But Moses replied, "Please, Lord, send someone else." But Moses repliedThis phrase introduces Moses' response to God's call. The Hebrew word for "replied" is "אָמַר" (amar), which is often used to denote speaking or saying. In this context, it reflects Moses' hesitation and reluctance. Historically, Moses' life had been marked by significant events, from being raised in Pharaoh's palace to fleeing to Midian. His reply here is not just a simple refusal but a culmination of his self-doubt and fear of inadequacy. This moment is pivotal, as it shows Moses' humanity and vulnerability, reminding us that even the greatest leaders in the Bible had moments of doubt. Please, Lord
The use of "Please" (Hebrew: "בִּי" - bi) indicates a polite request, showing Moses' respect and reverence for God despite his reluctance. The term "Lord" here is "אֲדֹנָי" (Adonai), a title that emphasizes God's sovereignty and authority. Moses acknowledges God's power and position, even as he struggles with his own calling. This highlights the tension between divine authority and human frailty, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture. send someone else
The phrase "send someone else" (Hebrew: "שְׁלַח נָא בְּיַד־תִּשְׁלָח" - shelach na beyad-tishlach) reveals Moses' desire to escape the responsibility God is placing on him. The word "שְׁלַח" (shelach) means "send," and it is a direct plea for God to choose another messenger. This reflects Moses' deep-seated insecurity and fear of failure. Historically, this moment is significant because it precedes God's assurance and provision of Aaron as Moses' spokesperson. It serves as a reminder that God often calls us beyond our comfort zones, equipping us for tasks we feel unprepared to undertake. Moses' reluctance is a powerful testament to the fact that God uses imperfect people to fulfill His perfect plans. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesA Hebrew prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. At this point in the account, Moses is hesitant and reluctant to accept God's call. 2. God (Yahweh)The God of Israel, who appears to Moses in the burning bush and commissions him to deliver the Israelites from Egypt. 3. Mount HorebAlso known as Mount Sinai, this is the location where Moses encounters God in the burning bush and receives his divine commission. 4. The IsraelitesThe descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who are enslaved in Egypt and whom God intends to deliver through Moses. 5. EgyptThe land where the Israelites are enslaved and from which God plans to deliver them through Moses. Teaching Points Reluctance in God's CallingMoses' hesitation is a common human response to divine calling. We often feel inadequate or unprepared for the tasks God sets before us. God's Patience and ProvisionDespite Moses' reluctance, God remains patient and provides Aaron as a spokesperson. This demonstrates God's understanding and provision for our weaknesses. Trust in God's SovereigntyTrusting in God's plan and sovereignty is crucial. Even when we feel inadequate, God equips those He calls. The Importance of ObedienceReluctance should not lead to disobedience. Moses eventually obeys, showing that obedience is key to fulfilling God's purposes. God's Use of Imperfect PeopleGod often chooses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will, reminding us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Bible Study Questions 1. What are some reasons Moses might have been reluctant to accept God's call, and how can we relate to these reasons in our own lives? 2. How does God's response to Moses' reluctance in Exodus 4:13 encourage us when we feel inadequate for a task God has given us? 3. Compare Moses' response to God's call with that of Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8. What can we learn from these different responses? 4. How does the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 relate to God's calling of Moses, and what does this mean for us as modern-day believers? 5. In what ways can we overcome our reluctance to follow God's calling, and how can we support others who may be struggling with similar feelings? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 3:11-12Moses expresses his initial reluctance to God, questioning his own ability to lead the Israelites. This sets the stage for his continued hesitance in Exodus 4:13. Jeremiah 1:6-8Similar to Moses, the prophet Jeremiah expresses doubt about his ability to fulfill God's calling, highlighting a common theme of human inadequacy met with divine assurance. Isaiah 6:8In contrast to Moses' reluctance, Isaiah responds to God's call with willingness, saying, "Here am I. Send me!" This highlights different responses to God's call. Matthew 28:19-20The Great Commission, where Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, echoes the theme of being sent by God, as Moses was. | A Servant's Difficulties | J. Orr | Exodus 4:13 | | An Evasion of Spiritual Work | J. S. Exell, M. A. | Exodus 4:13 | | The Inventiveness of Reluctance | J. Parker, D. D. | Exodus 4:13 | | The Joy of Being Used by God | G. F. Pentecost, D. D. | Exodus 4:13 | | Divine Supplements for Human Infirmity | H.T. Robjohns | Exodus 4:1-17 | | Eloquence | J. S. Exell, M. A. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Fluency in Speech | W. M. Taylor, D. D. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Gifts Other than Eloquence an Element in Leadership | Prof. Gaussen. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | God Can Make Use of Poor Material | | Exodus 4:10-13 | | God's Biddings are Enablings | | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Inspiration Better than Education | H. O. Mackey. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Lessons | W. M. Taylor, D. D. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Natural Infirmities in Relation to Moral Service | J. S. Exell, M. A. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Self-Consciousness | J. Parker, D. D. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Slowness of Speech | J. S. Exell, M. A. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Speech, or Dumbness, from God | H. Melvill, B. D. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Strength not Always Appropriate | | Exodus 4:10-13 | | The Art of the Orator Undesirable in a Preacher | Spurgeon, Charles Haddon | Exodus 4:10-13 | | The Divine Creatorship | W. M. Taylor, D. D. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | The Objections Made to Religious Service | J. S. Exell, M. A. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Uselessness of Mere Words | Robert Hall. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | Why was Moses not Gifted with Eloquence? | M. M. Kalisch, Ph. D. | Exodus 4:10-13 | | God's Wrath Will Fall Where His Service is Declined | J. Urquhart | Exodus 4:10-17 | | Slow of Speech | J. Orr | Exodus 4:10-17 | | Moses, Taking a Step Too Far, is Suddenly Arrested | D. Young | Exodus 4:13-16 |
People Aaron, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jethro, Moses, Pharaoh, ZipporahPlaces Egypt, Horeb, Midian, Nile RiverTopics Ah, Anyone, Message, O, Oh, Please, Seems, Someone, Whomever, WiltDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 4:13 1230 God, the Lord
5877 hesitation
5884 indecision Exodus 4:1-13 7758 preachers, call Exodus 4:10-13 5102 Moses, life of
8726 doubters Exodus 4:10-14 6218 provoking God Exodus 4:10-15 5949 shyness Library January 13. "Thou Shalt be to Him Instead of God" (Ex. Iv. 16).
