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Exodus 4:13–17
“[Moses] 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’ ” (vv. 13–14).
Scripture insists that Moses was a man of great faith, someone whose trust in God is to be imitated (Deut. 34:10–12; Heb. 11:24–28). At the same time, the Word of God tells us that the faith of Moses was by no means perfect and that he sometimes doubted and was slow to believe the Lord. This should be encouraging to us, for while we must always strive to be quick to trust God’s Word, the fact that Moses can be remembered as a great man of faith despite his faith’s imperfections shows us that we, too, can have a great and strong faith even if our trust in the Lord wavers at times.
Today’s passage shows us rather plainly the imperfection of Moses’ trust in the Lord. God has just assuaged the concerns Moses had that the Israelites would not believe him and that his speaking skills were inadequate to address the Egyptian king (Ex. 4:1–12). However, in Exodus 4:13 we see that these objections were not the ultimate reasons that Moses has been hesitant to accept the Lord’s call on his life. Instead, he simply does not want to go and do what God has commissioned him to do. He does not yet believe that our Creator will enable him to complete his mission.
God’s response to Moses shows us that we should not see hesitancy to accept the Lord’s call as a light thing but also that our Maker is exceedingly gracious to His children when they are slow to believe. The Lord gets angry at Moses for asking Him to send someone else to Pharaoh (v. 14). Some people have taught that because God is the Father of His children, there is no sense in which He ever gets angry at those who trust in Him. The Lord’s response to Moses shows us otherwise. There is a sense in which God can be angry when believers disobey Him and are slow to trust in Him, although this is not the same kind of anger that the Lord has for sinners who are outside of Christ. It is a paternal anger and disappointment that is real but not finally destructive of His children, for Jesus bore the judicial wrath of God in their place (Rom. 3:21–26).
At the same time, we see the graciousness of God in His response to Moses’ request that another be sent to speak to Pharaoh. The Lord does not transfer His call to someone else, but He chooses Aaron, the brother of Moses, to assist him in the task before him. So, Moses goes forth, having been given everything he needs to demand that Pharaoh release the Israelites (Ex. 4:14–17).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
It is no light thing to displease the Lord. At the same time, we must remember that God is gracious and patient with us. May we strive not to take advantage of His patience, but let us always be quick to repent when we have been slow to trust the Lord and follow His call.
For Further Study
- Psalm 77:20
- Micah 6:4
- Luke 10:1
- Hebrews 5:1–4