Exodus 4
In Exodus 4:2, God asks Moses, “What is that in your hand?”
Moses was a shepherd. He had the one thing every shepherd carried, a staff.
It was an ordinary stick that Moses had carried for years while tending sheep in the wilderness.
However, after God called Moses, Scripture begins referring to it differently.
“And you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.” (Exodus 4:17)
A few verses later, we read:
“And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” (Exodus 4:20)
It was still the same piece of wood.
But it was no longer merely a shepherd’s staff.
It had become the rod of God.
God did not give Moses a scepter, place a crown on his head, or show him where there was a sword to pull out of a stone. He used Moses’s shepherd’s staff as a visible reminder that God had commissioned Moses.
This morning, I want us to consider three truths concerning God’s calling on our lives. God Gives Visible Reminders of His Calling. God’s Calling Always Carries Responsibility. God’s Power Accomplishes God’s Work.
In Exodus 4, we see the significance of the rod that Moses carried in his relationships with people. The rod was important because Moses had to work with people. The rod set Moses apart from his brother Aaron. The rod came between Moses and his wife, Ziporah. Tthe rod established Moses with the people of Israel. And, in chapter 5, we the rod will become the center of the confrontation with Pharaoh. The rod itself was a stick. However, it was a symbol of the authority that God’s annointing gavve Moses..
We all have visible reminders of the authority that our God given responisiblities place upon us.
I. God Gives Visible Reminders of His Calling
Throughout Scripture, God often attaches visible symbols to His work.
For Moses, it was the staff.
For Noah, it was the rainbow.
For Israel, it was circumcision.
For the priests, it was their garments.
Our Lord Jesus Christ bears a visible reminder of His earthly work.
After His resurrection, He still carries the scars of the Cross.
Those scars forever proclaim what He accomplished for our salvation, and mark Him as the Head of the Church.
The Apostle Paul also spoke of visible reminders.
“From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17)
Paul was speaking of the scars left by beatings, imprisonments, and stonings. He earned his scars as the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Life leaves its marks on all of us. For example, years leave gray hair.
Proverbs says,
“The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is their gray head.” (Proverbs 20:29)
The beauty of gray hair is not simply its color. It represents lessons learned, trials endured, mistakes corrected, and wisdom gained.
We earn those gray hairs.
Likewise, many of the responsibilities God gives us have outward signs.
A diploma speaks of years of study.
A medical license recognizes years of disciplined work in the study of medicine.
In the church, ordination through the laying on of hands publicly recognizes God’s calling and the years of preparation in a person’s liffe.
A wedding ring reminds us of the covenant between husband and wife.
These symbols do not create the calling.
They remind us of the calling.
II. God’s Calling Always Carries Responsibility
The rod was not a decoration. It represented responsibility. God entrusted Moses with leading Israel out of Egypt. That responsibility changed his life.Before leaving Midian, Moses first settled matters with his father-in-law.Then Moses had to deal with matters in his home when God confronted him because he had not circumcised his son.
The passage does not explain why Mose had neglected to circumcise his son. Perhaps Moses delayed. Perhaps Zipporah resisted. Whatever the reason, God held Moses responsible.
Look at Exodus 4:24
Exodus 4:24 (NKJV) And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him.
God was going to kill Moses because, as the husband, Moses was Moses’s responsibility. Look now at verse 25.
Exodus 4:25 (NKJV) Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast [it] at [Moses]’ feet, and said, “Surely you [are] a husband of blood to me!”
After this, Ziporah took her son and returned to Midian to her father. What was behind Ziporah’s words and behavior? We do not know. But what we do know is that God did not rebuke or seek to kill Ziporah. Whatever was going on with Ziporah, Moses was the one God demanded an accounting from.
The staff came with responsibilities. When God put the staff in Moses’s hand, He elevated Moses to a position where he would receive a harsher judgment because of the authority that position conferred. God was saying, in effect, “If you are going to lead My people, you must first obey Me yourself.”
Leadership never exempts us from obedience.
It demands it.
Every one of us has responsibilities God has assigned.
Some are husbands.
Some are wives.
Some are parents.
Some are grandparents.
Some serve in the church.
Some care for aging parents.
Some have responsibilities in their workplace.
God has placed each of us where He wants us.
The question is not whether we have responsibilities.
The question is whether we are being faithful to them.
III. God’s Power Accomplishes God’s Work
The wonderful truth of Exodus 4 is that Moses was not sufficient for the task.
He knew it.
That is why he kept making excuses.
“I can’t speak.”
“They won’t believe me.”
“Send someone else.”
God never answered those objections by telling Moses how capable he was.
Instead, he promised,
“I will be with you.”
That was enough.
The rod constantly reminded Moses that God had called him. This is why Exodus 4:20 is so important.
And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.” (Exodus 4:20)
When Moses stretched out the rod, God divided the sea.
When Moses lifted the rod, God defeated Amalek.
When Moses obeyed, God displayed His power.
The staff itself possessed no power. It was a piece of wood.
The power belonged to God.
Sadly, near the end of Moses’ life, we also learn another lesson.
God told him to speak to the rock.
Instead, Moses struck it with the staff.
He misused the authority God had entrusted to him.
Because of that act of disobedience, God did not permit Moses to enter the Promised Land.
Even faithful servants remain accountable to the One who called them.
Authority is always God’s gift.
It is never ours to use as we please. Moses was angry and acted out his anger instead of using his God given authority for leading and protecting God’s people.
Conclusion
When Moses left Midian, he carried the rod of God.
Wherever he went, it reminded him,
“This is God’s work.”
God has entrusted each of us with responsibilities.
He has placed us in families.
He has placed us in churches.
He has placed us in neighborhoods.
He has placed us in occupations.
You may feel inadequate.
So did Moses.
You may wonder whether you are strong enough.
You are not.
Neither was Moses.
But the God who called Moses also promised to be with him.
And the God who calls us still gives the same promise.
Whatever God has entrusted to you today, remember this:
The responsibility is yours.
The power is His.
Be faithful where He has placed you.
Walk in obedience.
Trust His presence.
And you will see, as Moses did, the deliverance of the Lord accomplished—not by your strength, but by the power of God.
I want to leave you with some verses that provide a key to managing your responsibilities.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, andlean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Psalm 37:5
Psalm 37:5 (NKJV) Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring [it] to pass.
