the hearers. I’m not wise enough or strong enough to give you all you need, and you’re not able on your own to receive it. But our weakness is no obstacle to God’s power. His Word is living and active, and He delights to meet us in it and take His Word farther than we can imagine. As H.B. Charles Jr. reminds us, “My preaching is not the reason the Word works; the Word is the reason my preaching works.”[1]
In that confidence, let’s ask Him for help.
Last week in Exodus 4:1-9, we witnessed God give Moses three signs to show Israel that proved his credibility. As that passage ended in v9, we’re wondering if Moses would now finally obey God. God called him to go and Moses responded with doubt and fear asking ‘Who am I?’ in 3:11. God then once again called him to go and Moses responded with doubt and fear asking ‘Who are you?’ in 3:13. God then once again called him to go and Moses responded with doubt and fear asking ‘How will they believe me?’ in 4:1. A pattern has developed and Moses is not doing well.
Three times now God has graciously met Moses’ objections. As we approach v10-17 we sadly see more of the same as Moses raises two more objections. But you should know this is the last scene in the great moment of Moses before the burning bush, so what happens? How does Moses have a change of heart? What more does God to change the mind of this stubborn man? Let’s see this for ourselves.
A Speech Problem (v10-12)
“But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
v10 shows us Moses’ fourth objection, and its all about his speech. But before we examine the objection, let’s linger on the fact that another objection comes at all in the first place. Moses has been promised so much, hasn’t he? God’s very presence will be with him, God’s divine name has been revealed to him, and three signs and wonders have been given to him. And now Moses raises a fourth objection?! Apparently according to Moses, nothing that has happened at the burning bush so far has been strong enough to convince him or rid him of his doubt and fear. Church, if this isn’t a prime example of how not to respond to God, I don’t know what this is. Moses clearly has his heart and mind set on his inability rather than on the Lord’s ability.
Look at his objection now in v10. It’s all centered around Moses’ concern about his speaking abilities. There are many views of what’s going here.[2]
First, some think this objection is just another attempt to excuse himself from doing what God is calling him to do. Second, some think this objection reveals that Moses did indeed have a kind of speech defect, similar to a speech impediment or a stutter. Third, others think this objection has to do with Moses and no longer being able to speak Egyptian fluently given that he has been out of Egypt for so long. Fourth, still others think this objection has to do with Egyptian culture, because in ancient near eastern Egyptian culture counselors and advisors to Pharaoh were widely known for their compelling and persuasive speech. So perhaps Moses knows he can't compete with them, or that he won’t be as captivating as they are. Lastly, a few people think Moses had a psychological issue because his words in v10 in the original Hebrew literally say, “O Lord, I am not a man of word…I am heavy of mouth.”
Whatever the problem was, whether it was one of these options or a few of these options all plaguing Moses at the same time, Moses clearly felt incapable of speaking to Pharaoh. Which is clearly ironic because throughout this whole scene before the burning bush Moses has been doing just fine arguing with God![3] He's actually doing well here that Stephen, the first martyr in Acts 7, will say Moses was “…powerful in speech…” (Acts 7:22). Now, Moses was the first prophet called by God to express such verbal limitations, but he would certainly not be the last.[4] Both Isaiah and Jeremiah expressed nearly the exact same thing to God in their own time (Isa. 6:5, Jer. 1:6). And I should add, most of us know what this feels like. To face a situation, a person, where something needs to be said, and you feel hesitation, anxiety, even fear about having to say it.
In fact, if Moses really did have a speech impediment, I personally know how difficult that would’ve been. Believe it or not, when I was younger, in middle school and high school and some of college, I struggled with a horrible stutter. Anytime I had to do any kind of presentation in school, anytime I had to discuss something with a teacher, a parent, or a pretty girl, anytime I spoke on the phone, really anytime I did any kind of speaking I would stutter. Words that begin with the letters D and R proved especially problematic for me. Some of this continues still to this day, while the majority of it has lessened. But Church, my oh my, when God saved me and then later on called me into the ministry, v10 was my biggest fear! I knew I could not do it, at all, and that God would be much better off choosing someone more articulate and eloquent than I was. You know what passage of Scripture God led me to when I took my concerns to Him about my own stutter? V11-12 where God responds to Moses here.
