January 19
Exodus 4–6
Scripture Text: Exodus 4:1–6:30
Series: Read the Bible in a Year
Moses insists that the people will not listen to him or follow him, despite the hardships of Egypt. The Lord uses the staff in his hand to perform a miracle, a recurring motif in Exodus. He gives him two additional miracles to convince the Hebrew people, showing how much God desires his people to believe. Today we have the miracle of the resurrection in the the Word and Sacraments — all which must be believed in faith.
Then Moses complains that he is not eloquent in speech, that the people would never listen him. God reminds him of who created man's mouth, that he would be with Moses' mouth and give him the words to speak — something that modern pastors might bear in mind.
Moses returns to his people in Egypt with staff in hand. There, Aaron is used as Moses' speaker while Moses performed the mirachles, and the people believed that the Lord had seen their affliction and was about to act on their behalf.
Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh to tell him that Yahweh says, "Let my people go." Pharaoh refuses. All this is to put God's power on display through Moses, to spread the word that the One God is in the land. Meanwhile, Pharaoh puts the people to even heaver burdens. Of course, the people blame Moses and Aaron for this development.
In chapter six, we are reminded of the covenant being God's reason for acting, and that he will act to redeem the people with an outsretched arm. Though this is not the implication in the story, it is hard for the Christian reader to not think of Jesus' outstretched arms on the cross. Then God sends Moses and Aaron back to Phraoh to tell him again to let the Lord's people go. Moses complains again that Pharaoh will not listen to him, uses a religious idiom to convince God. "I am of uncircumcised lips." This adjective is used for ears and heart also, simply meaning unclean or sinful. The chapter continues with a geneology of Moses and concludes with Moses complaining again about being a man of uncircumcised lips.
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Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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