Divine Deliverance

First Sign to Pharaoh

And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. Exodus:4.1-5

Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s house, narrowly escaping death from Pharaoh’s soldiers who were ruthlessly killing Jewish infant boys. A mother’s desperate attempt to save yet unnamed Moses from infant death by putting the babe into little more than a wicker basket and setting him adrift on the Nile pleads the case that God actually saved little Moses. It can be seen as Divine Intervention for a Divine Purpose: delivering God’s Chosen People from 400 years of bondage. So extremely divine was Moses preservation and commissioned deliverance of God’s People that Moses also was a prime sanctified (holy) vessel, allowed to talk with God AND chosen to pen the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch). Perhaps his noted speech inadequacies were there to preserve humility within the character composite of a man so supremely lifted up by God to be His point messenger.

There is potent symbolism to the First Sign. Sovereign God had chosen to bring salvation to all of Africa through the Egyptian doorway. His calling card was pyramids symbolizing the Corporate Body of Christ (a pyramid organization chart in three-dimensions). God’s Chosen People are top management in the divine pyramid. They lead like gentle shepherds of sheep using a sacred scepter (a shepherd’s staff) notable for rescuing lambs caught in briers or wandering away from the herd by gently hooking the head. This scepter faithfully teaches that gently guiding the head eventually saves the whole body.

Jews had demonstrated to the Pharaoh superior leadership and administrative capability (both Joseph and Moses). They would have been kind and prospering headship to Egypt and Africa, themselves being instruments of a kind and generous God. The hard-hearted Pharaoh refused to fairly assess the wonderful ministry being made available to Egypt and Africa via Jews. They rewarded instrumental goodness with slavery, starvation, torture, and death. The Serpent Sign conveyed a message to the wicked Pharaoh with unmistakable clarity: if the scepter of divine authority accorded Jews by God, especially Moses, were stripped from His Chosen People, it would turn into a serpent of wickedness devouring Egypt and leaving Africa without hope. The actual demonstration of God’s Serpent Power included eating up all the serpents of Pharaoh’s wise men, sorcerers and magicians (Exodus:7.11-12). This actually is a hopeful sign in that wickedness begun in the House of Pharaoh would be judged and terminated by God as the invincible Serpent of God would rid Egypt of all wickedness.

God instructed Moses to pick up the Serpent of God by the tail to turn it back into the Shepherd’s Staff, the ever-victorious Rod of God. Implied is the faithfulness of God to end grim destruction of wicked people and their originating evil gardens by His gentleman restored to power. Pharaoh eventually recognized the matchless authority of God, but failed to crown Moses as God’s offered and proven leader on behalf of Egypt and Africa. Thirty-five hundred years later, Africa remains least blessed of God among Earth’s continents and peoples. God came to Africa first with great signs and great leaders, but was rejected. Now, Africa waits a sleeping Dark Continent overwhelmed by thirst, starvation, disease, war, death, etc. (sad parallel to how Pharaoh treated God’s Chosen Ones), now placing last of great lands entering the Kingdom of God.

#Deliverance #Moses