See it for yourself. God responds in v11-12 by saying, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” The point God is making here is that twofold. First God reminds Moses here that He is the sovereign One. It is He who makes man what he is and what he isn’t. If Moses had a speech issue he had it because God made him like that. God is sovereignly crafts each of us by His own design, and this includes all kinds of handicaps: mute-ness, deafness, blindness, even a stutter. Second God reminds Moses here that these handicaps don’t matter. If God is sending you, God will provide for you. And that, Church, is always enough.
Notice God did not heal his speech issue.[5] Notice God did not give Moses a pep-talk telling him to not think so poorly of himself, or try to convince him that he could speak better than he thought he could. No, God gave Moses the one and only thing Moses needed, His own presence.
This is so like us isn’t it? I hear so many Christians speak of their own weaknesses and limitations, and that they can’t do this or that because of it, sometimes I hear people say God couldn’t use them because of such things. Hear it, loud and clear.[6] However heavy tongued you think you might be, however dim you think you might be, however weak you think you might be, God delights to use weak things to make much of Himself. Just as Moses’ imperfections and weakness will be the means through which God will bring about His glory in Egypt, so too, your imperfections and weakness will be the means through which God will bring about His glory in the places He calls us to.[7]
Moses had to learn this. I had to learn this. We all need to be reminded of this. That when it comes to speaking for God, eloquence doesn’t matter, verbose articulation doesn’t matter, and our own ability to compel or captivate doesn’t matter. God promised to take His Word and watch over it in greater and higher and grander ways than we’re able to imagine. So whatever the setting; whether it’s a moment like this preaching. Or whether you’re out on the streets evangelizing, or having that hard conversation where truth must be spoken, we need to remember that it doesn’t depend on us and our abilities or lack thereof. It all depends on God! This gives us courage when we fear. This gives us confidence when we doubt. And this gives us a certainty that settles the wavering in our souls.
We’ve seen Moses’ fourth objection and seen how God responds to it so graciously. Now see Moses’ last objection in v13-17.
A Person Problem (v13-17)
“But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”
Here is Moses’ fifth and final objection before the burning bush. What Moses says in v13 is…what? It’s rough to hear isn’t it? I say that because so far God has commanded Moses to go to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh 4 times.[8] First in 3:10, “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh…” Second in 3:16, “Go and gather the elders of Israel…” Third in 3:18, “You and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt…” And fourth in 4:12, “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” Four times God said go. Moses has asked his questions and raised his concerns and God has graciously met them each time. Yet, what does Moses say here in v13? “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Yikes.
This shows us that under all his reasons there is one ultimate reason driving Moses, a refusal to obey. Moses should have said, ‘Here I am Lord, send me!’ But he said, ‘Here I am, send someone else[9], send anyone else, as long as you don’t send me.’ You can sugar coat this in all kinds of ways, saying Moses was fearful of returning to a place that didn’t welcome him last time, anxious of whether or not Israel will believe him, or nervous about his speaking abilities. But we shouldn’t sugar coat, we should call this what it is, disobedience. When God calls, we go. Any other response is out of bounds.
God’s response to Moses proves this. In v14 we see it, “Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses…” Literally in Hebrew this says “The nostrils of Yahweh’s nose burned or heated up!”[10] That image might be strange to hear but it’s one we’re accustomed to. It’s very similar to the image of a raging bull flaring his nostrils as he charges toward someone. Here God has been gracious, again and again with Moses, but when Moses stubbornly rejected God’s command a fifth time, it stirs the Lord to anger.
What are we to think about God’s anger here? Doesn’t the Bible teach that God is slow to anger? Absolutely it does, and we’ve seen that very slowness throughout this passage! Four times God graciously gives Moses exactly what He needs and asks for in his fear and doubt. But be sure to notice, over and over the Bible God is slow to anger. It doesn’t say he never gets angry. It means God is not easily angered. Moses remained stubbornly fixed in his sin long enough to stir up God’s anger, that’s what we see here. This is actually the first time in the Bible we see God get angry with an individual person.[11] We’ve seen His anger stirred up before in Genesis, but those moments were on a grand scale and large people groups were always in view. Here it’s God’s anger being stirred up with one man and one man only, Moses.
Yet, how surprising is it to see that even here in His anger God provides for Moses once again, in the person of his brother Aaron. In v14 we see God give this next blessing to Moses. But perhaps we as readers wonder at it. When we hear God say, “Is there not Aaron your brother…?” We might think ‘Is there? We’ve not heard of Aaron before this, but now we find out he has a brother…?’[12] Church, see the kindness of God’s sovereignty in this. I wonder if you noticed it. God says in v14 that Aaron is already on the way to meet Moses. We could interpret this to mean Aaron was just already out looking for Moses and God, because He is God, knows that Aaron is about to find Moses, so that’s the reason for Aaron’s coming out to meet him.
