Reflections on Exodus
Exodus 4- The three signs of Moses
Again it is fairly simple to draw a comparison between the commissioning of Moses in Exodus 4 with the life and ministry of Jesus. Moses is given three signs with which to show that he was sent by god.
The first – staff to snake. My commentary states that the staff was a sign of rule or authority. The serpent was Pharaoh so this sign showed Moses (by God) power over Pharaoh. Jesus was The Staff, the true ruler of all creation, set there by God. The serpent for Jesus is obviously the original serpent, Satan.
The second – leprosy. For Moses it was a sign to Pharaoh that God would drive him from his presence. For Jesus it is a sign of healing, of restoring those cast out of God’s presence by their uncleanness back into the family of believers.
The third – water to blood. This was a sign to Pharaoh that God controlled the prosperity of Egypt. The Nile was the source of prosperity and wealth and sustenance to the Egyptian nation. For Jesus it is power over the physical elements as seen in his first miracle; turning the water into wine.
It’s as if Jesus is the perfect accomplishment of all that Moses was sent to do and accomplished imperfectly.