"Thou shalt be to him instead of God" (Ex. iv. 16). Such was God's promise to Moses, and such the high character that Moses was to assume toward Aaron, his brother. May it not suggest a high and glorious place that each of us may occupy toward all whom we meet, instead of God? What a dignity and glory it would give our lives, could we uniformly realize this high calling! How it would lead us to act toward our fellow-men! God can always be depended upon. God is without variableness or shadow of turning. …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth May the Eleventh but -- --!
"And Moses answered and said, But----" --EXODUS iv. 1-9. We know that "but." God has heard it from our lips a thousand times. It is the response of unbelief to the divine call. It is the reply of fear to the divine command. It is the suggestion that the resources are inadequate. It is a hint that God may not have looked all round. He has overlooked something which our own eyes have seen. The human "buts" in the Scriptural stories make an appalling record. "Lord, I will follow Thee, but----" There …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year May the Twelfth Mouth and Matter
"Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth." --EXODUS iv. 10-17. And what a promise that is for anyone who is commissioned to proclaim the King's decrees. Here can teachers and preachers find their strength. God will be with their mouths. He will control their speech, and order their words like troops. He does not promise to make us eloquent, but to endow our words with the "demonstration of power." "And I will teach thee what thou shall say." The Lord will not only be with our mouths, …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year A Bundle of Myrrh is My Well-Beloved unto Me; He Shall Abide Between My Breasts.
When the Bride, or rather the lover (for she is not yet a bride), has found her Bridegroom, she is so transported with joy, that she is eager to be instantly united to Him. But the union of perpetual enjoyment is not yet arrived. He is mine, she says, I cannot doubt that He gives Himself to me this moment, since I feel it, but He is to me, as it were, a bundle of myrrh. He is not yet a Bridegroom whom I may embrace in the nuptial bed, but a bundle of crosses, pains and mortifications; a bloody husband …
Madame Guyon—Song of Songs of Solomon Preaching (I. ).
Earthen vessels, frail and slight, Yet the golden Lamp we bear; Master, break us, that the light So may fire the murky air; Skill and wisdom none we claim, Only seek to lift Thy Name. I have on purpose reserved the subject of Preaching for our closing pages. Preaching is, from many points of view, the goal and summing up of all other parts and works of the Ministry. What we have said already about the Clergyman's life and labour, in secret, in society, in the parish; what we have said about his …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren To the Saddest of the Sad
I often wonder what those preachers do who feel called to make up their message as they go on; for if they fail, their failure must be attributed in great measure to their want of ability to make up a moving tale. They have to spread their sails to the breeze of the age, and to pick up a gospel that comes floating down to them on the stream of time, altering every week in the year; and they must have an endless task to catch this new idea, or, as they put it, to keep abreast of the age. Unless, indeed, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888 The Sweet Uses of Adversity
Now, I propose to address myself to the two classes of persons who are making use of this question. First, I shall speak to the tried saint; and then I shall speak to the seeking sinner, who has been seeking peace and pardon through Christ, but who has not as yet found it, but, on the contrary, has been buffeted by the law, and driven away from the mercy-seat in despair. I. First, then, to THE CHILD OF GOD. I have--I know I have--in this great assembly, some who have come to Job's position. They …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859 "For if Ye Live after the Flesh, Ye Shall Die; but if Ye through the Spirit do Mortify the Deeds of the Body, Ye Shall Live.
Rom. viii. s 13, 14.--"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." The life and being of many things consists in union,--separate them, and they remain not the same, or they lose their virtue. It is much more thus in Christianity, the power and life of it consists in the union of these things that God hath conjoined, so that if any man pretend to …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture.
"He hath hardened their heart."-- John xii. 40. The Scripture teaches positively that the hardening and "darkening of their foolish heart" is a divine, intentional act. This is plainly evident from God's charge to Moses concerning the king of Egypt: "Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not harken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Flight into Egypt and Slaughter of the Bethlehem Children.
(Bethlehem and Road Thence to Egypt, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 13-18. ^a 13 Now when they were departed [The text favors the idea that the arrival and departure of the magi and the departure of Joseph for Egypt, all occurred in one night. If so, the people of Bethlehem knew nothing of these matters], behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise [this command calls for immediate departure] and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt [This land was ever the …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah A Canticle of Love
It is not only when He is about to send me some trial that Our Lord gives me warning and awakens my desire for it. For years I had cherished a longing which seemed impossible of realisation--to have a brother a Priest. I often used to think that if my little brothers had not gone to Heaven, I should have had the happiness of seeing them at the Altar. I greatly regretted being deprived of this joy. Yet God went beyond my dream; I only asked for one brother who would remember me each day at the Holy …
Therese Martin (of Lisieux)—The Story of a Soul Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 4:13 NIVExodus 4:13 NLTExodus 4:13 ESVExodus 4:13 NASBExodus 4:13 KJV
Exodus 4:13 Commentaries
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