I think we can do better than that interpretation. See in this the kind and sovereign orchestration of God. Before Moses even expressed his fifth and final objection to God, God sent Aaron out on his way to meet Moses, fully knowing and planning that Aaron would be Moses’ helper and mouthpiece. The sovereign kindness of God is sweet to see here. In this little moment we learn that before we are even aware of a problem, God has already sent a solution our way. He does that here with Moses, and He does it with us a million times, most of which we aren’t ever aware of.
We find out here that it is to be Aaron, not Moses, who will do the speaking that God had initially called Moses to do. This wasn’t all that unusual in the culture of their day.[13] Many kings would have servants whose sole purpose would be to act as the mouthpiece of their king. It was common in Egypt, in many other kingdoms around Israel, and now we see this is going to be the situation with Israel too, at least for a time. In v15-16 we see the instructions for this. God says that Moses will be as god to his brother. Meaning that just as God has told Moses what to say, Moses will now tell Aaron what to say, and Aaron will be the one to speak to the people. And God kindly makes another promise here. He will be with both of their mouths and will teach them exactly what to say.
Moses was certainly glad about this turn of events. Glad that Aaron would be the able mouthpiece for him in all of these things. Yet, as glad as he would be for it now, he would in time come to regret it. Aaron was a good spokesman, he could turn a phrase. While he would use these powers of eloquence and articulation for good in the Exodus, he would later use these same powers for great evil at the making of the golden calf. Lesson? I think would’ve been better for Moses to speak for himself here, but he rebelled.
And there we have it. v17 functions as the final word to Moses at the burning bush. And Moses, notice it, doesn’t speak back to God, or offer another objection. I assume at this point he goes off to meet up with Aaron and tell him all of this.
So ends the world changing moment of Moses before the burning bush. We’re now left as readers to wonder what will happen.[14] Will Moses obey and go to Israel and then go to Egypt? Or will he return to the bush raise to more objections?
Lord willing we’ll see what happens in the weeks and months ahead of us. For now, I’ll conclude with this.
Conclusion:
In time Moses will indeed become a great leader. He’s fearful and doubting and disobedient, yes, but God will use him mightily in the time to come. Think of this. Moses wrote this book to instruct the nation of Israel on their own history. He could’ve chosen to leave moments like this out and not reveal his own disobedience to God. But in this passage he’s honest about his own failures. Why would he do this? Perhaps it’s because he desires that Israel know that as great a leader as he is, there’s only one perfect leader and savior of God’s people.
Later in Deuteronomy 18 God promised Moses that He would send this perfect leader saying this, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him” (Deut. 18:18). Who is this next great leader? Immediately we think of Joshua, the one who would lead Israel over the Jordan and into their inheritance in the promise land. But Joshua was a sinful man too, so Israel was left looking for this greater prophet Moses told them about. Ultimately this prophet would be the Lord Jesus Christ. He would come as a prophet like Moses to the people.
But as great as it is that Jesus would come as the prophet like Moses, it’s very good news that Jesus would come as the prophet greater than Moses. Unlike Moses, Jesus never told God ‘Here I am, send someone else!’ No. He perfectly lived in submission to His Father’s will. Even though the Father’s will was to have the Son die on a cross, Jesus followed and obeyed and saw it through, offering up His life in death for all the sins of all who would ever believe.
Herein is our hope. Only one like Moses but greater than Moses could save us from our sins and lead us safely home. In Christ we have such a Savior.
[1] H.B. Charles Jr., On Preaching (Chicago, IL: Moody, 2014) 16.
[2] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 73.
[3] Hamilton, 74.
[4] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory – Preaching the Word Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) 102.
[5] Hamilton, 74.
[6] Ryken, 105.
[7] Hamilton, 74.
[8] Ryken, 107.
[9] John D. Currid, Genesis 1:1-25:18 - EP Study Commentary (Holywell, UK: Evangelical Press, 2015) 99.
[10] Currid, 99.
[11] Hamilton, 76.
[12] Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible, vol. 1 (New York, NY: Norton, 2019) 227.
[13] Currid, 101.
[14] Currid, 101.
