Slices
Prepare
Tell the Lord about challenges facing you today.
Bible passage
Aaron to speak for Moses
28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, ‘I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.’
30 But Moses said to the Lord, ‘Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?’
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.’
6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s staff becomes a snake
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 ‘When Pharaoh says to you, “Perform a miracle,” then say to Aaron, “Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,” and it will become a snake.’
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned the wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
Explore
Moses is still, understandably, reluctant to confront Pharaoh, but the Lord promises to make him like God to Pharaoh, with Aaron as his prophet. Pharaoh himself was seen by his people as an intermediary between the gods and human beings; God is giving Moses superior status.
Again, Pharaoh is to be commanded to send the Israelites out of Egypt, but Moses is told that hard-hearted Pharaoh will not obey the Lord (vs 3,4). It is going to take a prolonged campaign, involving multiple miraculous signs, before the Israelites will be able to leave Egypt. This is not only to achieve the freedom of the Israelites, but so that the people of Egypt, with all their gods, will know that the Lord is supreme.
Pharaoh is not impressed. So, Aaron is instructed by the Lord to throw down his staff and it becomes a serpent (v 9). It is not Moses or Aaron who decide to perform a magic trick – this is the Lord’s command. Although the ‘Egyptian magicians’ can turn their staffs into snakes, Aaron’s swallows theirs (v 12). There were many species of snake in Egypt, some very dangerous. Some of the Egyptian gods took the form of serpents; this demonstration put them in their place.
Respond
Paul says, ‘We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us’ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Pray for opportunities to speak for him today.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 13,14; Proverbs 7,8
Pray for Scripture Union
Thank God for the creative gifts that Alex Taylor brings to the Development Hub as a Freelance Consultant producing resources to support the Revealing Jesus mission framework. Pray that God will guide his thinking as he works on new material to help the 95 respond to the good news of Jesus.
