🌿 [Exodus 3–4] The 'Real' Reason Moses Hesitated in Midian

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1️⃣ The First Encounter between God and Moses (The Call) 

→ The first encounter between God and Moses takes place at Mount Horeb. He goes because a bush is on fire but not burning up. From within it, God calls "Moses, Moses" twice. Usually, calling a name twice consecutively is done to give attention (focus).

To Moses, who is approaching the burning area, God says, Do not come any closer, (Stop!) He tells him to take off his sandals. The reason is that it is a holy place. The habit of Koreans is, when entering a house from outside,

They take off their dirty shoes. This is because the inside of the house is a clean place. And that place signifies comfort, rest, and safety. 

🙂 If we think of the meaning of "taking off shoes" to a Korean, the meaning approaches us easily. Though people of other countries might wonder, 'Why take off shoes?'~

2️⃣ The Purpose of the Meeting (Call) and Moses’ Distrust toward the Israelites

God speaks to Moses: I will send you to bring "My people" the children of Israel out of Egypt. (v.10) 

→ He tells Moses to lead His people, not Moses' people. At one time, Moses might have thought of them as his own people, but after falling to the status of a murderer, perhaps to him, the people of Israel felt like strangers. 

👉 In Chapter 3, Moses questioned and kept showing an appearance of trying to back out, but in the next chapter, he speaks decisively. 

👉 Moses’ intent is clearly revealed in the first verse of Chapter 4. 

But behold, they will not believe me and they will not listen to my voice, for they will say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.' 

Was this the reason God recorded them as "My people" and not your people to Moses? I come to think of this as a very important passage, and the evidence seems written intact in the first verse of Chapter 4.

🙂 As I always say, a very great deal is contained in the first verse or the last verse of the Bible.

3️⃣ God Who Discerningly Grasps Moses’ Intention

In the first verse of Chapter 4, there is one more thing to realize. To see that, we must find who the protagonist within it is. 

• But behold, they will not believe me 
• and they will not listen to my voice, 
• for they will say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.' 

→ Moses’ statement is not that the people of Israel do not believe in Jehovah God, → It is that they will not believe Moses.

So God gives Moses a sign, and the core of that sign is He gives a "sign that God is with Moses."

• So for the sign, Moses' staff seems to have been chosen, and among his body parts, 
• his hand seems to have been chosen. 

→ Following this, He said, 'If they (the elders of Israel) will not believe even these two signs and will not listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground' (v.9), But it is presumed that this sign was not deployed. 

💡 This is from the record of the last two lines of Chapter 4..

→ Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. (Because it was not written as 'all' the signs, it is thought to have stopped at two signs),

→ And because among the 10 plagues of Egypt, the first plague is the sign where the Nile river is turned to blood.

4️⃣ Another Reason Moses Rejected Egypt

In Exodus Chapters 3 and 4, Moses asked questions over a total of 3 times, and even though God gave 3 types of signs as proof, Moses makes up another excuse. This time he says he is not eloquent (not good at speaking). Haha.

Then God immediately gives an answer regarding his eloquent brother Aaron, "behold, he is coming out to meet you," and He says that the younger brother, Moses, will be treated like God to his older brother, Aaron. On top of that, He tells him to use the staff as a weapon. Haha.

"And you shall take this staff in your hand, with which you shall do the signs."

Having called eloquent Aaron and making Moses like God to him, and placing a weapon in his hand, since God solves it immediately whenever he says anything, he seems to run out of excuses.

Moses resolves to leave and goes to his father-in-law Jethro and says he is going to see his brothers in Egypt, but he does not tell the purpose to his mentor, his father-in-law Jethro.

👉 God Who Solves the Anxiety in Moses’ Heart 

God relieves the last anxiety that Moses did not reveal.

• And the Lord said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead." (v.19): 

That God recorded "in Midian" shows us the place where Moses is residing, in other words, that he is not in a state of having left yet. However, the record shows that as soon as God solves his worry that Moses did not speak of, he immediately gathers his family and leaves. 

• And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. (v.20)

Wrap-up -1

If I were to pick the most exhilarating scene while reading Exodus Chapters 3~4, it is the last verse of Chapter 3. This content is also a covenant ordained to Abraham (Genesis 15:14).

"but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver jewelry and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians."

The record of adorning children with silver and gold jewelry and clothing looks like a wedding scene for the children, and to the people of Israel who lived in the status of slaves, such an appearance cannot help but be an exciting scene similar to a march of victory.

God conveys His will to Moses that He will lead "My people" out in a dignified manner, not as a flight (escape).

✔️ Background of Adding Wrap-up -2, 3 

After finishing the writing, I showed the writing completed today to two AIs boastfully and said it was a point that could overwhelm them by opening another contest with the two AIs regarding the content of "Midian," and they concede.

However, in the regarding content with "Midian" that I organized and posted, the AI could not understand the core point, so thinking that perhaps people who encounter this writing might also be that way, I add a detailed explanation.

Wrap-up -2

Exodus Ch. 3: v.1 - The place where Moses is ➡️ Midian 

Exodus Ch. 4: v.19 - And the Lord said to Moses in Midian... for all the men who were seeking your life are dead. 

Exodus Ch. 4: v.20 - And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt.

Recording the location of "Midian" in the record of Exodus 4:19 shows that Moses has not yet returned to Egypt. Then, as soon as God solves Moses’ hidden worry, he immediately sets his wife and children on a donkey and returns.

Accompanying wife and children is viewed as an action signifying liberation of the heart that danger has vanished and safety is guaranteed.

Wrap-up -3

It is thought that this was exactly the core point why Moses did not immediately accept God’s command in Genesis (translator's note: contextually should be Exodus) Chapters 3 and 4, and lingered, making excuses, and then making other excuses.

While Jacob was on his way to his hometown, the situation comes to mind where he divided the company into several groups and placed Rachel and Joseph at the very back in preparation for any danger, being in constant anxiety. What was most fearful to Jacob was the safety of his family.

For Moses too, the most fearful thing would have been the safety of his wife and children. However, that the very top leader of Egypt, Pharaoh, and not just anyone else, was trying to kill Moses.. was a path he absolutely must not go.

When Pharaoh heard of this, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian... (Exodus 2:15)

The record shows that upon hearing the words that all who were seeking Moses, by God’s grace, were dead, he immediately sets his wife and children on a donkey.

Now, Moses has been liberated from being a murderer and a fugitive, and has now changed into an appearance of entering with dignity, commanding his family.

Additional Conclusion I come to realize the fact that the Bible did not write even a single letter (Midian) without reason. One insignificant location was actually one of the hints revealing the core of the Bible. I thank God for allowing me to find treasure within the Word today as well. Please allow me to find many treasures tomorrow too~ 🙂